Tag: half marathon

More Dopey reflections

Jess Guth6 Comments

A week ago I ran, well walked mostly, a marathon. Hm. Doesn’t seem real at all. In fact, the idea that I completed the Dopey Challenge seems utterly bizzare. Me?! I can’t run! I can’t do that. But I did and here’s the proof:

Dopey cert JG

So if it feels like I am milking this a bit – I am  – but this is a huge deal. I went from not being able to run 100metres without hyperventilating and being in pain after to running 48.6 miles in 4 days in just about 12 months. I think I have earned the right to go on about it a bit. I’d also like to say thank you so much to all those of you who supported me through the running and who sponsored us. Our sponsorship page is still open if anyone would like to acknowledge our achievement and support Panthera. Thank you!

So, a week on and any muscle soreness (not that there was that much) has gone and my mega blister on my little toe has settled down; I am back home, it’s been snowing and tomorrow I go back to work. With a little bit of distance, here’s what I think and feel about the Dopey Challenge and what I learned.

  1. I ran a marathon! Well I walked a marathon mostly but I completed it within pacing requirements  – less than 16 minutes per mile – just.
  2. Conditions matter, they really matter. I knew it could well be hot and humid for the running but that still didn’t prepare me for how the humidity would impact on me. Heat on its own isn’t as bad but humidity even when it isn’t that warm is just something else. I couldn’t breathe
  3. The support from the crowds and from people supporting on facebook or by text messages etc make a huge difference and can be the difference between managing another little jog and giving up. Thank you to all those people who shouted encouragement along the routes
  4. I can walk pretty fast for a very long time
  5. I really would like to have run much more than I did in the marathon
  6. Half marathon is a good distance – it’s a real challenge and it comes with bragging rights but it’s not so bloody endless. I’d like to do a couple more half marathons
  7. Star Wars music is just the best for crossing a finish line.
  8. I don’t think I could do a marathon somewhere where there is nothing of interest to me to see. I had my major wobbles and nearly giving up points along long stretches of road where there was just nothingness. The theme parks saved me because they broke it up and gave me stuff to look at. So I could probably run something like Berlin, Hamburg or of course London because there are places there of historical or personal significance that I can focus on
  9. I have to remind myself that doing the Dopey is a big deal  – I struggle with that. I did it, therefore it can’t be that big a deal.
  10. However tired you are and however impossible it seems, it is always possible to run the finishing stretch and cross the line running. Always.
  11. Usually when I know I am not going to be good at something I just don’t do it or I find an excuse to give up early… not this time. It never crossed my mind to actually stop. Not once. I struggled badly from mile 5 of the 26.2. I thought I might not be able to complete the marathon and I was almost sure I wouldn’t make Dopey pace but I never thought I might actually stop. I thought I might be swept or possibly even taken off the course by medics if things got really bad but it never occured to me to actually stop.
  12. Every now and again I giggle to myself because I did it! I’m proper Dopey
  13. I haven’t run since Dopey but I did do a lot of walking in the theme parks and my next training plan starts with a 45 minute run on Tuesday – very possibly in the snow.
  14. I feel oddly calm about everything. Running the marathon after having run the 5k, 1ok and half marathon on the preceeding 3 days was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Physically that’s obvious but mentally too. It’s all fine – you just have to breathe through it.
  15. Running long distance takes you through all sorts of emotions – mostly for the marathon there was a mixture of self-doubt and determination with splashes of total desperation and despair and sprinkles of excitement and elation. I was sobbing from the minute I crossed the finish line and I had to hold my breath for the finisher photo to get myself under control. I wasn’t excited to cross the finish line, I was relieved! Being excited came later.
  16. I’m looking forward to running again

And there we have it – it was all a pretty amazing experience – from day 1 at the expo picking up our race packs with all the shirts and the bib numbers etc to day 5 – the marathon. The early starts somehow add to the occassion and the events are so massive that it is hard not to get caught up on the occassion. I won’t promise that this will be my last Dopey post – in fact it won’t be because there are photos to sort through yet and I wanted to tell you about the race retreat and the runners world challenge package etc but for now I’ll leave you with this – hower unlikely that seems to me :

badge_dopey

Half the madness. 13.1 miles

Jess Guth6 Comments

Donaldso the Run Disney craziness steps up a gear comehalf marathon day. I am exhausted. It’s 6.45pm on half marathon day and I am not far of sleeping. I did want to write all blog posts on the day of the race though. The half marathon was fun. No really it was. I never thought I would say that.

we left the hotel room to get the monorail at about 3.35am.  As part of th Runners World Challenge we got entry into the race retreat tent and the plan was to get there, find a quiet corner, grab a bagel and sit calmly. However, the queue for the security check was mental and we didn’t get to the tent until 4.35. The scale is just indescribable. Masses of people everywhere. Anyway, just as we got to the tent loads of people from the Runners world bit left which panicked me a bit. However, there was time to check in our bags and have food just not in quite as calm a manner as we had hoped.Donald 1

Then we set off to the corals. We were in J for this race. It is about a 15 minute walk from the main holding area to the corals and they started with A and went all the way through to P. I don’t know how many people ran this race but it was thousands. Yesterday we’d had a conversation about Paula Radcliffe and were saying how she was our running hero. Well we were in for a lovely treat because Paula is here. She was running the half. In fact I think I heard them say she was running the Dopey Challenge. I ran in the same race as Paula!

corals started in roughly 2 minute intervals today and we crossed the startline at about 6am. I was a little stiff for the first bit and Kath called for a toiled stop at about half a mile in which was a great call because the queues were short and we both felt more comfortable after that. The first stretch is along roads and across car parks with music and Disney characters along the way to keep you entertained. As with the other races we didn’t stop for pictures or anything. I just can’t get my head round stopping for a photo during a race.

The first half of th half was really uneventful which I guess is good. I felt comfortable and we were plodding along at a steady pace every now and again reminding ourselves to take it steady and conserve energy for tomorrow. At just before mile 5 we passed our hotel and made jokes about nipping in for a shower and a nap. Just after we entered the Magic Kingdom and passed the 5 mile marker. There is nothing quite like running up Mainstreet USA with Cinderella’s castle up ahead. Annoying people just stopped in the middle of the road to take pictures. I get the wanting a picture bit, but please, just stand to one side!

Running through the park gave me a little boost and mile 6 came and went and we were suddenly half way. At mile 8, now back on the road I. Started struggling. I’m not really sure why but suddenly our two minute running intervals seemed long and our 1 minute walks seemed short. Kath offered to take an extra walk and I gladly accepted. Part way throught that walk a woman called Jacqui asked what intervals we were running and if she could join us because she was really struggling. Of course we said yes.

Well two really good things came from that for us. One, it took my mind off me completely and I focused on helping her get through. We chatted a bit but not much on the walks but for the most keep our 2 minute intervals going. She was struggling but she kept going and we promised not to leave her and we didn’t. The second was that it made us slow down a bit. That sounds daft but we were probably going a little too fast given the marathon tomorrow and going at that slower pace just helped me in particular finish feeling really strong. The other main benefit of course was that Jacqui finished. She was in pain and I’m not sure she would have got to the end still upright without Kath’s unwavering leadership and my constant talking telling her how amazing she was. It was so great to be able to do something positive like that and help her. I hope someone would do the same for me!

I missed the 9 mile marker completely, then were were at 10 miles. It’s hard to explain how good it feels to get to double figures on a half marathon!. Only 5km left! And on we went. The three of us, always telling ourselves and each other that we only had to run 2 minutes. Then we entered Epcot, I loved that last little run through the park. I knew we were nearly there, I knew we had got ourselves and Jacqui there and that we would make th finish line in roughly 3 hours. I suspect I was grinning like an idiot. We turned into the final Epcot back lot, passed the 13 mile marker and saw the finish. Jacqui was cramping up and really really struggling. I felt great. As we turned into the straight I saw Jacqui relax and we picked the pace up just a little and we ran, as we had promised her, the three of us together across the line.

2.58.59 is the official time. Kath is delighted to have gone sub three, as am I. I worry it wasn’t slow enough and took too much out of us for tomorrow but actually I feel ok. We have stayed off our feet mostly. We had to leave Jacqui because we thought we had to check in for Dopey but actually we didn’t. We then couldn’t see her again so we made our way to the Race Retreat where we could get some food in addition the the snack box we got immediately after finishing. I had 3 small bottled of water, some scrambled eggs and sausage and then we used the stretching area.Donald 2

Back at the hotel we had a cold bath, did some yoga, had lunch and then slept for a couple of hours. The. We did more yoga and went for teat in the Magic Kingdom. We had a lovely pasta with veggies drizzled in garlic and olive oils and sprinkled with feta cheese. Then we came back, got our things sorted for tomorrow and now I’m ready for bed.

I have run my 3rd half marathon. It was a good run, a really good run and I feel ok, I really do.image

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

12 – I can’t f-ing do this – miles

Jess Guth3 Comments

It’s Sunday which means weigh-in day. Kath has done amazingly well and has lost 4 pounds. I’ve lost half a pound if you take pre run reading which I usually do or 2 pounds if you take post run reading. That’s it for good news.

I hated every single step of our run today, each and every single step. We set off on the flat. I had the backpack with water and a porridge bar to have around half way. The backpack was fine. I wasn’t. I felt really sluggish and tired from the start. We were running 90 seconds and walking 30 seconds. I really wanted to be able to do those intervals all the way. I was struggling much more on this route than I did when we ran it one way last weekend.

Nothing worked, counting didn’t work, my mantras didn’t work, my legs barely worked. I’m sure the canal was stunning, in fact Kath told me it was several times. I don’t remember. We got to Saltaire eventually, I hadn’t been able to think of a plausible excuse which is the only reason we made it that far. We kept going a bit to hit the 6 miles. Just over 6 miles we turned round, had some water and a chunk of a blueberry and honey porridge bar. We took one of the 90 second run intervals as a walk while we did that. Then we set off again. I made it back to Saltaire. So far so very slow and horrible, plodding but no real niggles. Not physical ones anyway. I was full of doubt though, full of ‘this is stupid, WTF am I doing?’. I got a tiny little boost as I passed a colleague running the other way and we recognised each other just in time to high 5 as we passed.

I asked Kath to tell me when we hit 8 miles so that I’d know when we had done two thirds. We’d already done 8 miles. That made me marginally hate the run less for about 30 seconds. We crossed over the canal, the little tiny tiny hill up onto the bridge was brutal. I swore under my breath. It’s followed fairly quickly by a slope up the side of one of the locks on the canal. More swearing followed by a shorter run because I ran out of steam as I got to the top and just managed a couple more steps. The longer walk was needed. I kept trying but I’d gone mentally and tiredness in my legs was giving way to niggles. My left knee didn’t hurt as such, it just felt  weak. My right calf felt tight and my lower back was starting to protest. We kept going taking the 90 second intervals one at a time and occassionally just running a minute walking a minute. At some point Kath also took the backpack off me although that made no difference really.

Melt down came at the Five Rise Locks. I just couldn’t do it. I was so disappointed. As we were coming up to the largest slope a women commented saying how we could always start again at the top. I snapped at her. She said something else and Kath did say thank you. I’m sorry if that was you. It’s just that you were tall and athletic and walking far faster than I felt capable of running. Sorry and thank you for taking the time to try and be encouraging. You did help!

At the top of the slope Kath suggested stopping at the cafe and getting a drink and having a rest as well as time to get myself together. That would have been too much like admitting defeat so I kept pushing and managed to get to crossflatts using 1 minute runs and 1 minute walks mostly. With roughly 2 miles to go I think I was in pain. The thing is, I don’t really remember. We walked almost all of the last two miles. Then, just because finishing a run with a walk is so utterly depressing we managed a little jog for the last 200 metres or so to the end.

So are there any positives? Well I guess I’m not still out there! I am not too broken now I’ve been home for a couple of hours, have done some yoga, had a bath and a roast chicken dinner and inspite of the 2 miles walking and the meltdown in Bingley which saw us actually completely stop for a few minutes we came home well within Disney pace requirements. We were at 14 and a half minutes per mile.

At mile 10 I was ready to give up and never run again. I was convinced it was a stupid idea to even attempt the marathon and wondered if I could persuade Kath to just run the half or ideally not run at all or maybe run it on her own – I’d be an awesome supporter. Now I’m disappointed and a bit anxious about distance and how I am going to manage those additional miles but I want to try. I am grateful that nothing is injured. The long runs will inevitably highlight weak spots and I’ll keep doing the yoga and the exercises I’ve been given. I am back to really wanting this. That doesn’t make me hate today’s run any less but it’s 12 miles ticked off the list, it’s 12 miles closer to where I need to be. 15 miles is next for the long runs – well I could have walked another 3 miles today – it may not have been pretty but it would have been possible. So, because today has to be all about me and I am feeling bitchy (mostly at myself), I leave you with this:

#RunningMeme Friday: I Don’t Know Who You Are… Be careful of Liam Neeson, y'all. He has a certain set of skills/ Have a running meme you want to see featured here? Click here to submit it.

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!)