I am a Marathoner

This past Saturday, May 1st, I ran my first full marathon. Wow, what an experience I will never forget. It started with a 4:30am wake up. Got up, ate breakfast (cereal, bagel & banana), then started to get dressed. My wife also got up with me at 4:30. At about 5:oo the rest of my support team (daughter & son in law) got up. Once everybody was sort of awake, I took this picture of my team, which was aptly named the Goofy57 team. These three very important people in my life have supported me from the very beginning of my training until the race was over. I can not thank all of them enough!!!

We left home about 5:30 and drove to Champaign, which is about 40 miles east of where I live in Bloomington. The weather was overcast & it was misting a little rain. The temp was 61 degrees and it was really humid also. We got to Champaign around 6:20 or so and by the time we got parked it was 6:40. The race started at 7:30, which was good for me, I did not have a lot of time to kill before the gun went off.

I got all of my gear ready and put it on and we all walked towards the start line, with me making a pit stop at the porta potties. Said goodbye to my team and then walked to my corral. The corrals were set up as estimated finish times instead of A,B,C,D, etc. I got in the 4:45 corral and listened to my ipod and chatted with the people around me waiting for the gun to go ff.

I never did hear the gun go off, but I crossed the start line about 15 minutes after the clock started. Just past the start line on my left stood my team cheering me on. This picture was snapped of me as I passed them.

This was the view in front of me as I passed the start line. Wow there were lots of runners.
I started off nice and slow sticking with my pace plan which was written by my good friend Gordon from Run to Disney fame. Several months ago I asked Gordon to write me a training plan & pace plan for this race and he was gracious enough to have said yes he would do it. I spoke with Gordon before the race started and I think he was a s nervous as I was about the race.

The first 3 miles went by in a flash. I had to stop at a porta potty and get rid of some nervous energy I guess. Seemed like I stood in line forever. Finished up there and it was back at it. I checked in with Pam on the phone a couple of times to let her know where I was and how I was feeling. It wasn't long and I was at the 13.1 mark, half done half to go. I was still feeling really strong. I got to see my team also. I waved as I went by them headed for the back half of the race.


All was going really well at this point. I was staying hydrated, taking my gels at the right time & staying with my pace plan. It all changed in mile 17. I just started slowing down, not keeping with my plan. I think the humidity was beginning to work on me. I had not done any training for this race in any humidity at all. Most of my training was done in cold weather or cool temps. I stuck with it and just ran at a slower pace until mile 23.

Mile 23 is where I started doing a run/walk combo. Not a Galloway run/walk, just ran when I felt like it and walked when I felt like it. I would not say I was struggling, I was just taking my time so I could finish the race. I had a goal of 4:45, but I knew I would not make that so I just kept plugging along.

It was a great sight when I saw Memorial Stadium come into view. I knew I was close and was gonna make it. I ran down the ramp, into the stadium and the first thing I saw was my cheer team screaming and hollering at me that I had done it.

I crossed the finish line and was handed my medal. At that point I became a Marathoner!! I made my way over to my team and hugged everybody and thought to myself, I have done it, I really have. The next thing I asked for was my chocolate milk. I had started drinking it after all of my long runs and I am now a firm believer that is speeds recovery. Two great friends Mike & Jan were there to cheer me on and Mike asked me if I would run another full & I told him absolutely I would.

Reflecting back on this day, it was a fantastic day for me. I accomplished something I was not sure I could do, but knew I had to try. I proved to myself that I could do it. My finish time was just over 5 hours by my Garmin and now I have a PR to shoot for in the next one. I do know this, when training for a long distance event it involves your entire family not just yourself. I again want to thank Pam, Abby & Andy for their encouragement & support. I also want to thank my coach, yes I said coach, Gordon for taking lots of time out of his days & nights to get me to the finish line.

Next up, I am looking for a 1/2 to run between now and Sept to run. I do not want to just do maintenance running until the Disneyland 1/2 in September.

Thanks for reading.

Til next time run strong & enjoy the moment!!!

Kentucky Derby mini marathon

This past Saturday I ran the mini marathon in Louisville again. As last year I had good time again this year. I got up at 4:30 ate breakfast (Banana, bagel & cereal) and then got dressed. It was 61 degrees so I wore a short sleeve tech shirts & shorts. My son in law Andy, took me to downtown Louisville to catch the shuttle to the start line. It was lightly raining at the time.

I got to the start area about 6:15 and checked out where my corral was. And I put on the garbage bag I took with me because it was raining a little harder. I walked around a bit and then went to the porta potty line. By the time I got through the line, the race had started. It was no big deal because there were 15,000 people at the start line. I took off the garbage bag and jumped in with the mass of people making their way forward and crossed the start line about 15 minutes after the gun had gone off.

I started the race by listening to my ipod, but by about 2 miles into the race it was raining pretty hard so I put it in a plastic bag and stuck it in my pocket. So it was just me talking to myself the rest of the way. Miles 2 thru 5 were in a city park and it was pretty hilly. No big deal I have been running hills in training. It had pretty much stopped raining by the time we exited the park.

The next few miles were on a nice flat roadway. We were making our way to Churchill Downs. Entered it at about mile 8. It was just as cool this year as last, getting to watch the horses run on the fabled track as we were running on the infield. Had to run through 2 different tunnels to get in and out of it. Once out of Churchill we made a left turn and headed for downtown Louisville.

At mile 12 the mini (1/2) runners turned left & the full marathoners turned right. I had been watching my pace on my Garmin for the entire race and I was pretty pleased with the way I was moving. The crowds of people on the sidewalks were getting bigger as we got closer to downtown. I passed several live bands and lost of people holding signs and cheering for their runner.

Once we got to downtown we made several turns and I could see the finish line. The last 2 miles I gave it pretty much all I had. I did mile 12 in 9:20 & mile 13 in 8:35. I finished in 2 hours, 14 minutes & 28 seconds by my Garmin. Later when I check the Derby website, it showed my chip time as exactly 3 minutes slower than my Garmin. I started my Garmin as soon as I stepped on the first timing mat, so I don't what caused the 3 minute difference. I'm going with my Garmin time, as it is a new PR for me. Hey, I can do that right?

I had a great cheering section near the finish line. I looked to my right and there were Pam & Abby jumping up and down cheering for me, how cool is that!!! Andy was on my left side, I did not see him until after I crossed the finish line. He had my chocolate milk for me. I have found that drinking the chocolate milk after long runs has really shortened the recovery times.

Pam & Abby had to make there way to Waterfront Park where the after race festivities were being held. Once we all joined some pictures were taken and the we hiked back to the car and home.

Will I do this race a third time, absolutely. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hey, maybe next year sign up for the full marathon. Full marathon, I have my first one this coming Saturday. I am really pumped and ready to do it. Talk to ya later!!

Thanks for reading.

Til next time run strong & enjoy the moment.

Less than 2 weeks away!!!

Yep, it's less than two weeks away. But first I have a 1/2 marathon this weekend in Louisville. Actually I'm pretty pumped up about both races. Looking forward to running through Churchill Downs again. I have been told the weather might not be the most agreeable, but I will still be running.

Last week I ran a total of 23 miles as I taper down for May 1st. My long run was 10 miles on Saturday with specific goals for the final 5 miles. I did meet my goals. This week I have two short easy runs, a tempo run of 50 minutes and then the 1/2 marathon. Wow it is almost here. I really think I am ready to do this thing.

Did I tell ya I'm ready to go back to a Disney theme park. Looking forward to our September trip to Disneyland to run and enjoy the parks. Gonna stay at the Grand Californian again. We really loved it last year.

Okay tell me where the above picture was taken. Hint, it is in California.

Thanks for reading.

Til next time run strong and enjoy the moment.

Less than 3 weeks away

May 1st, that's the date. Less than 3 short weeks away until I run my first full marathon. I am excited, anxious & nervous all at the same time. The past 2 weeks of I have run 33 miles & 24 miles respectively. This past Saturday I ran 20 miles in 3 hours & 30 minutes. It was agreat run. This week I start tapering.

The week before my marathon I am running the mini marathon in Louisville again. I would love to try and set a PR, but my coach Gordon, said nope, treat it as an LSD run. So that's what I'm gonna do.

It looks like I will have a cheering section on marathon day. Pam, Abby, Andy, Jan & Mike will be there to cheer me on as I slog through 26.2 miles. I really appreciate there encouragement & support.

Just yesterday I got an email from the folks at Disney about free quick service dining if I book a trip for summer. It is so tempting to do it. I'm ready to go back. We'll see what happens :)

Thanks for reading.

Til next time run strong & enjoy the moment.

5 weeks away

Only 5 weeks away. It does not seem possible. 5 weeks til my first full marathon. I am excited and looking forward to running it. Nice flat course. A good choice for my first full, I think.

This past week I ran a total of 34 miles. My long run, yep I mean long, was 21 miles on Saturday. It took me 3 hours & 55 minutes to do it. I felt better after this run than I did the week before on the 18 mile run. Last weekend the wind was not nearly as strong as the weekend before, hence the reason I felt better after 21 miles than the 18 miler. This should be the most miles I will run in a week during this training cycle.

Won't be long I start to taper as it gets closer. My last long taper run will be the Kentucky Derby mini marathon the week before the full. Had a good time running that one last year & looking forward to running it again.

Thanks for reading.

Til next time, run strong & enjoy the moment.

6 short weeks away

The photo above is from Spectromagic, my favorite Disney parade at WDW. It's going away in June as the Main Street Electrical parade returns for a summer engagement. I truly hope Spectro comes back sometime in the future. The lights and music are fantastic in this parade. I listen to the soundtrack all the time on my Ipod while running.

This past week I run a total of 32 miles. A couple of easy runs, a hill run (not hill repeats) & my long run which was 18 miles. The temp was 35 degrees with NNE wind of 20 to 25 mph. I did really well the first 14 miles. I was doing a pretty good job with my pacing & doing OK with my hydration and nutrition. The WIND finally got me. I finished the last 3 miles by doing a run/walk combination, but I did complete 18 miles in 3 hours and 19 minutes.

Next week will be my longest LSD run prior to the marathon. 21 miles is on the schedule. After that tapering will begin. I sometimes forget that I am running the Kentucky Derby mini marathon a week before the Illinois marathon. The Derby run will be a good taper/training run. I'm really getting excited about running a full marathon. Of course, all of this in preparation for the 2011 WDW Goofy challenge.

Thanks for reading.

Til next time, run strong & enjoy the moment.

7 weeks to go

I ran a total of 30 miles this week. Had to change up my schedule for this week, being we were not going to be home this weekend. On Monday I did an easy 5 mile recovery run in 50 minutes. Tuesday I ran 6 miles in 1 hour and 3 minutes. Did a progressive run. Started with a mile w/u at 11:05 & finished the last 2 miles at 10:08 & 10:02 respectively. I had some tired legs when I was finished.



On Thursday I did a real easy 3 miles in 31 minutes. I moved my long run up to Friday. I ran 16 miles in 2 hours and 52 minutes. My average pace was 10:45 for the entire run. I was tired at the end of the run, but happy as I set another milestone for myself. Next week I have 32 total miles on my schedule with a long run of 18 miles. Kinda glad I will have had had two days to rest & recover before I get going again on Monday.



Disney announced a new a type of annual pass this week. The pass is good for one year for Disneyland & WDW. As much as we get to go to Disney we are considering buying the pass for at least one year. We have to do some price comparing to see if we would get our money's worth before buying it. We have the Disneyland 1/2 trip in Sept, the WDW 2011 marathon trip & maybe a Christmas trip this year. I guess we need to figure out how many totals days we would be in a Disney park and go from there. Sounds exciting to have a pass that is good for both parks.

Thanks for reading.

Til next time run strong & enjoy the moment.