Visit my race history blog for details on the Disney World Half Marathon 2011. Boy rocked his first half marathon! I am so very proud of him!
This experience has brought us closer together. I know that I whined a lot on my blog about not getting in enough training, but I would never trade this experience or time together for anything in the whole world.
I love my boy, my half marathoner!!!!!!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Last Long Run
As you can see, its been a while since our last long run. I should have done a better job blogging the past couple of weeks. Last week we attempted our last 11 mi long run, but it was COLD outside and Boy could not get in the groove, at mile 5 I got stomach issues in a big way, so we quit. We pulled a 4 miler on the treadmill at the gym on Monday (or was it Tuesday?) and we have had a couple more shorter runs in the hood. We went one night last week and ended up getting away from each other in the dark, I was worried about him, he was worried about me....luckily my knight in shining armor came driving up to save us :) We decided to have a 'go to' spot for when that happens again! Then we have been under heavy smoke advisory for the past couple of days because of the marshes on fire in Palm Bay. I am NOT running in thick smoke. So, here we are today...
Matt and I got up, went to the movies, picked up my car, went to the grocery store and then I ate...some leftover grains and sweet potato casserole. THEN me and Boy headed out around 4pm. The weather was PERFECT around 70 degrees, 85% humidity, winds were light - around 5mph. Boy started off saying his leg/foot was hurting. after inspection, around mi 2.5 I thought his shoes were laced too tight so I loosened up his tie and then he took off. That maniac!! I don't know what in the heck he ate/drank/etc to make him run harder, faster, farther than ever in our training runs, but it was phenomenal!! YAY BOY!!
We took one rather large break, around mi 4.5 to potty at home and get something to drink, but headed back out within 5 minutes (? I think). we ran together more today than usual and I completely tried to freeze frame every moment in my mind. I know that my patience have worn thin at times, but I have completely enjoyed this journey he shared with me. Watching the determination on his face is priceless. He said he isn't going to do any more long runs after this... he is DONE. I wonder if he will stick to that....the running bug is hard to fight ;)
We have a couple shorter runs before the race; if I don't blog about that then the next time I'll be on here is to give you our race report! So stay tuned!! :)
Matt and I got up, went to the movies, picked up my car, went to the grocery store and then I ate...some leftover grains and sweet potato casserole. THEN me and Boy headed out around 4pm. The weather was PERFECT around 70 degrees, 85% humidity, winds were light - around 5mph. Boy started off saying his leg/foot was hurting. after inspection, around mi 2.5 I thought his shoes were laced too tight so I loosened up his tie and then he took off. That maniac!! I don't know what in the heck he ate/drank/etc to make him run harder, faster, farther than ever in our training runs, but it was phenomenal!! YAY BOY!!
We took one rather large break, around mi 4.5 to potty at home and get something to drink, but headed back out within 5 minutes (? I think). we ran together more today than usual and I completely tried to freeze frame every moment in my mind. I know that my patience have worn thin at times, but I have completely enjoyed this journey he shared with me. Watching the determination on his face is priceless. He said he isn't going to do any more long runs after this... he is DONE. I wonder if he will stick to that....the running bug is hard to fight ;)
We have a couple shorter runs before the race; if I don't blog about that then the next time I'll be on here is to give you our race report! So stay tuned!! :)
Saturday, December 11, 2010
10 miler and a Happy Mommy :)
Ah, what a fantastic day. I have been waiting for this one! No, we didnt run the whole way... Yes, we had aches and pains... But my son had the 'Gidder Done' attitude that I have been wishing he had for the past ?? weeks (How long have we been doing this now?!?)
Last night I asked him to go to bed early so we'd have enough sleep - And he did! - This morning he was up at a descent time, but I didnt manage to get MY lazy bum out the door until after 11am. It was 65 degrees outside, with a moderate breeze from the north - thankfully we werent running north for very long! We wore shorts and a T, stopped by Walgreens and bought gummy bears and gatorade, and parked downtown by the smoothie cafe to get our post-run treat! I mapped our run so that we crossed the causeway twice, spend some time on the mainland in downtown, and some time running through the neighborhoods on the beach side. After reviewing the plan with Boy, we set off and he was SMOKING me. He was so far ahead that when we passed the bathrooms at mile 2, I couldnt flag him down, so I just made a quick pit stop and tried my best to catch up, which I did at mile 3 (red light/cross walk). This is where his problems started setting in, he got a cramp in his right glute. We walked while he totally trashed me for making him get out at NOON and run after I made him go to bed early. It was nice to FINALLY have a normal conversation with him while we are out there!
I got him on a 'mostly' run 4 / walk 1 schedule at that time to get us through the next 2 miles. In the middle of mile 5 we stopped at a park for a water refill (the park was not on the course I made, he actually thought ahead and we detoured - smart boy! I was so proud!). After we left the park, he didnt get started back up again for a while, he was jogging right behind me and before I know it, he's gone. So as you see on the splits below, I literally walked a big portion of mile 6 and all of mile 7 waiting for him to catch up, and he did, eventually, and was still unbelievably in a good mood, just having problems with cramps in his bum ;) Miles 8 & 9 we were back on our 4/1 schedule again and then picked up the pace for the last mile, which he took off and left me on. :)
Splits:
10:19 / 9:59 / 9:53 / 12:17 / 12:02
12:59 /14:13 /11:24 / 10:59 / 10:19
Overall pace: 11:29, cals burned 1052
Last night I asked him to go to bed early so we'd have enough sleep - And he did! - This morning he was up at a descent time, but I didnt manage to get MY lazy bum out the door until after 11am. It was 65 degrees outside, with a moderate breeze from the north - thankfully we werent running north for very long! We wore shorts and a T, stopped by Walgreens and bought gummy bears and gatorade, and parked downtown by the smoothie cafe to get our post-run treat! I mapped our run so that we crossed the causeway twice, spend some time on the mainland in downtown, and some time running through the neighborhoods on the beach side. After reviewing the plan with Boy, we set off and he was SMOKING me. He was so far ahead that when we passed the bathrooms at mile 2, I couldnt flag him down, so I just made a quick pit stop and tried my best to catch up, which I did at mile 3 (red light/cross walk). This is where his problems started setting in, he got a cramp in his right glute. We walked while he totally trashed me for making him get out at NOON and run after I made him go to bed early. It was nice to FINALLY have a normal conversation with him while we are out there!
I got him on a 'mostly' run 4 / walk 1 schedule at that time to get us through the next 2 miles. In the middle of mile 5 we stopped at a park for a water refill (the park was not on the course I made, he actually thought ahead and we detoured - smart boy! I was so proud!). After we left the park, he didnt get started back up again for a while, he was jogging right behind me and before I know it, he's gone. So as you see on the splits below, I literally walked a big portion of mile 6 and all of mile 7 waiting for him to catch up, and he did, eventually, and was still unbelievably in a good mood, just having problems with cramps in his bum ;) Miles 8 & 9 we were back on our 4/1 schedule again and then picked up the pace for the last mile, which he took off and left me on. :)
Splits:
10:19 / 9:59 / 9:53 / 12:17 / 12:02
12:59 /14:13 /11:24 / 10:59 / 10:19
Overall pace: 11:29, cals burned 1052
Monday, December 6, 2010
1st week of Dec
This week we had 3 runs: Tues, Fri, and Sun
Tuesday we ran 4.5 miles. It was a really great run, and I was surprised to find that we still came in under 11:00 minute miles because I felt like we were pretty fast on this trip out. The weather was cool, the wind wasnt too bad, and we were full of energy. Boy threw his drink down and the drink poured out, but he finished. :)
On Friday, I was at work in Montgomery so I jumped on the treadmill for 3.25 (short, but that's all the time I had) and Boyce went out by himself. He said he had a good run, even taking the dirt road until Matt made him quit to go get Hannah.
Sunday, our long run. The day was pretty cool, so Matt & Hannah dropped us off at the CVS to run downtown, cross the causeway and then cover some beach area on the way to his parents house. Several things happened today: Boy slept until noon when it was time to leave, so I told him to scarf down PB&J, which ticked him off (no pancakes). Then he intentionally planned to run out of steam just to make MY run suck (not worried about his run, he just wanted to make sure he messed me up), changed over to iMapMyRun to log my mileage and it SUCKS. It only logged 7/9 miles AND a good portion of those 7 weren't the route I went. I took water and 2 GU which I took at 30 mins and 60 mins. Boy took a blue Gatorade which he thinks made his stomach upset. He also had gummy bears for fuel. (I asked several times if he was eating them and he said yes, however, he still had a pocketful when we got finished. No wonder it took him 2 hours to 'run' 9 miles).
I am really ticked off that he is purposely trying to push my buttons and throw me off track. There are 4 weekends left for training runs. I will wipe his past intentions from my mind and start each one knowing that this journey together is coming to a close. It makes me sad even if he doesn't appreciate it.
Weather on the run was nice, around 72 degrees, wind was around 24 mph from the west - Thank goodness MOST of our run was headed east and south :) Once we finished, we spend a few minutes stretching and then my crazy son got in the pool for his ice bath!! We checked the temp - The water was 52 degrees!
Tuesday we ran 4.5 miles. It was a really great run, and I was surprised to find that we still came in under 11:00 minute miles because I felt like we were pretty fast on this trip out. The weather was cool, the wind wasnt too bad, and we were full of energy. Boy threw his drink down and the drink poured out, but he finished. :)
On Friday, I was at work in Montgomery so I jumped on the treadmill for 3.25 (short, but that's all the time I had) and Boyce went out by himself. He said he had a good run, even taking the dirt road until Matt made him quit to go get Hannah.
Sunday, our long run. The day was pretty cool, so Matt & Hannah dropped us off at the CVS to run downtown, cross the causeway and then cover some beach area on the way to his parents house. Several things happened today: Boy slept until noon when it was time to leave, so I told him to scarf down PB&J, which ticked him off (no pancakes). Then he intentionally planned to run out of steam just to make MY run suck (not worried about his run, he just wanted to make sure he messed me up), changed over to iMapMyRun to log my mileage and it SUCKS. It only logged 7/9 miles AND a good portion of those 7 weren't the route I went. I took water and 2 GU which I took at 30 mins and 60 mins. Boy took a blue Gatorade which he thinks made his stomach upset. He also had gummy bears for fuel. (I asked several times if he was eating them and he said yes, however, he still had a pocketful when we got finished. No wonder it took him 2 hours to 'run' 9 miles).
I am really ticked off that he is purposely trying to push my buttons and throw me off track. There are 4 weekends left for training runs. I will wipe his past intentions from my mind and start each one knowing that this journey together is coming to a close. It makes me sad even if he doesn't appreciate it.
Weather on the run was nice, around 72 degrees, wind was around 24 mph from the west - Thank goodness MOST of our run was headed east and south :) Once we finished, we spend a few minutes stretching and then my crazy son got in the pool for his ice bath!! We checked the temp - The water was 52 degrees!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
4th week of November - Happy Thanksgiving!!
This weekend we did a tempo run on Tuesday and a long run on Sunday.
We were suppose to also through in a run on Thursday (Thanksgiving) but that just didnt happen!
Sunday's long run was ok, we did it in our neighborhood and it took 3 stops at home, but he did it - without music! He had no food beforehand, I had 2 south beach bars & coffee.
Miles 1-2, his shoes were killing him (the red ones, he already told me needed to be replaced). At mile 1.7 he took them off. I told him to go home and we would get him some new shoes, but I ended up going home and got him Matt's ASICs. We also taped the end of his middle toes that are peeling, then We headed back out.
Miles 2-5 were good! He told me around mile 3 that he would never be able to do this, he is upset that he hasn't improved much over the past 6 weeks, but I told him that #1, I have not been an evil coach, making him run as much as he should - And #2 he hasnt been all that 'into it'. I explained that most people really concentrate on their fuel, sleep, and hydration and they also adopt some type of training strategy. So we agreed to run 4 / walk 1, however, he ended up running 8 / walking 1. He got some horrible blisters - he is wearing cotton socks that don't fit well for running (at all, but you can't tell him ANYTHING). We stopped at mi 5 and I put some sports tape where he was blistering & we had some GU. He proceeded to tell me he would rather eat the Clif Shot Blocks than the GU, so that's what he will be having from now on.
Miles 5-8 were ok. We made it 1 mile before he couldnt take the blistering anymore. So we pulled our shoes off and ran barefoot the other 2 miles. I couldnt take the pounding so I ran in the grass (OMG - that is like running in SAND), he chose to run on the concrete with his barefeet and of course finished WAY ahead of me!
I feel like we made a lot of progress today. My boy always waits til the last minute to get ready for anything. This week I will be getting him some running socks, then I think the ASICs will do well for him. I will also get him some Blocks. And next long run, we will adopt the 8/1 training strategy :) Here's the schedule for this week:
Tues: 5 mi.
Thurs: 3.5 mi.
Fri: 4 mi.
Sun: 9 mi.
We were suppose to also through in a run on Thursday (Thanksgiving) but that just didnt happen!
Sunday's long run was ok, we did it in our neighborhood and it took 3 stops at home, but he did it - without music! He had no food beforehand, I had 2 south beach bars & coffee.
Miles 1-2, his shoes were killing him (the red ones, he already told me needed to be replaced). At mile 1.7 he took them off. I told him to go home and we would get him some new shoes, but I ended up going home and got him Matt's ASICs. We also taped the end of his middle toes that are peeling, then We headed back out.
Miles 2-5 were good! He told me around mile 3 that he would never be able to do this, he is upset that he hasn't improved much over the past 6 weeks, but I told him that #1, I have not been an evil coach, making him run as much as he should - And #2 he hasnt been all that 'into it'. I explained that most people really concentrate on their fuel, sleep, and hydration and they also adopt some type of training strategy. So we agreed to run 4 / walk 1, however, he ended up running 8 / walking 1. He got some horrible blisters - he is wearing cotton socks that don't fit well for running (at all, but you can't tell him ANYTHING). We stopped at mi 5 and I put some sports tape where he was blistering & we had some GU. He proceeded to tell me he would rather eat the Clif Shot Blocks than the GU, so that's what he will be having from now on.
Miles 5-8 were ok. We made it 1 mile before he couldnt take the blistering anymore. So we pulled our shoes off and ran barefoot the other 2 miles. I couldnt take the pounding so I ran in the grass (OMG - that is like running in SAND), he chose to run on the concrete with his barefeet and of course finished WAY ahead of me!
I feel like we made a lot of progress today. My boy always waits til the last minute to get ready for anything. This week I will be getting him some running socks, then I think the ASICs will do well for him. I will also get him some Blocks. And next long run, we will adopt the 8/1 training strategy :) Here's the schedule for this week:
Tues: 5 mi.
Thurs: 3.5 mi.
Fri: 4 mi.
Sun: 9 mi.
3rd Week of Nov
On Tuesday, we went for a 3 mi run. Our splits were 10:28 / 10:10 / 9:35.
This weekend we had planned to do a 5K on Saturday and our long run on Sunday. Well, we were dressed and ready to go to the 5K (I even dressed up for this one!) when we realized this 5K is on Sunday. So we didn't go. But we did do our long run. It was warm, and boy ran out of steam pretty quick. I tried to encourage him, but I think I annoyed him more than anything else. So much that he nicely told me so, but he knew I was only trying to help.
I think that's about it for this week. I feel like there should be more, but I should have blogged in the moment :P
This weekend we had planned to do a 5K on Saturday and our long run on Sunday. Well, we were dressed and ready to go to the 5K (I even dressed up for this one!) when we realized this 5K is on Sunday. So we didn't go. But we did do our long run. It was warm, and boy ran out of steam pretty quick. I tried to encourage him, but I think I annoyed him more than anything else. So much that he nicely told me so, but he knew I was only trying to help.
I think that's about it for this week. I feel like there should be more, but I should have blogged in the moment :P
Sunday, November 7, 2010
2nd week of November
I will be the first person to tell you that I absolutely SUCK at consistency. Maybe this will help, at least through the next 9 weeks or so! I somehow have to make this work for us!
23 miles are scheduled this week due to the 7 mi makeup run from this past weekend.
Mon:
[Planned] 7 mi @ 12:31
[Actual] 2.8 @ 14:12
[4:15pm, 72/Wind/Humidity]
[Notes, H2O/Food/Fuel] I grabbed Boy when he just got home from school so that we could fit a long run in before I had to leave with Hannah for dance practice. This was a mistake. I should have had him drink some water and have a snack and then wait a little while. Also, he has a routine after school that he needed to work though so he wasn't 'ready' for the run at all. :( We are gong to try again on Wednesday and use lessons learned above.
I am learning patience :) I keep wanting to get frustrated with myself and him because we aren't improving at the rate that I would like to be. However, this whole exercise is to spend time together and have him finish his first half. I find myself having a hard time 'enjoying the moment' because I am so stressed about meeting a goal. This is totally out of my hands though, so I need to just enjoy by sweet boy while he is out there with me!
Wed:
*These are "my" stats, we still need to get the kiddo a heart rate monitor or something, but he doesn't want one. He ran an extra .25 mi or so longer than me (he was that far ahead!) when I had to call it and come in due to stomach issues. We had a really good night. I felt like we moved faster than this and it must either be all of the turns (we ran the streets inside the gates, turning constantly) OR maybe because the gps kept auto 'pausing' and 'resuming' at the end of each street when we turned around. So frustrating. Not dwelling on time, we were both outside kicking as much butt as we could for over 4 miles!
23 miles are scheduled this week due to the 7 mi makeup run from this past weekend.
Mon:
[Planned] 7 mi @ 12:31
[Actual] 2.8 @ 14:12
[4:15pm, 72/Wind/Humidity]
[Notes, H2O/Food/Fuel] I grabbed Boy when he just got home from school so that we could fit a long run in before I had to leave with Hannah for dance practice. This was a mistake. I should have had him drink some water and have a snack and then wait a little while. Also, he has a routine after school that he needed to work though so he wasn't 'ready' for the run at all. :( We are gong to try again on Wednesday and use lessons learned above.
I am learning patience :) I keep wanting to get frustrated with myself and him because we aren't improving at the rate that I would like to be. However, this whole exercise is to spend time together and have him finish his first half. I find myself having a hard time 'enjoying the moment' because I am so stressed about meeting a goal. This is totally out of my hands though, so I need to just enjoy by sweet boy while he is out there with me!
Wed:
[Planned] 5 mi Tempo @ 10:52
[Actual] 4.15 mi @ 11:13
[6:00pm, 75 / 78% H / wind 5 NE]
[Notes, mhr: 178 (98%), ahr: 143 (79%), cals 413]
[Actual] 4.15 mi @ 11:13
[6:00pm, 75 / 78% H / wind 5 NE]
[Notes, mhr: 178 (98%), ahr: 143 (79%), cals 413]
Splits [11:34 / 10:41 / 11:04 / 11:26]
Fri:
[Planned] 8 mi @ 12:31
[Actual] 5.8 mi @
[Time, Temp/Wind/Humidity]
[Notes, H2O/Food/Fuel]
[Planned] 8 mi @ 12:31
[Actual] 5.8 mi @
[Time, Temp/Wind/Humidity]
[Notes, H2O/Food/Fuel]
On Fridays, we have 2 hrs to drive over, get started, cover our mileage, and get back. That usually means we have about 1:15 mins to run. I thought we should be able to cover 7 mi but, last night Boy told me before we ever got out of the car that his legs were still heavy and sore from earlier runs in the week. I hoped that after we warmed up the legs would feel better. But not the case. Boy did great until turn around time at mile 3....then.... I had a hard time keeping him going. We covered 6 miles but I turned the GPS off at 5.8 because we walked the rest of the way.
We didn't even stop for our treat this time. Boy said no b/c his stomach was already upset. I forgot to take a picture, but it was beautiful! We got out right before dark so the first trip over the causeway was sunset, the trip back was dark, and blue... the sky was dark blue, the water was darker blue, boats were out on the water with little lights twinkling and the stars were twinkling in the sky. Clear skys, a little breeze, not too bad, just to make it challenging at times, temp was good, probably around 70.
We were going to try the 8mi again on Sunday, but we decided to just do 4. Boy still having problems with his shins/calves.
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