"Do or do not. There is no Try." First Half-Marathon/Dark Side Training Journal

DisSconnie

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Hi all - I've been a long-time lurker but recently became more active on the DisBoards. I'm hoping it'll keep me motivated and help me stick to my training. I'd originally planned to run the Wine & Dine half way back in 2015, but instead I got pregnant (whoops!! :rotfl:) The longest race I've run in the past was a 5k, which I accomplished my goal of finishing in under 30 minutes, but totally felt like I was going to puke at the end (which my husband said was normal?!). My goal for the Dark Side is simply to finish, not get swept, injured, puke, or need to go to the medic tent for any reason! I'm following the Jeff Galloway plan for beginner runners and running 1/1 intervals.

A little background on me - I'm 29, and will turn 30 shortly before our trip to WDW. The race is my 30th b-day present to myself. I work full-time, am going back to school to get my Masters, and (as mentioned above) have a 1-year old son. My husband is luckily super supportive and great partner which makes juggling everything so much easier.

One of the biggest reasons I'm taking on the challenge of running a half-marathon is a way to deal with anxiety. I've dealt with an anxiety disorder for most of my life and running is a good way for me to overcome the sensations that I usually associate with a panic attack (high heart rate, flushed face, etc.) It's definitely a mental challenge though! (on top of not really liking to run anyways, hahaha).

So feel free to follow along and offer any helpful advice or words of wisdom you might have! And just for giggles, here is a photo of me post my first 5k. I'm mid-blink, but it accurately depicts how I was feeling after the race, hahaha. 20141004_093628.jpg
 
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Week 1 Training

I started my training a week early since I figured I would get side-tracked by the holidays. I was right about that, but not because of the holidays but because of strep throat, ugh.

Tuesday - 30 minute run. My first time running in what seemed like foreeeeever. I kept my intervals to 1/2 run/walk, which was slow, but I didn't want to go out too fast, too quickly. I did about 2 miles, so about a fifteen minute mile. Unfortunately, I forgot to use my Garmin for this run, so it's based off my phone which is wildly inaccurate.

Thursday - 30 minute run planned/21 minutes finished. I'm not going to lie, I had gone out to happy hour with co-workers the night before and was feeling a wee bit sluggish the next morning. Turns out, I'd be diagnosed with strep the next day so it may have been the onset of that affecting me as well, but I bagged my run early.

For the next two weeks I was totally out of commission, either with strep throat or the holidays so I picked my training back up the last week of December and called that Week 2.

Week 2 Training

Tuesday - 30 minute run. Shortened my run/walk intervals to 1/1:30. Did a little under 2.5 miles in 35 minutes. My first 2 miles my pace as a little over 13 min/mile, but my last half mile I fell of to a 15 min/mile.

Thursday - 30 minute run. Ran this run with a friend, which was a lot of fun. Did ~2.3 miles in 31 minutes so about 13:30 min/mile.

Saturday - 3 mile run. I plan to do my long-runs on Sunday, but since this was New Year's Eve, I got up and ran this one with my husband since I figured I wouldn't feel up to it the next day. My husband is one of those freaks who have a 50 bpm resting heart rate, and while he's in shape he certainly isn't an elite athlete by any means, but he's made for endurance running. I, on the other hand, have the heart rate of a small rabbit. Anyways, I forced him to slow down and run at my pace (sticking with the 1/1:30 minutes per mile). It was COLD here, so that slowed us down a bit, but we ended up finishing the 3.17 miles in 44:02 so a little under 14 min/mile. I felt really good after that run, so was pleased!
 
Congrats on getting out there and running in the cold temps of the upper midwest. It's a definite challenge. I'm definitely glad that I'm recovering from Marathon Weekend this week with the temps we're having. I'd welcome you to the boards and runDisney, but being from Minnesota I'm not sure I'm legally allowed to. I'll save that for @DopeyBadger, @rteetz, or some of the other Wisconsinites on the board. Keep up the hard work and you'll rock the race in April.
 
Congrats on getting out there and running in the cold temps of the upper midwest. It's a definite challenge. I'm definitely glad that I'm recovering from Marathon Weekend this week with the temps we're having. I'd welcome you to the boards and runDisney, but being from Minnesota I'm not sure I'm legally allowed to. I'll save that for @DopeyBadger, @rteetz, or some of the other Wisconsinites on the board. Keep up the hard work and you'll rock the race in April.

Thanks! We're actually living in the Twin Cities now, and our son is a legitimate Minnesotan, so I'll take the welcome. I also apologize when someone walks into me, so that makes me almost Minnesotan, right?

I do most of my running on an indoor track since it's soooooo cold. But will try to get as many of my long runs in outdoors to keep from going crazy :)
 


Thanks! We're actually living in the Twin Cities now, and our son is a legitimate Minnesotan, so I'll take the welcome. I also apologize when someone walks into me, so that makes me almost Minnesotan, right?

I do most of my running on an indoor track since it's soooooo cold. But will try to get as many of my long runs in outdoors to keep from going crazy :)

I'm a transplant myself, from Maryland though. My son and wife are legitimate Minnesotans though, just me that's the odd man out. Apologizing when someone walks into you definitely qualifies you as Minnesotan. That's one trait I haven't acquired.

I do all my runs outdoor. The only one I missed for cold was the -24 degree day before Christmas. It's definitely tough to get out there sometimes.

Are you planning on any local races this year after Disney?

On Wisconsin! Following along!

Go away Billy. Can't you read, she lives in Minnesota now. I need at least one other person from MN around here. Too many of you Wisconsinites. :)
 


I'm a transplant myself, from Maryland though. My son and wife are legitimate Minnesotans though, just me that's the odd man out. Apologizing when someone walks into you definitely qualifies you as Minnesotan. That's one trait I haven't acquired.

I do all my runs outdoor. The only one I missed for cold was the -24 degree day before Christmas. It's definitely tough to get out there sometimes.

Are you planning on any local races this year after Disney?



Go away Billy. Can't you read, she lives in Minnesota now. I need at least one other person from MN around here. Too many of you Wisconsinites. :)


I haven't really thought about running local races after Disney. I had though about running the Securian 10k since it aligns perfectly with my training plan, but want to save some spending money for Disney :)
 
Week 3 Training

My husband was out of town this week for a conference, and I had my in-person courses for my Master's program so I switched my run days to Monday, Wednesday, Sunday this week to accommodate (hard to find time to run when you're single momming :))

Monday - 30 minute run. This run was terrible. My gym was closed so I had to run it outside. It had snowed the day before and was freezing rain while I ran. It made the sidewalks super slick so I ran in the road until I hit the track near our house which wasn't quite as slick as the sidewalks. I actually changed my intervals to 1/1, but slowed waaaaaaaay down so I didn't slip and fall. It ended up being just over 2 miles, so a 14:55 min/mile average. Given how terrible the conditions were, I was just proud I finished the 30 minutes and didn't fall!

Wednesday - 30 minute run. Gym was open again (yayayay!) so I could run on the indoor track. I stuck with the 1/1 intervals which seem to be working best for me. This was a much faster run than the ice day, so I finished 2.3 miles at a 13:05 min/mile average.

Sunday - 4 mile run planned. 0 miles completed. So this was supposed to be the first "long" run from the plan. I had planned on doing this run when my husband got back from his work conference. Unfortunately, he got stuck on the tarmac for six hours due to poor weather, then had his flight cancelled. Then had his second flight delayed and didn't get home until after midnight. I was annoyed, not only because our 1 year old was teething, whining non-stop and Momma needed a break, but also because I really wanted to get that run in! Week 4 was supposed to only be a 2 mile "long" run, so I decided to do this 4 miler next week instead.
 
Week 3 Training

My husband was out of town this week for a conference, and I had my in-person courses for my Master's program so I switched my run days to Monday, Wednesday, Sunday this week to accommodate (hard to find time to run when you're single momming :))

Monday - 30 minute run. This run was terrible. My gym was closed so I had to run it outside. It had snowed the day before and was freezing rain while I ran. It made the sidewalks super slick so I ran in the road until I hit the track near our house which wasn't quite as slick as the sidewalks. I actually changed my intervals to 1/1, but slowed waaaaaaaay down so I didn't slip and fall. It ended up being just over 2 miles, so a 14:55 min/mile average. Given how terrible the conditions were, I was just proud I finished the 30 minutes and didn't fall!

Wednesday - 30 minute run. Gym was open again (yayayay!) so I could run on the indoor track. I stuck with the 1/1 intervals which seem to be working best for me. This was a much faster run than the ice day, so I finished 2.3 miles at a 13:05 min/mile average.

Sunday - 4 mile run planned. 0 miles completed. So this was supposed to be the first "long" run from the plan. I had planned on doing this run when my husband got back from his work conference. Unfortunately, he got stuck on the tarmac for six hours due to poor weather, then had his flight cancelled. Then had his second flight delayed and didn't get home until after midnight. I was annoyed, not only because our 1 year old was teething, whining non-stop and Momma needed a break, but also because I really wanted to get that run in! Week 4 was supposed to only be a 2 mile "long" run, so I decided to do this 4 miler next week instead.

Nice job getting out there on Monday. That weather sounds terrible. I definitely know how hard it is to run in those conditions. I definitely can't complain about taking this week and next week off to recover from the marathon, but soon enough I'll have to get out there in the cold.

I wouldn't stress too much about missing the 4 miler, you have plenty of time still. Though I do understand the disappointment of missing a run you wanted to get in.
 
My goal for the Dark Side is simply to finish, not get swept, injured, puke, or need to go to the medic tent for any reason!

All good goals but don't be afraid of puking. It just means you worked really hard. :) Seriously though, congrats on signing up for your first half and good luck with your training!

And I'm from Virginia and think you all are crazy for living in either Minnesota or Wisconsin. :)
 
All good goals but don't be afraid of puking. It just means you worked really hard. :) Seriously though, congrats on signing up for your first half and good luck with your training!

And I'm from Virginia and think you all are crazy for living in either Minnesota or Wisconsin. :)

My husband says that about the puking thing too. After my 5k, I felt very nauseous and he was so proud! Hahaha. I've never been to Virginia, but we lived two years in Texas and were pretty happy to make our way up to colder climates. You adapt!
 
Week 4 Training
This week was a test in schedules getting thrown off. My husband was back, so I planned to run Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday to get my 4-miler in and keep up with the training schedule. So Monday, I get to work, realize I forgot my shoes at home. No worries - I ran and got a cheap pair ($13, woo!) at Target to leave in my gym locker for emergencies. Then I get a call from my son's daycare saying he's running a low-grade fever. No worries - Dad was home and could pick him up! Then, right as I was packing up and heading to the gym, I get a call from my husband saying I needed to get home NOW. Our son's temp had spiked to 103 suddenly and he'd gone limp and unresponsive. My husband had called 911, he was so worried, but by the time the first responders got there he was more or less back to normal. We ran him to the pediatrician and they said it was a relatively common response to fevers in young children. Definitely scary though. So anyways, I missed Monday's run, haha.

Wednesday - 30 minute run planned. 4 miles finished in 53 minutes! I hadn't intended to run the 4 miles this night, but my husband was picking me up from the gym so I just said I would run until he got there. I was at 3.5 when he showed up so I decided I was going to finish out the 4 miles. I did 1/1 intervals and finished at an average 13:15 min/mile.

Friday - 30 minute run planned. 2.4 miles ran in 32 minutes so about a 13:20 min/mile average. This wasn't a great feeling run. For some reason, I just couldn't get into it mentally and wanted to extend some walking segments. But I didn't I stuck with it and finished strong!

Sunday - 2 mile run. So I used this run to get back on the regular training schedule so all I missed was a 30 minute run. It was an outdoor run again, which wasn't as cold, but was still pretty slick. I pulled something in my back shoveling snow last week, and tweaked it from slipping on some ice again from neighbors that hadn't shoveled. So the run was a little slow 2 miles in 28 minutes so 14 min/mile, but not too shabby overall. Glad to be caught up on the plan again :)
 
And I'm from Virginia and think you all are crazy for living in either Minnesota or Wisconsin. :)

I think im crazy for living in Minnesota too, but you do get used to it, sort of.

Week 4 Training
This week was a test in schedules getting thrown off. My husband was back, so I planned to run Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday to get my 4-miler in and keep up with the training schedule. So Monday, I get to work, realize I forgot my shoes at home. No worries - I ran and got a cheap pair ($13, woo!) at Target to leave in my gym locker for emergencies. Then I get a call from my son's daycare saying he's running a low-grade fever. No worries - Dad was home and could pick him up! Then, right as I was packing up and heading to the gym, I get a call from my husband saying I needed to get home NOW. Our son's temp had spiked to 103 suddenly and he'd gone limp and unresponsive. My husband had called 911, he was so worried, but by the time the first responders got there he was more or less back to normal. We ran him to the pediatrician and they said it was a relatively common response to fevers in young children. Definitely scary though. So anyways, I missed Monday's run, haha.

Wednesday - 30 minute run planned. 4 miles finished in 53 minutes! I hadn't intended to run the 4 miles this night, but my husband was picking me up from the gym so I just said I would run until he got there. I was at 3.5 when he showed up so I decided I was going to finish out the 4 miles. I did 1/1 intervals and finished at an average 13:15 min/mile.

Friday - 30 minute run planned. 2.4 miles ran in 32 minutes so about a 13:20 min/mile average. This wasn't a great feeling run. For some reason, I just couldn't get into it mentally and wanted to extend some walking segments. But I didn't I stuck with it and finished strong!

Sunday - 2 mile run. So I used this run to get back on the regular training schedule so all I missed was a 30 minute run. It was an outdoor run again, which wasn't as cold, but was still pretty slick. I pulled something in my back shoveling snow last week, and tweaked it from slipping on some ice again from neighbors that hadn't shoveled. So the run was a little slow 2 miles in 28 minutes so 14 min/mile, but not too shabby overall. Glad to be caught up on the plan again :)

That's scary. Glad to hear your son is doing well now. My wife and I have come to the conclusion that everything an infant does is normal. That seems to be the answer we get from our pediatrician about our 7 month old, not that it doesn't make some things any less normal.

Looks like another solid week of training though. Keep up the hard work and the half marathon will be a piece of cake.
 
My husband says that about the puking thing too. After my 5k, I felt very nauseous and he was so proud! Hahaha. I've never been to Virginia, but we lived two years in Texas and were pretty happy to make our way up to colder climates. You adapt!

I think im crazy for living in Minnesota too, but you do get used to it, sort of.

Yeah once summer rolls around, I'll be complaining about humidity and wishing I lived up there. :)

Glad your son was ok. That would be scary. And glad you were able to get all your workouts in too. :)
 
Yeah once summer rolls around, I'll be complaining about humidity and wishing I lived up there. :)

Glad your son was ok. That would be scary. And glad you were able to get all your workouts in too. :)

The humidity is no better here than in the mid-Atlantic. Growing up in Maryland I thought I'd get reprieve from the humidity when we moved here, but no such luck.
 
Then, right as I was packing up and heading to the gym, I get a call from my husband saying I needed to get home NOW. Our son's temp had spiked to 103 suddenly and he'd gone limp and unresponsive. My husband had called 911, he was so worried, but by the time the first responders got there he was more or less back to normal. We ran him to the pediatrician and they said it was a relatively common response to fevers in young children. Definitely scary though. So anyways, I missed Monday's run, haha.

OMG, glad your son was ok. That's scary!
 
I think im crazy for living in Minnesota too, but you do get used to it, sort of.



That's scary. Glad to hear your son is doing well now. My wife and I have come to the conclusion that everything an infant does is normal. That seems to be the answer we get from our pediatrician about our 7 month old, not that it doesn't make some things any less normal.

Looks like another solid week of training though. Keep up the hard work and the half marathon will be a piece of cake.

Thanks. I've never been to the doctor/ER/urgent care as much as I've been this past year with our little guy. They are much tougher than adults though, and he typically handles being sick 1000x better than I do. They just like to keep you on your toes!
 
Thanks. I've never been to the doctor/ER/urgent care as much as I've been this past year with our little guy. They are much tougher than adults though, and he typically handles being sick 1000x better than I do. They just like to keep you on your toes!

Thankfully we've been pretty lucky with our little one. Outside of 2 days in the NICU for jaundice at 4 days old we haven't had to take him to the doctor outside his normal checkups. Though knowing how accident prone I am I know it won't last. Though the past seven months have definitely taught me things I never knew before and made me think in ways I've never had to.
 

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