The Disney Corral assignments for marathon weekend have come out. They've cut the number of corrals in half and they only go from A-H now instead of A-P. Apparently they are going to release each corral in waves. A lot of big marathons are going with this approach.
Our corral assignments:
Aaron: B (half marathon)
Ethan: B (half marathon)
Ellen: C (half marathon)
me: A (half and full marathons - Goofy Challenge).
I'll move back to the C corral (probably Aaron too) to run with Ellen in the half. Ethan might stay in B and run with his friend Chris.
With the smaller corrals of the previous races I probably would have been in the C corral, so it looks like the larger corrals worked out for me.
Showing posts with label Disney Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney Marathon. Show all posts
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Disney Marathon - Looking Back and Looking Forward
My journey started about this time last year, weighing 223 pounds, not having run much in a few months, and subject to increasing back and joint pains. I made the decision to make the Disney Marathon a goal that would motivate me to get myself in shape and avoid becoming prematurely old. A year later I had lost 40+ pounds and run a sub four hour marathon.
I thank God for giving me the health to make this possible. I knew from the start that there was no guarantee my body - especially my knees - would hold up to the training. Losing some weight before starting the real training mitigated the situation, but several injuries throughout the year, including knee problems and strained muscles, made it clear just how quickly injury can stop you in your tracks. Right now I'm amazed at how good my knees feel. Even after the marathon they were not sore at all, and I know I am very fortunate in this.
It's obvious as well that I need goals to keep me motivated. It was only the goal of the Disney Marathon that motivated me to make the necessary changes last year. After the marathon, I let myself go at Disney and put on a few pounds last week - for which I have no regrets. But I certainly don't want to slide back to where I was.
Why not repeat the same formula? One reason is that doing it on your own is a little lonely, when most of the runners at Disney are in groups or pairs. I really wouldn't want to go down again as a solo runner. Fortunately Ellen has come to the rescue and agreed to run the half marathon next year. That gives me the opportunity to do the Goofy Challenge, running the half with her on Saturday and then the full myself on Sunday. I'm already fired up about it and I know this will provide the motivation I need to stay on track.
Short term I'm running the Hampton Half Marathon in February, joined by Marianne, the runner who inspired me to take on the Disney Marathon in the first place. I'll be trying to finally breakthrough that 1:50 half marathon PR.
I thank God for giving me the health to make this possible. I knew from the start that there was no guarantee my body - especially my knees - would hold up to the training. Losing some weight before starting the real training mitigated the situation, but several injuries throughout the year, including knee problems and strained muscles, made it clear just how quickly injury can stop you in your tracks. Right now I'm amazed at how good my knees feel. Even after the marathon they were not sore at all, and I know I am very fortunate in this.
It's obvious as well that I need goals to keep me motivated. It was only the goal of the Disney Marathon that motivated me to make the necessary changes last year. After the marathon, I let myself go at Disney and put on a few pounds last week - for which I have no regrets. But I certainly don't want to slide back to where I was.
Why not repeat the same formula? One reason is that doing it on your own is a little lonely, when most of the runners at Disney are in groups or pairs. I really wouldn't want to go down again as a solo runner. Fortunately Ellen has come to the rescue and agreed to run the half marathon next year. That gives me the opportunity to do the Goofy Challenge, running the half with her on Saturday and then the full myself on Sunday. I'm already fired up about it and I know this will provide the motivation I need to stay on track.
Short term I'm running the Hampton Half Marathon in February, joined by Marianne, the runner who inspired me to take on the Disney Marathon in the first place. I'll be trying to finally breakthrough that 1:50 half marathon PR.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Disney Marathon 2015 Recap
Well the big day finally arrived this past Sunday.
On Saturday we flew down from Boston, took the Magical Express to the Polynesian, and immediately headed to the ESPN Center to get my packet and explore the Health and Fitness Expo. I was a little nervous about this because of the compressed timeline but it all worked out. We picked up my packet and marathon shirt, which is long sleeve black. I like it and I'll likely wear it for the Hampton Half Marathon in February. I also bought a yellow short sleeve 2015 marathon shirt. There is a lot going on at the Expo, much of which we didn't explore as we got there late and I needed to get back to the hotel to rest up for the race.
We headed back to the Polynesian and checked in, and I ate my pre-dinner race at the Contempo Café in the Contemporary Resort, which has a pasta and meatballs offering. I was hoping to sleep that night since I hadn't really slept Friday night, but I didn't really sleep much Saturday night either. I tossed and turned for a while, went down and hung around the Great Ceremonial Hall, came back and tossed and turned some more, then decided to get up for good at 2:00 AM. I ate my pre-race breakfast of peanut butter on saltines, got suited up, and headed out for Epcot at 3:30 AM on the monorail.
The setup was just as described in various blogs (and documented in Lee Hoedl's videos). The staging area was a parking lot at Epcot with rock music playing and MC's firing up the crowd. One funny element was the Green Army Man from Toy Story, stationed in an elevated bunker and yelling down at the runners to motivate them. More on this guy later.
At around 4:30 we started the long walk to the start corrals, which again went just as expected. I was glad I listened to Lee Hoedl and brought a towel to sit on while waiting in the corral, which lasted till 5:30. One disappointing thing I noticed were people climbing the barriers to get into corrals, presumably ahead of the ones they were assigned. There are always the 10% in any group that have to ruin the situation. I was surprised at how relatively close I was, in the E corral, to the absolute start of the race. This is a consequence of the fact that the early corrals are the smallest and get larger as you go back (all the way to P), getting to a thousand and more for the ones in the back. The corrals in front of me had a few hundred at most (at least until people started climbing into them!)
Most of the runners were in groups or pairs (with several newlywed couples with the bride running in a white dress and veil), but people were pretty friendly and I chatted with some other singles like me. We agreed we were lucky with the weather, which was in the high 50s at race start and was forecast to not get out of the 60s during the race.
So Mickey did the countdown, the fireworks went off, and a few minutes later my corral had moved up to the start line and we were off.
Mile 1. 9:49 (these are splits from my watch)
I did no warmup but stretched out in the corral, and given my naturally slow starts, I wasn't too worried about taking it out too fast.
Mile 2. 8:55
A lot of jockeying for position and it was fairly crowded. The corral runners are still more or less in a big clump. I had to run on the grass to get around some runners to maintain pace.
Mile 3. 8:57
It opens up and people spread out and position is no longer an issue. I was passing people even from the start and I have to wonder how some runners got the corral placement they did (other than climb the barriers). A lot of these runners could never have done the 1:50 half that got me into the E corral. We also started getting the cheering squads. There are a lot of high school marching bands and cheerleaders scattered throughout the course and cheering you on. One of the nice Disney touches. Also the Disney characters along the route started showing up. You can stop and have your picture taken with them (either with your own camera or a professional photographer). Some of the setups are very elaborate, like a pirate ship behind Captain Jack Sparrow.
Mile 4. 8:50
I'm making no effort to control my pace. I know the cruising stride I want and I've just adopted that gait and let nature take its course. From experience I know I'll speed up even if it doesn't feel any different and this was happening. We're also approaching the Magic Kingdom and there are now crowds along the road cheering us on. I notice one of the newlywed couples running hand-in-hand and I wonder if they will make it the whole race like that.
Mile 5. 8:46
This mile includes the entry into the Magic Kingdom proper and the famous turn down Main Street USA. And it really was just as thrilling as advertised:
It's still pre-dawn when you get to this point and Main Street is lit up with both sides jammed with cheering spectators. The buildings create a stadium effect with all the noise and it really does give you a jolt, with the Cinderella Castle lit up straight in front of you. You then circle around through Tomorrowland and run back through the castle:
Mile 6. 8:53
Mile 7. 8:44
This mile takes you behind the Polynesian and I knew my family would be waiting for me to run by. And there they were... but a large bus cruised between us just as I ran by! I also ate my first gu gel packet.
This mile takes you behind the Polynesian and I knew my family would be waiting for me to run by. And there they were... but a large bus cruised between us just as I ran by! I also ate my first gu gel packet.
Mile 8. 8:40
This takes you around the WDW Speedway. The track is lined with classic cars (like a classic car show) with the owners encouraging you to take a look. And they are blasting racing sounds over the sound system. By this point I had settled in to my racing groove.
This takes you around the WDW Speedway. The track is lined with classic cars (like a classic car show) with the owners encouraging you to take a look. And they are blasting racing sounds over the sound system. By this point I had settled in to my racing groove.
Mile 9. 8:40
Mile 10. 9:06
Stopped for a quick bathroom break here, which pushed the split over 9 minutes.
Stopped for a quick bathroom break here, which pushed the split over 9 minutes.
Mile 11. 8:28
Mile 12. 8:29
These miles take you on back roads past the WDW Water Treatment Plant. The most boring section on the course as there are no marching bands or cheerleaders and it smells. The only items of interest are a series of signs that tell you how much filth the treatment plant processes. Better than nothing I suppose. When I saw the 11 mile split I noted it was too fast but wasn't concerned over one mile. When mile 12 came in at the same split the "danger Will Robinson" flash went off in my mind and I consciously backed off the pace a bit. There was no way I could keep that up for 26.
Mile 13. 8:37
This mile takes you through Animal Kingdom. I was having a ball, running comfortably, chatting with other runners, waving at spectators and thanking the volunteers.
These miles take you on back roads past the WDW Water Treatment Plant. The most boring section on the course as there are no marching bands or cheerleaders and it smells. The only items of interest are a series of signs that tell you how much filth the treatment plant processes. Better than nothing I suppose. When I saw the 11 mile split I noted it was too fast but wasn't concerned over one mile. When mile 12 came in at the same split the "danger Will Robinson" flash went off in my mind and I consciously backed off the pace a bit. There was no way I could keep that up for 26.
Mile 13. 8:37
This mile takes you through Animal Kingdom. I was having a ball, running comfortably, chatting with other runners, waving at spectators and thanking the volunteers.
Running through AK I turned a corner and who was there but Baloo from my favorite Disney movie, Jungle Book. He had the the things I required for a character stop: 1) Be a character I was interested in. 2) No line and 3) A professional photographer (not all the characters along the way have them, so unless you carry your own camera, you can't get a picture).
Mile 14. 8:38
Ate my second gu gel packet. My left knee started to bother me, an ominous sign. But a few miles later it felt fine and didn't bother me the rest of the race. My right little toe was hurting a little bit as well but I just lived with it the rest of the race. After the race I discovered that I had blisters between all the toes on my right foot (something that's never happened before) so maybe that sock was too tight.
Ate my second gu gel packet. My left knee started to bother me, an ominous sign. But a few miles later it felt fine and didn't bother me the rest of the race. My right little toe was hurting a little bit as well but I just lived with it the rest of the race. After the race I discovered that I had blisters between all the toes on my right foot (something that's never happened before) so maybe that sock was too tight.
Mile 15. 8:32
Mile 16. 8:39
Mile 17. 8:35
These miles take you from Animal Kingdom to the ESPN Center. I was still feeling strong, running easily, and having a ball. At the water stops I would crush my cups and try to score a basket in a trash barrel while running by. At one stop here I threw the cup between two runners and bounced it off the rim of the barrel; the runner in back yelled "Denied!" This guy had his name "Kevin" in big letters across his back and was really living it up, yelling to the spectators and other runners. He was a good runner and was easily handling the pace. I would pass him at character stops and then see him a while later as he caught up. We joked now and again until the last time I saw him in Hollywood Studios - but more on that later.
Mile 18. 8:47
Mile 19. 8:42
The course winds around through the ESPN Center on these miles. The slowdown in pace didn't concern me because there are a number of hairpin turns and bottlenecks going in and out of the stadium, the track and the like.
A lot of runners don't like the ESPN Section of the course because some of the running can be difficult, but I had no problem with it and it's a lot more interesting than other sections of the course.
Mile 20. 9:00
At the end of Mile 20 we exited the ESPN Center and headed to Hollywood Studios. Again the split didn't bother me because I felt good and there were bottlenecks on this part of the course. Ate my last gu gel pack.
At the end of Mile 20 we exited the ESPN Center and headed to Hollywood Studios. Again the split didn't bother me because I felt good and there were bottlenecks on this part of the course. Ate my last gu gel pack.
Mile 21. 8:45
I knew I was in uncharted territory here as my longest training run was 20 miles. I reminded myself of one of the marathon tips, which is to trust your training. I had followed the Higdon plan religiously and so should be confident going forward. I was still feeling strong and a quick calculation showed that I could break 3:50 if I could stay under 9 minute miles for the balance of the race.
This mile includes a long on-ramp to a highway overpass and I saw one of the characters I was hoping for, the Green Army Man from Toy Story. Unfortunately he didn't have a professional photographer with him. He wasn't standing still either, as he was running out on the course alongside runners and yelling "Move it, Move it, Move it, soldier!" and "Get up that hill!" as we ran up the on-ramp. I thought this was hilarious and hoped he'd pick on me but no such luck.
I knew I was in uncharted territory here as my longest training run was 20 miles. I reminded myself of one of the marathon tips, which is to trust your training. I had followed the Higdon plan religiously and so should be confident going forward. I was still feeling strong and a quick calculation showed that I could break 3:50 if I could stay under 9 minute miles for the balance of the race.
This mile includes a long on-ramp to a highway overpass and I saw one of the characters I was hoping for, the Green Army Man from Toy Story. Unfortunately he didn't have a professional photographer with him. He wasn't standing still either, as he was running out on the course alongside runners and yelling "Move it, Move it, Move it, soldier!" and "Get up that hill!" as we ran up the on-ramp. I thought this was hilarious and hoped he'd pick on me but no such luck.
Mile 22. 8:48
Here I was able to hold the pace but it was starting to become work, so I became a little concerned. I was no longer smokin' and jokin' like I was earlier.
Here I was able to hold the pace but it was starting to become work, so I became a little concerned. I was no longer smokin' and jokin' like I was earlier.
Mile 23. 8:54
This mile includes the arrival at Hollywood Studios and I could tell I was starting to actually become tired, but I still had confidence I could make 3:50. Only 5k to go!
This mile includes the arrival at Hollywood Studios and I could tell I was starting to actually become tired, but I still had confidence I could make 3:50. Only 5k to go!
Mile 24. 9:15
And then the bottom dropped out. I'm familiar with the phrase "hitting the wall", but if that's what happened to me here, the phrase doesn't do it justice. I've never felt anything like it, including any of the Marine Corps training. A better word would be "devastation." "Hitting the wall" implies you have encountered a barrier and are trying to break through to the other side. Whatever wall was in front of me could have been paper thin because I had nothing left to get through it.
And then the bottom dropped out. I'm familiar with the phrase "hitting the wall", but if that's what happened to me here, the phrase doesn't do it justice. I've never felt anything like it, including any of the Marine Corps training. A better word would be "devastation." "Hitting the wall" implies you have encountered a barrier and are trying to break through to the other side. Whatever wall was in front of me could have been paper thin because I had nothing left to get through it.
What shocked me was the speed with which it happened. I could detect a slow decline in my pace and my strength over the previous few miles and I was prepared for that. I even thought I could make the 3:50 if things continued to decline at that rate. But this was just a complete emptying of the checking account. My thighs were thoroughly thrashed and were hurting badly, I was laboring in my breathing - all of which had happened at the end of half marathons. But there was a big difference between this feeling and how I felt at the end of half marathons. Here I felt a general bodily resignation I've never felt before. Any thoughts of the 3:50 went immediately out the window and I knew I was in a struggle for survival until the finish. I saw Kevin again and he started to talk to me but I just looked at him and shook my head. He said some words of encouragement and moved on. The last I saw him he was getting a character picture with Mr. and Mrs. Incredible.
25. 9:33
This mile takes you along the Boardwalk from Hollywood Studios to EPCOT. I was familiar with it from staying at the Yacht Club back in 2011. It would have been nice to enjoy the sights and sounds but the only thing I could think about was putting one foot in front of the other. A few weeks ago we watched "The Spirit of the Marathon", a documentary that follows several runners training for and running the Chicago Marathon, including ordinary runners and elite athletes. I remembered the commentator saying that the elite female runner was "nothing but arms" as she approached the finish line (she won the race). Throughout the race I had been reminding myself to relax my arms, especially my left, which I tend to run with in a fist (see the pictures). Now, remembering what that runner had done, I began pumping my arms a bit and that seemed to help.
25. 9:33
This mile takes you along the Boardwalk from Hollywood Studios to EPCOT. I was familiar with it from staying at the Yacht Club back in 2011. It would have been nice to enjoy the sights and sounds but the only thing I could think about was putting one foot in front of the other. A few weeks ago we watched "The Spirit of the Marathon", a documentary that follows several runners training for and running the Chicago Marathon, including ordinary runners and elite athletes. I remembered the commentator saying that the elite female runner was "nothing but arms" as she approached the finish line (she won the race). Throughout the race I had been reminding myself to relax my arms, especially my left, which I tend to run with in a fist (see the pictures). Now, remembering what that runner had done, I began pumping my arms a bit and that seemed to help.
26. 9:40
I finally made it to EPCOT where you run through the World Showcase. Here I am struggling through Morocco:
I kept my head up enough to spot my family at Norway and cruised over to give everyone a fist bump. I managed to put on a brave smile:
As I closed in on the finish my thighs went numb and I started to feel a little sick. I knew that when I heard the Hallelujah Choir (a gospel choir singing near the finish) I was almost home, and it gave me a little bump when I heard them, knowing I was going to make it on my feet.
As I approached the finish line I didn't feel any elation, just physical emptiness and a determination to make it across the finish line running. Although I didn't feel any real desire to, I decided to throw up my arms in some sort of celebration for the pictures as I crossed the finish line. All I could manage, however, were a couple of feeble fist pumps:
I finished in 3:52:35, reaching my goal of a sub four hour marathon. After the finish I could barely walk and probably should have headed to the medical tent. But I was not dizzy or disoriented, just a physical wreck, and I figured the medical help was for the runners with potentially dangerous issues. Mine didn't seem dangerous, just painful.
I managed to work up a smile for the medal photo:
I figured I might be down for the rest of the day, but a hot shower and a 20 minute rest did wonders, and we spent the rest of the day in the Magic Kingdom. I almost fell over a few times getting on rides, but everything went well, including the evening feast at the Liberty Tree Tavern.
I have to say the Disney Marathon was one of the most exhilarating things I've ever done. Some runners feel elation approaching/crossing the finish line, but I was feeling nothing but pain and had to fake the elation. A few hours later the elation set in, however, and I never got tired of wearing my medal around the parks all week.
This is something I'd love to do again and I'm already anticipating doing the Goofy Challenge (the half and full) next year - this time with some company.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Disney Marathon Info
So runDisney came out with some information today including the corral breakdowns and assignments. Here are the corral breakdowns:
(I couldn't find a way to completely get rid of the pdf control panel at the bottom!)
I got bib number 1709 with my 1:50 half-marathon submission, which puts me (barely) into corral E. There will only be 1708 runners ahead of me so the crowding shouldn't be bad.
Looking at the past races, the 2013 race had 17591 runners, the 2014 race had 13316 runners and this year has 12334 (judging by the bib numbers). All three races sold-out, so I'm curious why Disney has cut the numbers back. Maybe they recognize too much crowding on the course.
UPDATE: The posters on the Disney Marathon blog pointed out that this doesn't include the Goofy and Dopey runners (the former running the half and the full marathons, the latter running the 5k, 10k, half and full), which brings the total running up to somewhere around 26,000.
(I couldn't find a way to completely get rid of the pdf control panel at the bottom!)
I got bib number 1709 with my 1:50 half-marathon submission, which puts me (barely) into corral E. There will only be 1708 runners ahead of me so the crowding shouldn't be bad.
Looking at the past races, the 2013 race had 17591 runners, the 2014 race had 13316 runners and this year has 12334 (judging by the bib numbers). All three races sold-out, so I'm curious why Disney has cut the numbers back. Maybe they recognize too much crowding on the course.
UPDATE: The posters on the Disney Marathon blog pointed out that this doesn't include the Goofy and Dopey runners (the former running the half and the full marathons, the latter running the 5k, 10k, half and full), which brings the total running up to somewhere around 26,000.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Training Plan
Here is the training plan I'll be using:
It is the Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 plan, which I settled on after some internet research. The Higdon plans seem to be very popular out there, and feature different plans for different levels of runners. Everything I've been doing from January till now has been by way of losing weight and banking mileage to prepare for the three month marathon training. I've been running 30+ miles per week since the start of the summer and between 10 and 13 miles on my Sunday runs since July, so I think I'm in a good place. Also, for the last 3 months, I've been mimicking the form of the training (long Sunday run, cross training on Monday, short runs Tuesday and Thursday, longer run Wednesday and "pacy" run on Saturday.)
A few things I've modified a bit. On the Tuesday and Thursday short runs, I'm doing them Marine Corps style with stations. A 3/4 mile lap around the park followed by (in my back yard) a set of pushups, crunches and dumbbell bent over rows. Do that 3 times, and finish it off with a run around the neighborhood to get me to somewhere in the 3 to 4 mile range. During the soccer refereeing season (September and October) I'm refereeing on Saturdays, which I'm counting as a Saturday pace run (and, believe me, refereeing 3 U14 soccer games back to back - if you run hard like I do - is like running a good 10k race). That all ends in November when the really big mileage kicks in.
The Disney Marathon is January 11, and if you back that out, you find out that I am in week 4 right now. I'm jumping into it there, this being the first week that I am trying to follow it as strictly as I can.
The cross-training I do is weight lifting with relatively light weights (all upper body work) and a lot of reps, plus core work. I do that both Monday and Friday, although I sometimes miss Friday. So if you count the station training on Tuesday and Thursday, I'm doing upper body work of some sort Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Another thing I'm changing is I'm not running a Half Marathon in week 9 (the Sunday of November 9). Instead, I'm running the Air Force Association Fun Run in Bedford, MA (a 10K) on Saturday the 8th. I'll probably run an easy 10 miler or the like on Sunday. Other than that, I'm going to attempt to abide by the schedule as strictly as I can.
It is the Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 plan, which I settled on after some internet research. The Higdon plans seem to be very popular out there, and feature different plans for different levels of runners. Everything I've been doing from January till now has been by way of losing weight and banking mileage to prepare for the three month marathon training. I've been running 30+ miles per week since the start of the summer and between 10 and 13 miles on my Sunday runs since July, so I think I'm in a good place. Also, for the last 3 months, I've been mimicking the form of the training (long Sunday run, cross training on Monday, short runs Tuesday and Thursday, longer run Wednesday and "pacy" run on Saturday.)
A few things I've modified a bit. On the Tuesday and Thursday short runs, I'm doing them Marine Corps style with stations. A 3/4 mile lap around the park followed by (in my back yard) a set of pushups, crunches and dumbbell bent over rows. Do that 3 times, and finish it off with a run around the neighborhood to get me to somewhere in the 3 to 4 mile range. During the soccer refereeing season (September and October) I'm refereeing on Saturdays, which I'm counting as a Saturday pace run (and, believe me, refereeing 3 U14 soccer games back to back - if you run hard like I do - is like running a good 10k race). That all ends in November when the really big mileage kicks in.
The Disney Marathon is January 11, and if you back that out, you find out that I am in week 4 right now. I'm jumping into it there, this being the first week that I am trying to follow it as strictly as I can.
The cross-training I do is weight lifting with relatively light weights (all upper body work) and a lot of reps, plus core work. I do that both Monday and Friday, although I sometimes miss Friday. So if you count the station training on Tuesday and Thursday, I'm doing upper body work of some sort Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Another thing I'm changing is I'm not running a Half Marathon in week 9 (the Sunday of November 9). Instead, I'm running the Air Force Association Fun Run in Bedford, MA (a 10K) on Saturday the 8th. I'll probably run an easy 10 miler or the like on Sunday. Other than that, I'm going to attempt to abide by the schedule as strictly as I can.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Genesis
The origin of my run Disney adventure goes back to June 2012. 49 years old, and weighing at the time 200+ pounds (I had been 200 or better for many years), I was signed up to run a 5 mile road race here in Danvers. I have been running consistently since my high school years, generally no great distance and typically 10-15 miles per week in 3 or 4 mile chunks. This was for general health purposes and I didn't consider myself a "runner", although I occasionally ran a 5k, the last time back in 2008.
I can't remember why I signed up for the 5 miler, but I did, and began to regret it the day of the race when the temperatures soared past 90 degrees. With a sick feeling in my stomach I noticed that virtually everyone else waiting at the start line was a skinny running type. Apparently everyone else of my size/shape had the good sense to bail out given the weather conditions. Not quite everyone, as there was one other "plus-size" runner in the back with me, waiting with the same wan expression I had. In the event, the race turned out to be just as dreadful as I expected, with me trundling along well behind most of the runners and forced to walk up the first big hill we came to. As the race went along I waved off the volunteers who shouted out mileage and split times - they were only embarrassing me, as were the volunteers who stayed out there to cheer me along well after most of the runners had gone by, clapping for the fat guy who should be applauded just for getting his lazy ass off the couch. This was grossly unfair to them, of course, people who were volunteering their time so the race could happen and who were genuinely trying to be supportive. It was also unfair to the fat guys who really should be applauded for getting off the couch. The thing is, I am a naturally thin type who once ran 18 minute 5k's and only got in this condition through neglect and lack of self-discipline. I deserved jeers more than applause. In any case, I managed to finally waddle across the finish line, completing the five miles in 52 minutes at an average pace of 10:24 minutes per mile. The experience was so humiliating that I vowed to never again run a competitive race unless I became a lot smaller. And I didn't, returning to my 10-12 miles a week and cheesesteak subs.
Fast forward to January 2014. I had a tooth pulled in October 2013 followed a day later by arthroscopic knee surgery which, combined with the deteriorating weather, demotivated me from restarting my running program after the surgery (which is possible to do after a few weeks with an arthroscopic surgery). Then the holidays rolled around and I found myself weighing an all time high of 223 lbs in early January. Now a few days short of 51 years old, I noticed the little aches and pains I had long had getting worse, and found myself accumulating some new ones as well. I figured the additional weight could not be helping any of this.
It occurred to me that I was at a decision point: If I didn't do something to change this situation, I would soon be at a point where my physical life would be primarily concerned with managing the aches and pains and adjusting my lifestyle to accommodate them. In other words, I would be old. But I wasn't sure I had the motivation to really do something about it, as I did like my cheesesteak subs and 20 oz. Cokes. I had made some somewhat successful attempts in the last decade to lose weight, but I had never gotten under 200 lbs and the losses were (as they almost always are for everyone) temporary. I've never really been successful at losing weight for losing weight's sake.
It was at this moment that Tricia mentioned that a woman at her morning "boot camp" class had run the Disney Marathon and that you could check out the race online. So I visited the run Disney website and was immediately enchanted. I've always liked Disney World and the race looked like an absolute blast. An idea formed in my head: The next Disney Marathon was a year away. That event could be the carrot motivating me to do something about my dreadful physical situation and, if not turn back the clock, at least avoid spinning it forward a few years, which was what I was doing.
A nice idea but there were some questions that needed realistic answers: Could my body, especially my knees, handle the necessary training? Certainly not in my present condition. It quickly became clear the order in which things would have to happen: I'd have to lose weight first, then begin the real marathon training. Even with the loss of weight, there was no assurance my knees would stand up to the punishment. The Disney Marathon registration did not open until late April (and, I discovered, quickly sells out), giving me four months to discover how serious I was about actually doing this. That would be judged by how much weight I could lose between now and then and, in April, an increase in running mileage to judge the effect on my knees (and anything else!)
In the event, I managed to go from 223 lbs in early January to 210 lbs on March 31. I did not follow a formal program but used common sense: I first cut out all the obviously bad things I was eating. No more Coke, no more ice cream or cake, try to limit eating between meals as much as possible. Then I cut back the portion sizes I was eating and ate more fruit and fewer potato chips.
Then, in April, as planned I began to increase my running mileage, getting to about 25 miles/week by the end of April, by which time I had also dropped to 204 lbs. Surprisingly, I discovered that my knees felt better the more I ran. Some other middle aged runners told me they were not surprised. The additional running strengthened the muscles around the knee as well as kept the joints lubricated.
This was evidence enough for me to commit to the 2015 Disney Marathon, which I did at the end of April.
I can't remember why I signed up for the 5 miler, but I did, and began to regret it the day of the race when the temperatures soared past 90 degrees. With a sick feeling in my stomach I noticed that virtually everyone else waiting at the start line was a skinny running type. Apparently everyone else of my size/shape had the good sense to bail out given the weather conditions. Not quite everyone, as there was one other "plus-size" runner in the back with me, waiting with the same wan expression I had. In the event, the race turned out to be just as dreadful as I expected, with me trundling along well behind most of the runners and forced to walk up the first big hill we came to. As the race went along I waved off the volunteers who shouted out mileage and split times - they were only embarrassing me, as were the volunteers who stayed out there to cheer me along well after most of the runners had gone by, clapping for the fat guy who should be applauded just for getting his lazy ass off the couch. This was grossly unfair to them, of course, people who were volunteering their time so the race could happen and who were genuinely trying to be supportive. It was also unfair to the fat guys who really should be applauded for getting off the couch. The thing is, I am a naturally thin type who once ran 18 minute 5k's and only got in this condition through neglect and lack of self-discipline. I deserved jeers more than applause. In any case, I managed to finally waddle across the finish line, completing the five miles in 52 minutes at an average pace of 10:24 minutes per mile. The experience was so humiliating that I vowed to never again run a competitive race unless I became a lot smaller. And I didn't, returning to my 10-12 miles a week and cheesesteak subs.
Fast forward to January 2014. I had a tooth pulled in October 2013 followed a day later by arthroscopic knee surgery which, combined with the deteriorating weather, demotivated me from restarting my running program after the surgery (which is possible to do after a few weeks with an arthroscopic surgery). Then the holidays rolled around and I found myself weighing an all time high of 223 lbs in early January. Now a few days short of 51 years old, I noticed the little aches and pains I had long had getting worse, and found myself accumulating some new ones as well. I figured the additional weight could not be helping any of this.
It occurred to me that I was at a decision point: If I didn't do something to change this situation, I would soon be at a point where my physical life would be primarily concerned with managing the aches and pains and adjusting my lifestyle to accommodate them. In other words, I would be old. But I wasn't sure I had the motivation to really do something about it, as I did like my cheesesteak subs and 20 oz. Cokes. I had made some somewhat successful attempts in the last decade to lose weight, but I had never gotten under 200 lbs and the losses were (as they almost always are for everyone) temporary. I've never really been successful at losing weight for losing weight's sake.
It was at this moment that Tricia mentioned that a woman at her morning "boot camp" class had run the Disney Marathon and that you could check out the race online. So I visited the run Disney website and was immediately enchanted. I've always liked Disney World and the race looked like an absolute blast. An idea formed in my head: The next Disney Marathon was a year away. That event could be the carrot motivating me to do something about my dreadful physical situation and, if not turn back the clock, at least avoid spinning it forward a few years, which was what I was doing.
A nice idea but there were some questions that needed realistic answers: Could my body, especially my knees, handle the necessary training? Certainly not in my present condition. It quickly became clear the order in which things would have to happen: I'd have to lose weight first, then begin the real marathon training. Even with the loss of weight, there was no assurance my knees would stand up to the punishment. The Disney Marathon registration did not open until late April (and, I discovered, quickly sells out), giving me four months to discover how serious I was about actually doing this. That would be judged by how much weight I could lose between now and then and, in April, an increase in running mileage to judge the effect on my knees (and anything else!)
In the event, I managed to go from 223 lbs in early January to 210 lbs on March 31. I did not follow a formal program but used common sense: I first cut out all the obviously bad things I was eating. No more Coke, no more ice cream or cake, try to limit eating between meals as much as possible. Then I cut back the portion sizes I was eating and ate more fruit and fewer potato chips.
Then, in April, as planned I began to increase my running mileage, getting to about 25 miles/week by the end of April, by which time I had also dropped to 204 lbs. Surprisingly, I discovered that my knees felt better the more I ran. Some other middle aged runners told me they were not surprised. The additional running strengthened the muscles around the knee as well as kept the joints lubricated.
This was evidence enough for me to commit to the 2015 Disney Marathon, which I did at the end of April.
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