Escaping the Plateau

I'm frustrated.

I love running.  It's truly like the one thing I do for myself, generally my stress relief, and my outlet for my competitive drive that often ruins game nights because I like to play to win.  Nothing makes me happier than achieving a goal in running, setting that shiny new PR...

Pre-5k on Sunday

Only, that hasn't been happening.  I've been trying to figure out what my most recent PR is, and I think the last one I got was in early 2015.  I'm actually afraid to look, because I think that will make me feel even worse.  It's been nearly two years since I've been overly excited about my time, really felt like I achieved something.  I often feel that in longer distances something has gotten in the way- weather, injuries, illness,etc.  But saying that makes me feel like I'm just making excuses, finding something to blame.

The Polar Bear wanted a selfie

All last week I was sick.  As a teacher on my February break, let me tell you I WAS NOT excited to spend my time off on the couch, but it is what it is.  On Wednesday I went out to run because it was 60 degrees in Western New York in February, and I thought I was going to die.  On an easy three miler.  I had been planning on doing a small 5k on Sunday and ended up doing it despite not being recovered. It was easily my worst 5k in four or so years and did not help my mental status.  I know, I was sick, body was recovering, blah blah blah.  It just felt like another hit, another excuse for another sub par performance.

I know to break plateaus you need to change up what you are doing in order to get new results, so I've been doing a lot of thinking and I'm looking to make three tweaks to my running, targeting the Buffalo Half Marathon in May as my goal race.


Changes to hopefully escape the evil plateau I'm trapped in:

1. Run more.  I used to throw down 200+ mile months and I am currently around 150-160 on average.  As I haven't seen a PR since my mileage has dropped, I am looking to increase my mileage.  Maybe not 200, but I'd like consistently be pushing it.
2. Faster intervals.  I like to do my intervals on the treadmill for control in the speed, so I'm going to really start hauling butt in them and increase the incline on them to make them harder and hopefully reap more benefits.
3. Consistently strength train.  I love lifting weights and doing different strength workouts.  However, it has not been a priority for me lately and I can tell I am not as strong as I used to be.  I want to rectify that for injury prevention and hopefully to improve my endurance and power, equating to faster running.

I'm going to do some 5ks and a 10k a long the way to gauge how it's going, and hopefully I will see some improvements to encourage me a long the way.  I'm not planning on racing at all in March, so I'll have some time to get some training in before I start testing.

Wish me luck as I try to break my frustrating race trend!

Tink 10k and Tink Half!

Life has been so crazy (end of the school year insanity) and today is my first full day of summer vacation, so what better way to start it off than get my delayed race review done?

Tink weekend is definitely one of my favorite race weekends.  I absolutely love the courses, particularly the 10k course.  You spend so much time in the park, vs running down random highways like you do in the world.  I haven't done Tink since 2013, so the start line and course was a little different, but I still enjoyed it.

One thing I love about Tink weekend is being able to walk from the hotel to the race.  No annoying 3am bus rides.  Plus, being from the East, I don't feel like the race is overly early.  The 10k morning started with a chance of rain, and of course it started to pour RIGHT AFTER I checked my gear.  I hid under a tent, trying to wait it out.  Of course I was wearing my new RunDisney Tink shoes, so I was kicking myself as I didn't want to destroy them the first day.  Eventually the rain slowed and I made my way to the start line.

The first mile of the race has some overpasses and such before you enter the parks to loop around, so it's definitely my least favorite part of the race.  And my shoe came untied!  That never happens.  Guess this is why you never wear something new on race day.  I tied it and got back in my groove, entering the backstage area of the park.  Less than a mile later the same shoe came undone again!  I knotted it like four times and hurried along, knowing the PR I was eying had drifted out of reach.

The hubs ended up coming to the race unexpectedly, so he got a pic of my running through Downtown Disney.  I loved how many people were out cheering us along.  

After the race we changed and wandered back to the expo for a bit and then spent the afternoon in California Adventure.  Needless to say, with all the walking, I was not anticipating a half PR.

The staging for the half was much more chaotic than the 10k.  They had a narrow walkway to the start line area lined with not nearly enough portapotties... So you A.) walked into a brick wall of people waiting in line and B.) likely didn't have a chance to get through the lines if you were in a front corral.  I found it very stressful.  I eventually made it to corral A, with little time to spare.

I carried my phone in my hand for the race, which I don't normally do, but I had bought a RooSport pouch to carry my 10k medal in so I'd have it for finish line pictures.  The RooSport worked really well.  I liked how it was magnetic, so no belt, and it didn't move.  Usually I'm messing with my belt every mile or so.  It was also nice to have my phone in my hand because I kept getting text updates about how my husband was doing behind me, which motivated me to run a little faster at times.  

We decided to do the photopass option for the day of the half.  For $40 per day, we were able to link our bibs to the same account and get all our pics from the day.  SO much better than their old system!  Plus, I actually got decent castle shots for once.

I did stop for pictures with Goofy and at the water.  I am not usually a big stopper, but I couldn't resist those two shots and there was no wait.

The roads of Anaheim were a little boring, but I knew the Red Hat Ladies were coming around mile 8.  Talk about an energy boost!  These women are amazing, sitting outside so early and cheering us along- I can't even describe it.  They make you feel awesome, like you are famous or something.

Biggest complaint about the course was where mile 5 and mile 12 ran parallel to each other.  As I was nearing the end I had to dodge walkers from mile 5 who decided to walk in the mile 12 area.  I found that frustrating.  Later, in the results, I also saw that so e women actually ended up cutting the course there and just finishing the race.  Some even supposedly took some of the top places.  RunDisney quickly altered the results, but behavior like this angers me.  If you are going to sign up for a half then TRAIN.  Don't cut the course, parade around in your medal, and live a lie.  This may upset people, but I'm about integrity.  If you can't earn it this time, try again next year.  That's the end of my rant.

For some reason I really struggled in mile 11, but I finished strong, highfiving Mickey at the end.  I then hovered, knowing my husband was only a few minutes behind.  I walked as slow as possible and kept stopping in inconspicuous areas until someone would tell me to keep moving, then I would find another discreet spot to wait in.  He eventually caught up and we got our pic together.  

We got our medals engraved and hung out at the finish area for a bit before heading back to the hotel. That's when I realized I had checked all of my Glass Slipper Medals to do a full pink coast to coast picture.  My husband helped me stage a nice picture, which had many people looking at me funny as I laid In he walkway with medals spread out all around me.  

Tink is definitely a race weekend I can recommend to anyone who can make the trek out to California. I love how it is so much more relaxed than the World races.  Starting from the expo, where there was no extreme chaos or nasty people, to being able to wander leisurely from the hotels to the start and enjoy the race courses.  A few small issues didn't ruin the awesome experience and I hope I can save up enough money to do this race again sometime.

Tink Half Marathon Weekend: getting there and expo!

Being from New York, travelling to California took nearly 12 hours.  We were up at 3-3:30 am on Wednesday morning and didn't arrive in Cali until after 11:00, which would correlate to 2pm our time.  It was a long morning and was quite a relief when we landed at SNA.  We will always try to fly to SNA from now on.  Last time we did LAX, and it was a nightmare trying to get to Anaheim from there.  SNA was an easy airport to get through and an easy drive.

We decided to rent a car as the hubs found a cheap deal online.  We got stuck in a little traffic, which was easy to reroute around, and soon we were at the Tropicana.

We booked there through Jim and Pat Stone (Acclaim Travel) and got a great deal.  It is on South Harbor, pretty much across the street from the pedestrian walkway to Disney.  It's location was ideal- it was a 10-15 minute walk to the downtown area, with a few restaurants around so we didn't have to drive anywhere.  

The rooms were decent for the cost and had a fridge and microwave, a major plus.  There was a nice pool and hot tub area.  There was parking, which you paid a nightly fee for, and if it was full there was valet who helped out, all of whom were very friendly and greeted us whenever we came back.  The only thing I wished it had was a continental breakfast, but that is a small flaw for us.

For the expo I started to hear that people would be getting there around seven AM.  I was shocked.  I was thinking 8 or 8:30, an hour and a half or so before the doors opened, but apparently that would be too late.  I got up around 6:15, did a quick run, then headed over and got there around 7:15.  A bunch of people were already there.

DLand has it right as far as expos.  They took us to the basement of the hotel where they had lines taped down.  I was given an orange wristband and put in the third row.  I sat down and prepared for a long wait, which wasn't too bad as I had some good conversations with people around me.  Around 9 they started moving people.  They took the first two lines upstairs and shifted everyone over.   About 10 minutes later we also went upstairs and joined them in more lines outside of the expo.  When 9:30 hit we went inside and found more lines outside the official merchandise area.  They let a few people in at a time, but we were moving fairly well.  When I got in it was very relaxed in there, unlike the Princess mayhem.  I was able to look over everything and didn't have to rush for everything.  There were no ladies fighting over wineglasses, but sadly there was no Tinkerbell Tervis.  I grabbed capris, the blue jacket, a hoodie for the hubs, the wineglass, a tank, and a water bottle.  Check out was easy, but expensive (thank god for the VISA discount), and I went back downstairs for my bib.

Bib pick up was uncrowded and easy as well.  I was surprised when they put two C2C bands on my wrist.  I had thought I would get my blue one when I return to DWorld for Wine and Dine, but something was up and we got them there.  I took mine then, but plan on bringing it to Wine and Dine because I feel that is where I will have earned it.

ANYWAYS, there was another line for preordered merchandise and that is where I picked up my first preorder jacket that I absolutely LOVE.  Hopefully RunDisney keeps going in this direction and makes nice preorder stuff.

I finally was able to go back upstairs to meet the hubs in the expo area.  He had already paid to get the back of our medals engraved with our times so we just wandered a bit.  We had time to kill because I had randomly signed up for the RunDisney NB virtual que and got 10:30 and 11:00 slots.  My time came late and I went in and tried on the Tink shoes.  I had always loved them and had heard this might be the last chance for them.  I ended up liking the feel of them and bought them.  The hubs passed when he tried on.  He liked the Mickey shoes, but they were too supportive for him.

After that we found the RunDisney beer cups that a bartender had and both enjoyed a Pixie Hollow drink.  The hubs was happy because he had gotten a few at our last few DWorld races and was hoping to get a Dland one.  It was nice to sit on a comfy couch, put my feet up, and actually enjoy a relaxing moment at an expo.  So different from the insanity at Princess, where we rushed out after getting through the merchandise lines because it was just so frustrating.

4 weeks to go...

(Picture from RunDisney)

So Tinkerbell Weekend is just 4 weeks away... Time for the second guessing to begin!  Like most runners, I'm now wondering if what I've done since Princess has been enough to achieve my goals.

I didn't follow a full out written training plan.  I decided one of my major issues after my A1A Half and Princess weekend experiences was endurance and lack of long miles in training.  So I've thrown down more double digit runs at this point in my training than I did for my entire Princess cycle, sometimes getting in two a week, hitting 15 twice.  I've also done tempo runs and have quickened my interval pace, but was all this enough?

I've got a 14-15 miler planned for today, but it'll be on the treadmill since its 27F and I've been fighting something the past few days.  Next weekend will be a 13 miler, then the following weekend I'm doing my first duathalon on Saturday, which I'm totally not ready for.  I haven't been out on my bike since last year, and there's a twenty mile bike portion.  I've done a couple 10 milers on my exercise bike, so hopefully that helps!  Oh, and should I add that I have a hilly half the next day?  😮 Should be a fun weekend... Lol.

ANYWAYS...

I really want to PR at both the 10k and half at Tink, which is stupid, I know.  I just really want some more recent times for those distances.  I have another half, the Buffalo Half Marathon, at the end of May, so I have a back up race for that goal, so I guess I should really focus on the 10k.  Plus, if I race the 10k at my best, I have an outside chance of placing in my age group.  

On that note, I guess I should go stop being a bum and hit the treadmill... Here we go!

The Enchanted 10k

I wanted this race.  I had trained hard, hoping for a big PR.  The year before I had run the race in just under 47:00 and just missed placing.  This year I had training runs that suggested I could go sub 45:00.  I was flying high and hopeful.

I got on the second bus out of the resort.  I get really nervous about getting to the race on time, so I'm always down at the bus stop and in line pretty early.  Thus, my awful early alarm...

 

The Hubbie snapped a pic before I left.  First time I ever wore a sparkle skirt for a race.  This was my best attempt at a "costume".  I told him he did not have to go to the race and he happily went back to bed while I trekked across the resort to the bus stop. 

There's not much to do before a Disney race, so I stood in line and got some princess character pictures.  

I finally decided it was time to drop my stuff off at bag check and move to the corral.  My nerves were starting to kick in and I wanted to make sure I was somewhere near the front.  

Once we finally started running I felt pretty good.  I passed someone I knew and said hi, but even being close to the front, I still had to do a lot of zigzagging and weaving to find a spot were I could find my own pace and stride.  The first mile was a 7:31.

The second mile starts with a sharp turn and then a run up an overpass.  I took the hill moderately hard, passing people along the way, and then picked up speed down the other side.  I still felt pretty good, but new I wasn't on pace for a sub  45:00.  7:32 second mile.

Mike three is boring.  I hung on but was beginning to feel discouraged.  7:31.  Mile 4 is when you get to finally run into Epcot.  I love running around the world, though it's not completely flat so I find it hard to keep a consistent stride/pace.  Random hills of varying degrees pop up, annoyingly, just to mess with your legs.  7:37.

Going into the boardwalk area is where I really lost it.  I don't know if I just mentally gave up or what, but as I ran apart one of my favorite parts of the course I struggled to keep my pace up.  Once I saw the 7:56 flash on my Garmin I was heartbroken.  I tried to urge myself to go faster, but that's when I realized my goal was out of reach.  

Mile 6 is through some backstage stuff before you get to re-enter Epcot with a great finish past Spaceship Earth and out the the parking lot/finish line.  7:57

I still had something left in my legs and pushed through the last few tenths, finishing with a 6:33 pace as I finished in a 47:10.  I was very disappointed.  I'm not sure if I just peaked early, if the A1A Half I did the week before took more out of me than I thought, or if my vacation in FL tore me down, but I was way off my intended time.  I walked through the finishing area and tried not to be too cranky, but it was hard.  

I returned to my hotel room and at least got to look forward to an excellent buffet breakfast at Beach Club's Cale May.  What better way to recover and refuel for the next day's half than stuffing myself full of delicious food?

 Luckily I tend to have a strong stomach so I am able to enjoy some questionable prerace activities.  And Minnie loved my skirt!

Princess Expo Craziness

I like my race gear.  I'll admit it.  When RunDisney posted their sneak peak, I gave my husband and mother in law a list of things I wanted (three things- not crazy) and we created a game plan to split up and get them.  We even left for the expo at 4:30 am this morning from Lauderdale to make sure we could check in to our hotel and get to the expo early.  

There was already a fairly long line for Dooneys, packet pick up, and the expo, when we got there.  We went to our prearranged posts and waited patiently.  When they started a soft opening and letting a few people in at a time early I got  excited.  I just wanted to be done with it!

I went to merchandise first, which was actually apart from packet pick up this time.  The hubs and his mom attempted the expo merchandise area.  I got right in after some confusion, bought my three desired items, a jacket for the hubs and got out easily.  Even got my preorder jacket without hassle.  

Preorder:

That was not the case for my tag team partners.  They said it was a madhouse in their section.  Pushing, crowding, and crazy princesses snatching items, depleting shelves faster than the poor cast members could keep up.  Taking multiples of items.  I didn't believe it because my own experience was so nice, but I later saw it for myself.

I had to pick up two bibs and deal with being registered for both the half and Glass Slipper somehow.  I also had an issue picking up my preordered pin, but some amazing cast members helped me with both issues and I was on my way.

When I got to the expo part the hubs mentioned he thought he saw something I would like in the merchandise there so I scurried over.  It was a madhouse.  People everywhere, cast members surrounded by people trying to get items they wanted.  I finally saw the sweatshirt that they hadn't shown on the sneak peak and didn't have in the first area.  I dodged people and luckily saw one on the rack in my size.  I scooped it up and found the end of the crazy long check out line.

While in line I witnessed chaos, discussing it with those around me who only had a few items.  I saw one wine glass fall and break, but I think the woman legitly just dropped it.  I was feeling claustrophobic and anxious- and a little guilty that I was in the middle of this mess.  I hope that my actions didn't screw people up or that I was accidentally rude to anyone like the behaviors of so many around me.  I almost put the sweatshirt back several times and just left.  

I finally got to the front of the line and watched several people buying multiples of items.  I even saw someone spend $1200.  Obviously I began to suspect that many of these items would appear on eBay shortly.  I smiled at my cashier and told her I had just one item- that I'd make her job easy at least for a few minutes.  She smiled back looking frazzled and I felt bad for her.

We stopped to have lunch at the little restaurant in ESPN and then I realized I forgot to grab a poster board from the upstairs area to decorate.  The line for getting back into the expo was so long that I approached the cast member manning the door to see if there was ANY way I could just go and grab a poster board that was RIGHT THERE.  He told me he couldn't stop me but policy was... And I felt bad for him, a little embarrassed that I asked to break the rules.  Not very princess like.  I bet people were yelling at him all day, too.  I told him I would follow the rules and he was appreciative. I bet a lot of people weren't so cooperative based on his demeanor.  After seeing the line I decided the poster board wasn't that important.  I was frustrated and overwhelmed by the crowds.  Maybe tomorrow.

The packet pick up line was out the gate as we left just after 11:40.  This is my third princess and who knows how many Disney races, and I HAVE NEVER seen such ridiculousness.  I really do feel embarrassed to have been there and didn't even really look around because I just wanted to get out.  This very well might be my last princess since I will be finally getting my pink C2C at Tink this year.  I left feeling disappointed in humanity and unhappy- not excited and inspired to rock the races this weekend.  I'm happy that I did get the merchandise I wanted, but almost ashamed, too, and I didn't even do anything wrong.  

That's not to say that everyone was greedy and crazy- I met some very pleasant people today who were considerate and helpful.  I watched awesome cast members work hard to make my experience and other people's days positive.  Unfortunately there were also those who would stop at nothing to get what they want- and those are the ones who tarnished the expo for many.  

I'll conclude with a snap shot of my haul from the expo... But I feel bad even posting this after seeing and reading about the day.  I'm glad to have my keepsakes, but am saddened by the chaos they caused.  

Baby steps

With roughly 30 days to go to the start of The Glass Slipper a Challenge I'm starting to get anxious.  Training is going well, but my goals are so big, that I'm concerned I won't be able to achieve them.  The weekend before Glass Slipper I am running the A1A Half Marathon in Lauderdale, where I am going for a half PR on a relatively fast course.  I've run several long runs in the 1:42 range, which would be a two minute PR, so that seems within my grasp.

The Enchanted 10k is going to be my focus during Princess Half Weekend.  I REALLY want to go sub 45 for my 10 k, and if I can do that I have a chance of placing top three in my age group, which has been my dream for awhile.  So I'm putting pressure on myself just a little bit.

So I've been really aggressive with my training, running paces that many probably wouldn't encourage.  I always feel better if I'm running runs, especially the faster ones, closer to goal paces.  I have gone into races training the traditional way- with slowwwwww easy runs dominating my mileage and have felt flat at the start line.  I trained aggressively for last year 's Enchanted 10k, got a 2:00 PR, and came in fifth in my age group.  So I figured I would try that again this year.

I jumped on my treadmill last night after teaching, ready to go for a fast progressive tempo run.  I like to do pace/quicker runs on the treadmill so I can maintain my pace through out, especially when it's icy and snowy.  I honestly don't mind the treadmill.  I turned my DVR to this week's Biggest Loser and off I went.  

I was pretty happy when I hit 6.3 and saw 44:33!  That's the second time I've gone under 45:00, beating my last time by :26.  Totally where I want to be right now!  Fingers crossed my runs continue to go well so I can build the confidence I need to nail my upcoming races!

Tempo run on the treadmill