Running to Disney

Polar rocks!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:27:00 +0000

On my 19 miler last Sunday, I had to reach into the pouch of my Camelbak for a gel. Little did I know at the time that the strap had yanked one of the buttons off my Polar RS 200. It still worked, but the button was gone and it looked bad. I emailed them yesterday and they are now sending me a set of replacement buttons free of charge.

Thanks, Polar.

Running to Disney Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:40:00 +0000

Episode 3 now available.

19 miles, a big chocolate milk, and an ice bath (or two)

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:36:00 +0000

19 Miles on Sunday. 19. I still can't believe that I did it. Running 10 seems like so far away as a milestone. But here we are at 19. In two weeks. I'll do 20. I just might pull this marathon thing off. Like I said. Remember, I am a pre-middle aged, bald, chubby, slow runner. So I did the 19 in 4:08, averaging 13 minutes a mile. That is good for me for that long a run. Disney race requirements are that you run the marathon no slower than 16 minutes per mile. I am pretty sure that I can finish without getting swept by the van.

I felt really strong in the first 10 or so miles, which I ran a good part up a semi-steady slight incline along a former railway--now a trailway. The temps were in the 30s when I started the run at 7 AM on Sunday but as the sun rose, it warmed to close to 49 or 50 degrees, so at mile 12 I stopped by my car and shed some clothing while refilling my camelbak. The last 7 mile stretch was a 3.5 mile each way out and back. I started to fatigue and took a couple of more gels with a little more frequency than I did the first 12 miles. I might have under-gelled, since I had three left after the run and only consumed 4 during the run. I should have had all 7. But there were no body issues, I felt fine, and was only tired after running the farthest in my life.
On my iPod, I alternated my favorite running podcasts with music to give me nice breaks and help my pace late in the run. It really seemed to work. I realize now that I need to put a little more music in the listening I do for runs as it really does help the pace, if not give an emotional lift.

On the way home, I bought 2 bags of ice and one big chocolate milk, which tasted divine! (the milk, not the ice). My body was talking to me for the rest of the day and stairs were quite an adventure. I skipped a short run scheduled for today to recover fully and I feel great. I am ready to get back on the road tomorrow morning.

New podcast is coming out in a couple of days. Thanks for the kind feedback and if you think about it go to iTunes and leave some comments and ratings. And tell a friend if you think the podcast worthy.

A Day Off

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:42:00 +0000

Since July I haven't missed many runs on this journey to run Disney. But today I took a personal day--I slept in. The week has been a hectic one at work, my car had problems and had to get towed to the shop, I stayed up too late on election night drinking wine and watching returns roll in, and I needed a day off.

I am beyond beating myself up for taking recovery days instead of a run And I think in the long run, it helps get me back on the road refreshed and appreciative of the run. When it feels like a job or something we HAVE to do, then we need a break. That said, I am eager to get back on the road on Friday and excited about a 19 miler on Sunday morning. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thank you all so much or the feedback on the podcast. I am having a blast and plan to incorporate many of your great suggestions. I am grateful that you took a chance on me.

Episode 2 now available

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:45:00 +0000

Episode 2 of the podcast is now available. Let me know what you think.
I discuss what lack of sleep does to my training. Small dogs attack me while on a run. And I report that science is proving that chocolate milk is the perfect post-run recovery drink.

October miles: 111.8

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:40:00 +0000

2008 Monthly Mileage
October 111.8
September 81.2
August 68.3
July 60.5
June 59.7

100 mile club

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:53:00 +0000

For the first time in my running life I have run 100 miles in a month--and the month ain't over yet. Today's run broke 100 for October and I still have about 13 to run before the month ends.

Feeling kind of proud. Feeling strong , too. Today's run was cold (30 degrees F at start) and I kept a solid pace even up hills. I think this whole marathon thing just might work out.

Gamecock Gallop and other news

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 19:52:00 +0000

Another podcast is in the works. Should be up next week. Please do give me feedback and constructive criticism on Episode 1. You can subscribe and download using the links on the right.

Ran in the Gamecock Gallop 5K yesterday. This is an event put on by my employer and brings a good crowd. Nice cool weather, about 52 and cloudy. I was slated to run 7 on Saturday so I did a 2 mile warm up, ran the 5K, then a 2 mile warm down. At this point in my training, miles are more important than speed. So I tried to run the 5 k a little faster than marathon pace. BUT, the thing I hate about 5Ks is that they mess with the mind. Speaking as a guy, I find it hard to resist "manning up" and running a faster pace than I should in the presence of much faster runners. To my dismay, no matter how much I promise myself that I won't run faster than I should---I always run faster than I should!

It wasn't a badly designed course, but there was a significant long hill in the middle of the race, but since it was an out and back course, that big hill became a down hill and one could make up time. What bugged me was the pain in both of my shins-- that tightening of the shins that you can get when you over stride. I had it for most of the race and was cursing myself for starting out with a longer stride than I usually run. Regardless, I ran the race in just over 34 minutes and got a shirt, then did a two-mile warm down.

I ran 9 this morning and was afraid that the shin stuff my pop up once more, but I had a great run. No issues t all other than a little fatigue late in the run after I picked up my pace in mile 5. Legs felt good and strong. Weather was cool, 42 degrees before sunrise and then it heated up quickly. I had to break out the old tights once again. Looks like I'll wear them again this week because the low looks to fall into the 30s for Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Not Fair. (Arien O'Connell's story)

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:47:00 +0000

Apparently, under some degree of pressure from sane, logical people, Nike has reconsidered and declared o'Connell "a" winner---but not "the" winner of the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon. Way to straddle the fence, Nike. I wonder how many of the elite runners who "won" were sponsored by Nike? Hmmmm.
Update:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/22/BACI13MAIT.DTL&nopu=1

Bottom line: She ran fastest. She should win.

Original:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/21/BAUC13L3GQ.DTL&type=printable

Running to Disney Podcast (RTD) is live!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:32:00 +0000

The Running to Disney podcast is now live in iTunes. Here are the feeds and links. I'll also have some subscription links on the right hand column in a day or so. For some reason my pickle player is not working.

iTunes page:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=294013320

RSS: http://shadwell.podbean.com/feed

This is an iterative process for me. Please let me know what you think.

Running to Disney: The Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:00:00 +0000

I've been giving some thought to producing a podcast. After having a blast contributing a piece to the Extra Mile Podcast, I've decided to produce the "Running to Disney Podcast." It should appear in iTunes in a couple of days, but feel free to download or listen using the links to the right.

Give it a listen and let me know if you think it deserves a chance.

Surprisingly strong run

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:47:00 +0000

Had my first run today since my 15 miler on Sunday. My family is out of town and I don't sleep well when they are gone. So after a bad night's sleep, I struggled to rise early for a 6 a.m. run. Interestingly, I had pretty good strength and endurance in my legs during this run. It is weird. I expected to still be fatigued a bit or at least sluggish. I keep wondering if the secret to this strength is the miracle ice bath from Sunday?!

I'll also have some big news soon. Stay tuned.

15. Done!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:43:00 +0000

Ran 15 this morning. I counted 13.1 of it as my Worldwide Half entry. Since 1) I had never run this far in my life and 2) I hadn't run this far since April when i ran the Big D half, I had a strategy. I would start off slow--or slower than usual--and take walk breaks of 30 seconds after each mile. As the run went along, I increased the distance between walk breaks and picked up my pace. My fastest miles appeared after mile 7. By the time I reached mile 10, my body was dealing with the distance. No injuries, but my body was talking to me. I stretched a couple of times and made sure to consistently sip my water and not gulp it, as I have done in the past. With 3 miles to go I kept fantasizing about the ice bath I was planning to take.

With 2 miles to go the sun was rising and the temps were climbing, but I struggled through and finished. I made myself run faster in the last .25 of a mile and finished the run strong. I ran 15 miles in 3:15. Not fast by any means, but the goal was to finish and not get hurt.

I took an ice bath immediately after arriving home and should have bought 2 bags. But the bath worked and my knees are nowhere near as sore as I thought they would be. I'll get 2 bags when I run 19. So I can confirm that ice baths after long runs work.

The new individual toe, Injinji socks worked like a charm. No toe nail issues at all. But the mileage will surely give me a darkened big toenail. I could feel it all day.

I counted 13.1 miles of that run as my Worldwide Half entry and recorder 2:45 for that run.

I am proud to have run 15 now and am building confidence about finishing the marathon. But I have a lot of work to do till then.

15. Yikes!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:44:00 +0000

Running 15 on Sunday (tomorrow). Farthest since my April half-marathon. I'll update after the run (well, after a ice bath, then a nap, then update).

Potpourri

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:05:00 +0000

Lots of little news items this week:

1. Got tired of driving 20 minutes to buy 4 clif shots at a time, so I ordered a whole case. Saving 25 cents per pack and got free 2-day shipping from runningwarehouse.com. While I was in the ordering mood, I also bought a pair of Injinji socks, those little socks with individual toe-holes. They are supposed to increase toe comfort and cut down on blisters on long runs.

Here is a pic of the socks on my feet--after a run, sorry:

The reason I bought them, though, is that on my long runs, one of my toenails feels like the sock is tugging at the end of the nail. This happened to me last year, when I was reffing soccer. I lost a toe nail because each time a reffed or ran, the nail was pulled up ever so slightly so that after a couple of weeks, the nail was gone. So, I thought the Injinji socks would reduce the tugging, i guess. We'll see after I run 15 next Sunday.

2. I received in the mail this week my disneyrunning.com hat. Robert, the forum admin there, ordered Headsweats hats (great running hats!) in orange and with the forum logo and slogan. Here is a pic. An awesome hat that I will wear in the disney Marathon.

My son took this pic after my morning run. (click for a larger view)

3. I am thinking of podcasting. I enjoyed doing the subkission for the extra mile. But what has held me back is I just didn't have a hook. I didn't think the world needed to hear me just rambling on a run. So here is my idea: the podcast would be "Running to Disney Podcast". The format would be something like this:
a. intro thoughts and intro of topic
2. news mostly from Disney and Disney Endurance series. WDW hosts a lot of races and such. So I'd gives news about races there
3. Audio from a short week-day run, like on the extra mile podcast
4. Perhaps sharing some sort of urning tips from Runners World of coolrunning.com
5. Answering mail? If I ever got any

Any other suggestion? Does this sound viable at all?

New Monthly Mileage Record

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:17:00 +0000

September: 81.2 Mi
August: 68.3 Mi
July: 60.5 Mi
June: 59.7 Mi
May: 45.4 Mi
April: 26.0 Mi

Ran 81 miles in September. Marathon training ramping up. October will surely break that as i get into the teens and twenties!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:28:00 +0000

The Extra Mile Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:00:00 +0000

I submitted an entry to the podcast this week. I just downloaded and will listen while running 10 miles on Sunday. Let me know what you think and if you think I should give podcasting a try. I am the first segment after introductions.

http://theextramilepodcast.blogspot.com/

Quick update and some Bear poop

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:48:00 +0000

So sorry I have been late in posting. My sons have started playing soccer and they play two games a week. My bloggin' time is usually in the evenings after they've gone to bed, but with all these games, I find myself pushing it back one day, then two.....

Had a GREAT 4 mile run this morning. I took an extra day off and lowered my mileage this last week so my legs feel strong. I didn't intend to run at tempo pace but I did 4.14 miles in 47:30. This for me is a solid pace with all miles, including the first, under 12. Splits were 11:41, 11:46, 11:14, and 10:58. I was only supposed to run three, but the weather was cool and I felt strong. Why not run an extra mile?

So to appease the loyal readers (all 5 of you) I'll post a few pics of my recent wonderful trip to the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. More pics later but these should hold you. By the way, the fly fishing bug has bitten me something bad. My wife is grimacing at my desire to buy fly fishing gear!

This is authentic Bear poop from the Smoky Mtns. Fresh and right near the picnic areas in the park. Bears DO go in the woods. Who woulda thunk it?

I love the beach, but the mountains really get to me. I didn't want to leave.

Me and the boys. I adore everything about them. I couldn't live without them in my life.

The miles are adding up

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:49:00 +0000

The miles are adding up. This chart shows my runs from August 15 through Sunday September 14.

Here are my Monthly Distances
Sept: 41.1 Mi
August: 68.3 Mi
July: 60.5 Mi
June: 59.7 Mi
May: 45.4 Mi
April: 26.0 Mi

I am well into marathon training and after a step-down this week of only about 18 miles, I'll start working up to long runs in the teens. I feel really good about where I am now. My recovery time after yesterday's 10 was short compared to past long runs (except that the heat and humidity was bad, and stupid Gordon overslept and started the run late! Ran out of water at 8 miles and was semi-dehydrated for the rest of the day. Dumb, dumb Gordon!)

But in terms of knee pain, or muscle soreness, there is less of that than I am accustomed to from the spring.

Hill running DOES make one faster---sort of.

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:42:00 +0000

Neat link on Hill running:
http://www.coolrunning.com/cgi-bin/moxiebin/bm_tools.cgi?print=104;s=2_1;site=1

This is a solid piece on Cool Running that discusses the affect Hill running has on your speed. Most of my hills are in my regular runs, what some call "passive hill running." What most of the research I have read concludes is that long hill repeats (400-800 meters) and short hill bursts (15-45 seconds) can do the most for one’s speed.

BUT, running hills in general as part of regular run courses can help, because it makes you stronger and builds the same muscles you use to accelerate. I agree. Today I didn’t have a particularly good run, but even in my not feeling great, my legs felt like they had more power than a few months ago. Something is changing in my body and my running, and hills have been PART of that positive change.

My plan calls for me to start some long hill repeats and I have just the hill for it. I’ll post a picture soon, so you can see.

Am I getting faster!?

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:23:00 +0000

I had a great run on Sunday. 9.3 miles. On Tuesday I was scheduled to do 4 miles of fartleks. I started off nice and seemed to get faster with each mile. So my fartlek run became a tempo run. I felt strong over the 4 miles. Each mile had a negative split and I average 11:28 over the 4. I have dropped a minute off my pace in about 4 months. The hills here have to be part of the reason. They are giving me strength and endurance so that when I get on a flat stretch I can boogie. The extreme flatness of Louisiana was doing me no favors. That is why my pace held steady for a year until the move to the hills.

I was also recording some audio to submit to the extra mile podcast, so I was talking the whole time. Being able to hold that ace while also talking in conversational tones is a great sign! I'll let you know if they accept it and if it airs.

I was also able to tune in on talkshoe.com to the Runner's Roundtable this afternoon. The live show and chat was a blast. Check the website: www.talkshoe.com and runnersroundtable.com

Long runs, good feelings (corny title)

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:36:00 +0000

What a corny title. I should have called it "I really feel good about my long runs."

For the past three weeks, I have moved from 7 to 8 to 9 miles. I have started about 45 seconds to 1:10 slower than what I guess is my goal marathon pace. As the run progresses, I speed up slightly. With one mile to go, I really turn it on and try to run a fast, comfortable, but not sprinting, pace. This has been the case over the past 2 weeks. I am really pleased with my progress, the way I feel, the lack of soreness and lack of exhaustion after the run. This has me energized for the future of my training. I can see and feel tangible results and want to pour it on. But here is the risk. I have to keep myself restrained. Don't overdo it, stick with the plan. But I feel great.

I have joined two groups: "endurance sports bar" and "what's a few miles among friends" (links on this page) and am posting miles and any info that is helpful. So, I hope you'll visit those sites. Good people, all of them.

Why I love Disney (and why I take my kids with me)

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:13:00 +0000

Here is a link to a video I entered in a Disney Parks contest for a free trip to Disneyland. Actually, I was hoping just to be named a finalist, because 10 finalists received free annual passes to the park of their choice.

This was from January of 2006. The boys were 5 and 7 then. I still tear up when I watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBGar-l7NXQ

The long run and Gustav

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Ran a GREAT 8 miles on Saturday morning before we headed off to my Alma Mater (Auburn) to watch a football game. I started off slow and easy for the first three miles. Ran around 12:30 to 13:00 min. miles. After the first three and a Clif shot, I picked up that pace to 12:10 to 12:30. Did this for another three miles. After the first 6, the sun was rising and the heat was building. So instead of looking at my pace, I kept a close eye on my HR. On my long runs I am trying to stay between 75 and 80% of my max HR. This is the zone where you feel like you can run forever. It allows you to take on long runs and build endurance of body and mind. So for the last 1.5 miles, I stayed right at 80%. For the last 1/5 mile, I turned on the soundtrack to the Spectromagic parade at Disney---I AM running in the Disney Marathon after all--and booked it at close to a 8:45 pace per mile. I was moving. My HR, according the the Polar watch, hit 100%. I didn't feel like I was at 100%, so my coach Lisa told me to raise my max HR 10 beats per minute on my watch. I had suspected that I needed to do this. Even after the stress test back in the summer, I didn't feel that my max should be 179. It felt too low. On some long runs, especially in the heat, I was forced to walk to keep the HR below 80%--even when my body felt little fatigue.

So, I had a great run. It is amazing how a good series of runs can really motivate you to run more--to step up your training. But there is a danger. We cannot get TOO enthused and overdo it and get hurt. Stick to the plan and revel in success. But I cannot wait until Tuesday and my next run!

The road id came in the mail this weekend. I'll use it on Tuesday. I got the ankle strap version. It looks great and it is so light you cannot even tell it is there. PLUS, it serves the same purpose as the reflective bands I wear on my legs when I run.

Please keep the good folks of Louisiana in your prayers as Gustav bears down on them. I lived for 9 years in Louisiana and was in Monroe when Katrina then Rita hit the state 3 years ago. The state and New Orleans will have trouble surviving another devastating hurricane. It hasn't come close to recovering from the first two. Now a third is bearing down.