Tower of Terror 10 Miler - we're back!!!

Last year we did the Tower of Terror 10-Miler and I think it was my least favorite race ever (link here). Several things went wrong for me that night but heat was probably the single biggest factor. I was determined to do it again this year and make peace with the terrible experience to put it behind me!

For our training we added a mile each week, ran in the heat, and didn't miss a single long run:). Lu came back from her cruise in the morning where she had done some hypnosis too so we convinced ourselves that we would PR and focused on the power of positive thinking...

We did the expo in the morning and showed up after a day of carb-loading not too early this time. And we didn't make the mistake of wearing the terrible, fugly shirts that last year didn't help one bit with the heat...

 

We kept telling ourselves it was cooler than last year but to be honest - I'm not sure that was true. It was still 400 degrees:(. But we were ready for it this time!

We had to wait for over an hour in the corrals but had a nice time with the other runners :)

 

And at about 10:30pm we were off!!

 

 

Last year I thought the entertainment wasn't very good (compared to the Princess Half) but this year I actually really enjoyed it. I think to be honest it was probably exactly the same but my expectations were just different. Funny how that works:). I really liked the lasers, running on the ESPN track and the final mile through Disney Hollywood Studios was just fantastic!!

 

 

The race was really tough though and the blister I had gotten earlier in the week started bothering me pretty soon in. My mind played tricks with me for most of the race so I fought really hard to stay positive and we stayed close to the 2-hr pacer the whole time to keep our PR dream in sight!

 

We both cried as we crossed the line!! It was such a victory for the power of positive thinking and we were so happy that we performed so well! The time was just under 2 hours and 3 minutes which was almost 6 minutes faster than last year!! And I placed in the top third of my age category which I am really proud of!

 

The photographers must have seen how happy we were and asked if they could take a picture of us for the Run Disney Facebook page! Are you kidding?! This is the moment we have been waiting for!!

 

 

We were the main picture the next day!!! Lu said it must be a "diversity shot" Hahahaha! The medals were as gorgeous as ever too...

 

 

But I knew I was hurting and when I finally got home at about 2am I got a look at that pesky blister...

 

 

No wonder I was in pain...which goes to prove the point - if I can run for 10 miles on that, it really IS about mind over matter! Now I just have to decide what I will do next :)

 



My First Half Marathon!

I think today is one of the proudest days of my life :). This morning I completed my first Half Marathon, the Women's Running Magazine's Women's Half in St. Petersburg to Benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! Back in February, several of my girlfriends completed their first Half Marathons. When I was approached by another friend to join her team for this race I thought it was about time that I gave it a shot (they later bailed so I actually ended up running alone :(). I registered online and got a free 12-week training program so I decided to follow it as closely as I could and only run on raceday if I had completed the training. For me, I found it easier to commit to doing a training program rather than the actual race which felt like a mountain to climb at that time. Anyway, the training went really well - one of the biggest challenges was learning to do long runs alone since I knew Mike wouldn't be joining me on the day :( - until about week 9 when I injured my ankle. I had already started to exceed the mileage on the long runs a bit so I think it was a case of too much, too soon. Anyway, after a particularly bad run one night, I actually passed out from the pain in my ankle! I took this as a sign to take a week off and instead of giving up altogether I decided to substitute the training runs for the crosstrainer at the gym and be a lot more careful, particularly on long runs. I was very nervous when it came time for the only 10-miler during training (the program only went up to 10 miles based on the assumption that adrenaline would get you to 13 on the day:)) but I managed to do it without too much trouble at all! That was the point at which I decided that I would go for it and do the race itself :).

There were about 7,000 registrants so the bib pick up is all handled the day before. We booked a hotel in St. Pete for Saturday night and drove over earlier in the day to get the fancy bag of goodies and T-shirt.

Just a little terrifying to see my name on the list...

One of the best pieces of advice that I had was not to do anything different from training on the actual day. With that in mind, I ran in my old Newtons and promised myself a pair of these if I actually managed to finish (and ever wanted to run again :))...

We caught the sunset after the Expo and took a walk on the beach on the way to the restaurant to 'carb up.'

When we got to the hotel, there was a wedding reception by the pool. They had fireworks while Maddy was taking a swim!

To ease my nerves I got everything organized and laid out for the next day. It didn't work; I barely slept at all :(...

We woke up to leave at just after 5am. At this point I just wanted for it to be over...

Aside from all the runners wearing pink, everything at the hotel was pink, including the Christmas tree!

When we arrived I was totally overwhelmed by the scale of the whole thing. It was quite reassuring to know I wasn't going to be suffering alone. That didn't stop the tears though and I didn't stop crying until we actually started running...

I planned on taking millions of photos during the race but very quickly decided to just focus on being present with the whole experience. The course route went past several landmarks in St. Pete and there were 7 live bands. I barely even used my ipod, the spectators were just incredible and I also met several fantastic ladies throughout the race! I did get a picture of the pier at mile 8...

After 10 miles I started to feel very nervous since I hadn't ever run that far before. It was starting to get a little too hot, the breeze had subsided and my feet were starting to get really sore. My favorite part of the whole race though was running through the air-conditioned Tropicana Field stadium on the astroturf and seeing the 12th mile marker right outside! I couldn't believe how close we were to the finish but I still didn't believe I would actually make it until I had less than a half mile to go:). I was also amazed at how close I was going to be to my fantasy time of 2:30! It suddenly occurred to me that I was just about to do something that I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I was capable of and I burst into tears (again) as I crossed the line and hugged the lady who gave me my beautiful medal :). 

The start/finish line was right outside the beautiful Dali museum...

Mike was so very proud of me!

After a couple of pics I was ready to go home and get some food and rest. When I woke up later on I took a walk to stretch out my legs a bit and reflect on the whole experience. I saw online that my time was 2:31:54 which I am completely thrilled with! So what next??? I'm really not sure. I'm pretty sure that I don't ever think I could take on a Full but I'm also pretty sure that I would do a Half again. For now, I'm going to celebrate for a while and wait and see how I feel later on :)...

I'm all broken in now...

You know when you start biking a bit more seriously it's just a matter of time as to when you'll come off it. I've actually managed to fall three times now but this last one was a bit nasty and hurt more than you would think from the picture. I had been riding Mike's bike for a while and this happened when I got back on my road bike. I realize now that it's too small for me and the gears are in the wrong place. Think I'm going to stick with Mike's for a while and since it's a mountain bike I'll be able to compete in the 'fat tire' class at the next tri which will really help my placings anyhow. And I'm going to need to toughen up...

How to be a nosy neighbor...

The whole biking thing is really coming around now which is a good job since I have a mystery knee injury:(. It happened on a Sunday morning long run about three weeks ago and has been very painful after a mile or so ever since and feels just like it's 'giving out' whenever I run. I've tried the usual stuff (rest, icing, elevation etc.) and a couple of bandage-type contraptions, but it's not getting any better so I think it's time to see the doctor. I'm trying to find a sports doc so that I won't get the predictable 'stop running' advice:). Anyway, I'm also trying really hard to stay positive. I've been able to run over 200 miles this year including completing a triathlon and a 15K. And it's Summer so I have plenty of time until the season kicks back in. It's going to be fine :).

I'm also staying focused on what I can do for now. I found this really cool article on coolrunning.com (here) which recommends: antigravity running, steep uphill walking, pool running, elliptical training and cycling. Since I don't have access to an antigravity machine (Cool Running writing team - you may have wanted to just leave that part in for the version of the article that went to NASA - just saying) that gives me 4 great options! I have found a great swim coach and partner (thank you Kathleen!) and I'm getting out on the bike on a more regular basis now.

It has made all the difference in the world to play my ipod while I ride (in just one ear - I know I need to be able to hear traffic mum) and I'm gradually getting faster. I have a favorite 12 mile route that's really pretty and I always seem to see something interesting while I'm out. Just today I saw my favorite sandhill cranes hanging out...

And you can be a really nosy neighbor too - look what happened to their car - blimey!

Running is so goal-oriented and I'm always thinking about how far and how fast. I'm going to set a biking goal to keep it interesting for me. My first goal is to complete 15 miles in under an hour. I know that's still very slow but it will be a big accomplishment for me. Wish me luck!