Category: Races

The Dopiest thing I ever did do!

Jess Guth10 Comments

So I said I would always be honest about running on this blog but I have to come clean. I wasn’t entirely honest about our marathon efforts. We were actually training for the Rundisney Dopey Challenge.Toy story

The challenge includes a 5km, a 10km, a half marathon and a full marathon on 4 consecutive days. Back when we signed up we were so worried that we wouldn’t be able to get a marathon place because the sell out so fast that we took the opportunity to sign up through the Runners world challenge which was the Dopey. We initially thought we would just run the 5km and then the marathon but as training progressed the idea took hold.

Dopey f

Well today we completed that challenge by running the marathon. I am a little sore and very tired so I will leave reflections on Dopey for tomorrow or another day but I did write a blog post each day after each race and I will post them here shortly. I apologise now for any dodgy spelling or formatting – I only have the iPad here. Completing the challenge is bloody huge. I couldn’t run 100metres 12 months ago and now

Dopey e

The Official Race stuff

Jess Guth

First a quick sponsorship update – we are over half way on our JustGiving site and have a couple of pledges offline. Thank you! You can donate by clicking here.

I mentioned in my last post that the race guide has been released and the corral info is now also available so I was a little bit (ok, a lot) excited. It felt like the first day in weeks that  was not somehow dulled by the fog of depression. I ended up having a pretty good day with a 6 mile run and doing some useful stuff like sorting out expenses claims that have been lying around for ages. I was going to do more but I ran out of ‘brave’ pretty quickly – still, progress.

Anyway, the race guide etc:

When I ran the half marathon all I really wanted to do was make sure I didn’t have to start right at the back for this marathon. And look at this, I am in corral J based on the the half marathon time I set at the end of September. So so pleased with this

Corrals

The event guide is 36 A 4 pages… I keep picking it up every now and again and sometimes I giggle with excitement and sometimes I just wimper.

Mickey event guide
Snapshot from the cover of the event guide

The guide contains all the info we’ll need, like start times, recommended arrival time, transport options… It’s all there. Here are some of my highlights, scary things and ‘oh my goodness’ moments

  1. The Marathon starts at 5.30am, transport starts at 3am
  2. The Cool Down Party starts at 2pm – I will just about have finished the marathon!
  3. We have to pick up race packets at the expo and the floor plan for that looks insane. Kath will have to get one of those toddler leads for me so I don’t accidentally wander off!
  4. The Pasta in the Park Party we’re going to on the Thursday before includes a viewing of the Illuminations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot from a reserved viewing area. I probably knew that when we booked but had forgotten
  5. They say there will be clocks at every mile marker – nothing like keeping the pressure on!
  6. 19 water stations, 5 food stops (bananas, Clif products and candy at 22.5 miles), sponges at mile 17.1.
  7. The Course. Oh the course. Of course there are long stretches along the road etc but basically we go from the Epcot parking lot to and through the Magic Kingdom, to and through the Animal Kingdom, to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and on to Hollywood Studios and finally to the finish in Epcot. If I can do a marathon then it will be here. Course map below.
  8. Disney bans selfie-sticks. That makes me very happy
  9. There will be photographers everywhere on course – so there will be evidence of this total and utter madness.Course map.jpg

So reading all this has given me a bit of a final boost. Body and mind have been pushed quite hard over the last few weeks and now there is only one long run left before we do this for real. I am more excited than petrified – but it’s a fine line!

 

Numbers

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24471. Yep, 24471, that’s me. That’s my bib number for this crazy adventure. 2-4-4-7-1. It’s a number I think I can make friends with, I already have. It’s a number that doesn’t put me right at the back. It’s a good number. Here are some others:

30 – days until the marathon weekend madness begins

34  – days until marathon day

29  – days until we fly out

38 – weeks of training  – which means about 45 ish weeks since I started running again

450 – approximate miles run in training

93 – approximate miles left on the training plan

1 – number of really long runs left on training plan

15 – number of runs left on training plan

492.90 – amount of money raised online so far. (This is a number I’m happy to see increase – you can donate here )

 

Scarborough running – but not as planned

Jess Guth1 Comment

I had been looking forward to the Yorkshire Coast 10k run. Last time we did this 3 years ago I was so totally unfit that I didn’t enjoy it at all. I was looking forward to taking it all in this time. I was looking forward to running a race which didn’t require me to be out there for about 3 hours… then I got flu. Even as we packed our bags into the car to drive up to Scarborough in Friday afternoon I  really didn’t think I’d be able to run but I still had a day and a bit to recover.

Seeing the road closure signs heightened the excitement and I began to be hopeful that I might be able to run.

Road closed scarboroughWe woke up early on Saturday and decided we’d go for a little jog just to test my lungs and Kath’s knee. It was a gorgeous morning. We walked down to the seafront – the North Bay and turned left to run towards Sealife. We started with a 1 minute run and a 30 seconds walk and kept that going until we got to Sealife. This was our view:

Scarborough morning 2 Scarborough morning 1

Once we turned round we decided to run back without stopping and Kath opted for the softer ground and dropped down onto the beach. I tried to take a picture of her running while running and also tried to capture the view I had running along the beach huts. It was all a bit wobbly but somehow I quite like the pictures:

Scarb running 1Scarb running 2

I tried to run the last 100m as fast as I could just to see if my lungs would hold out. It didn’t  feel top bad as I stopped and we walked back to the hotel for breakfast feeling pretty positive. But then how could you not be happy with this view

Scarborough morning 3

We had a lovely day Saturday but we did walk quite a bit and by the time we got back from the restaurant at maybe 8ish I felt really flakey. I basically just curled up and fell asleep feeling poorly. My foot was also sore. Not sure what I’d done but the arch of my right foot and round my ankle felt like it was burning. Still I thought I’d be fine for Sunday. When we woke up on Sunday it quickly became apparent that neither of us was really up for running. Kath had started with the symptoms that started my flu off a couple of days before but had got much worse over night and felt very poorly. While I felt a bit better my foot still hurt and I was worried about how much just walking the day before had wiped me out. We both really wanted to run but decided it wasn’t sensible. We had a little cry but both felt better having made that call.

We did walk over to the harbour area and cheered the runners on as they went past on the way out and the way back. It was such a gorgeous day and I really wanted to be out there. I watched the runners go by with a mixture of envy and admiration. Admiration for those running those amazingly fast times but somehow more admiration for those further down the pack for whom just putting one foot in front of the other is probably a huge deal, for those who didn’t think they could do it but did, for those who seemed surprised by us cheering them on telling them they were doing really well, admiration particularly for those who were scared and unconfident – I was there not so long ago and on most running days I still am.

We drove home. We made it til about 6.30pm and went to bed. I slept til just before 6am and woke up feeling poorly, with a sore throat and a temperature- cancelled my London trip and went back to sleep for a couple of hours.

I guess the Yorkshire Coast 10k will have to wait another year!

Some ideas for a races bucket list

Jess Guth1 Comment

I was really hoping to be back at work today. I had a day of meetings and committees all of which are important and I have a writing deadline on Friday. However, my balance is off completely. Earache has thrown everything out and I find it quite hard to navigate through an open door. I also only have about 30-45 seconds between coughing fits whenever I try to speak, a brain like cotton wool and aches everywhere. I’m bored though which is probably a good sign as it means I am getting better.  I have tried to do some work and keep working on the book chapter that is due but I just can’t concentrate on anything that actually requires brain power.

I am also getting a little anxious about the Scarborough 10km run now. I was feeling quite confident about being able to do it and run it in a reasonable time and enjoy it too. I am less sure now. I have a few days yet so we will see.

I have been catching up on reading blogs and enjoyed BritsRunDisney‘s Bucket List of races. I thought I might make my own little list. As I started thinking and looking online I realised that I am thinking far more about places I like which means I am quite probably missing some just because they are in places I haven’t been yet! Anyway, here are some of the races I fancy doing – not all in one year obviously and some of them are pipe dreams given the cut off times, the locations and the time of year…

Hamburg Marathon – This sort of feels like my home city marathon and therefore should be done if I am going to be crazy enough to attempt that distance again! It would be nice to run in places I recognise and to have some of those childhood memories to keep me going. In 2016 it falls on my grandad’s birthday but it also bang in the middle of lambing time for us so that’s not going to work

Berlin Marathon – I think I would love this. It’s got to be a pretty flat course, I don’t remember any hills in Berlin and at every turn there will be history to look at and think about. It also holds memories of a couple of good trips and it always has an energetic and fun atmosphere.

London Marathon – well who doesn’t, secretly at least, want to run this one?

Great North Run – Another iconic UK race and one that I have always had a soft spot for. I have watched it on tv over the years and always been in awe of the runners. I always watched it with completely detachment – that was never going to be me (although I sometimes wishes it could be) until this year where I suddenly felt such an urge to be part of it and be there. So maybe I’ll get to do it before I am 40. That would be cool.

Starwars the Dark Side at Disney World – There is something special about Disney and I will probably want to go do the Disney World Marathon again once the pain wears off! However, there are other race weekends which look a lot of fun. I like the look of the Starwars events both at Disney World and Disney Land and maybe even something like the challenge of 10km plus half marathon… ok I clearly have the flu!

Toronto (Half) Marathon – I love Toronto. I don’t know what it is about the city but if I need to be in a city then Toronto is up there on the list of cities I can cope with. So for that reason and because the course is desribed as downhill… However that comes with a downside – the website suggests a 12 minute mile minimum pace or you may be asked to move off the road. That’s too much pressure for me! I may have to see how this running journey goes before committing to that kind of pace! The half marathin may however be more realistic

Hadrian’s Wall Half Marathon – This does not sound easy but it sounds like it would be a gorgeous route. I like the idea of running off road rather than just on the road and this race seems to give you that without being a very scary actual trail race. While I’d like to run more in the wild I am also acutely aware that I am not fit enough – it’s a whole different game that! I’ll keep practicing on my own but not in a race just yet. This though looks amazing and doable. Just look at the pictures from the course!

There are then loads of more local 5km and 10km runs which I’d like to try – local inevitably means hilly though! So another day of more thinking about running than actually moving (never mind running!)