This was the 10th anniversary of the Disney marathon. The officials
allowed more participants than in previous years. On a micro scale I am
unique, one of a kind. Nobody has my same DNA makeup. On the macro
scale I’m just another sand pebble on a beach full of sand pebbles.
It’s encouraging to my running life at these races that have greater
than 20 thousand or more participants. I see ALL kinds of people;
people with different sizes, shapes, colors and speeds. My sense of
belonging, and of being a real runner, is further uplifted as a result
of all the “cats” joining in at these races. Plus, I love coming to
races where there are Penguins.
One constant daily lesson for me is that I remember the philosophy
“it’s not about the results; it’s the effort that matters.” While I
agree in principle with this mantra, I do think that it’s okay at times
to have specific performance related goals, or check points, that are
measurable and attainable. These races do just that. They are
lighthouses, so to speak, on my journey to physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual, healthiness.
My strategy for Sunday was to run a fast, hard and solid race. With
this being my second only ½ marathon I set a goal to PR. In addition,
since training went well, I added an additional goal of finishing in
2:30. It’s hard for me to remember many details between each mile
marker. I did though, keep my own splits and below you will see the
breakout. I made notes of what I think was happening.
13.58 <- this was a warm-up mile. also a “potty” break in the woods.
11.07
11.00
11.22
11.10
11.07
12.08 <- was late in hitting watch after mile marker 7.
10.27 <- seems fast and because of hitting watch late after mile 7
11.17
12.11 <- took a 2 min walk break to regain rhythm in breathing.
11.41
11.39
11.26
.58
Chip time from the Disney website - 2:31:38
I met 1 out of 2 of my goals. Both chip and official time are PRs by
2-3 minutes. I was 1 min away from the 2:30 goal. I am very pleased
with these results. The splits indicate I was slowing at the end. I’m
not totally sure I can accurately explain why I slowed some at the end,
but I have some ideas. With the exception of the slow first mile, and
the seemingly fast mile 8, I ran a steady race. With so many people in
this race I did a lot of side-to-side running trying to move past
people. At times the course narrowed so much I was blocked in behind
someone I wanted to pass. My run/walk intervals were 3/1. The walk
breaks were more power walks or slow jogs. I used the same approach
during my long training runs. In hindsight, I can pick out a few areas
in my training that need more attention. Stretching and upper body
weight training come to mind. Nonetheless, I did enough in all areas to
keep me healthy and strong enough to finish and not get hurt.
Post-race recovery on Sunday was slow. I developed a headache about 3
hrs later. It seems all the lactic acid stayed in my legs and feet
instead of moving on its merry way. I was stiff for about 6 hrs after
the race. I did my best to replenish all the water, food, and
electrolytes. I’m going to look into using a different kind of
replenishment drink other than Gatorade and/or Powerade. Maybe my body
needs more than what those products offer. Today, I have some delayed
onset muscle soreness in my quads and hamstrings. My feet feel fine.
On the social front, going to this race offered me a chance to meet new
friends and see old ones. I had a pleasant time with all those I met up
with on Friday night and Saturday. I missed encounters on Sunday.
Since the recovery was going slow, and because I had an early flight
out on Monday morning, I stayed in all day Sunday and rested.
I like the Disney race. If I do Disney again I plan to do the full. I’m
ready to challenge the 26.2 miles and see Mickey at the end.
larry in newport, ri
:-)
