I Drank the Kool-Aid!

I drank the Kool-Aid…

but then I quickly spit it out.

After spending the other weekend in Disney (which was awesome, which was a bit surprising since I am not a Disney kinda gal, and I mean no offense to those that are) and watching the Princess half marathon I thought for a moment or two that maybe just MAYBE I too would want to run Disney. Yes, I have said on numerous occasions that I would never run a Disney race. Just like I have said that I will never run another Rock n’ Roll race (and I swear I am sticking to it). But for that brief moment I was caught up in the Disney hype/lore/craze/madness. I guess being at the happiest place on earth will do that to you. That plus seeing so many happy faces during and a bajillion race pics from Disney flooding social media. I got caught up. ESPECIALLY after I learned about Disney’s wine and dine race…what??? You run and then drink wine and eat food all night? Sign me up…

Ok, not so fast. I was getting ahead of myself there, all caught up in the madness.

I mean there are some great things about Disney races. Just from being a spectator I saw many of them first hand- they have a fantastic expo, the medals were pretty sweet, especially the coast to coast one (although I have gotten cooler medals at much smaller races but that’s just personal preference), you get to run through Disney parks and take photos with characters (that makes for a really interesting and memorable experience), everyone is happy and having fun. Great crowds (where there were crowds- it looks like pretty long stretches on roads with no spectators from what I viewed from the monorail) - my hats go off to the spectators, especially the ones that have no idea what they are getting themselves into at these races. No one around me lost their shit waiting around for hours for their runners to show.  Plus people genuinely love these races. They travel all over the country (and now Paris in 2016) for them. They must be doing something right…right?

And I guarantee they are. Disney has their races planned and choreographed to a T. They have insanely large crowds so there is no room for error. That being said, I just don’t think these races are for me. Here’s why…

Too many people…there are just too many people racing. This is why I swore off RnR. See, if I was a front of the pack runner it would be no big deal. Those people end up with tons of space and short lines for pictures- they get all the perks. But I am not that runner. I am, at best, a mid-pack runner. More like back of the pack most times. And you know what big races are like for a runner like me- torture. I hate races where even after a mile or two I still feel like there are people surrounding me. I saw the people that run my pace coming through at around 5.5 miles in and it was a clusterf***. It was bodies jam-packed next to more bodies. NOT FOR ME! I need space people!

The second big issue I have with Disney races (and these aren't the only ones that fall onto this list- I’m looking at you Warrior Dash) is the cost. I mean come on…really? It’s all private property. Why is it soooo expensive? At least if you are going to charge and arm and a leg give the people a park pass or a park discount or something but nope, you get nothing. Well at least nothing you wouldn't get at any other race (tech tee, medal). So boo to that.

Also, because the races go through the parks and the parks are closed and they don’t want to deal with people coming in for the race with park traffic and the traffic for the parks getting caught in road closures the races start ridiculously early. Which, eh, for me not the end of the world but still a pain in the butt. My big thing was thinking about Wine and Dine which does not start hours before sunrise, like other Disney races, but instead starts in the middle of the night. Or at least what I consider the middle of the night. 10P start for the first corral. I would probably be around an 11p start. I go to bed pretty consistently at 9p. So I would run, finish around 1a-2a and then I am supposed to eat and drink. What? That’s crazy talk. I would need someone to carry me to bed at 2a. I have no desire to run a night race (especially one where the big benefit comes after and I would only want to go to sleep) with the exception being Ragnar, but that’s a whole other batch of crazy on its own.

Which really is the point of this right? I mean I know people might read this and think Disney sounds awesome but running a Ragnar Relay sounds crazy, or driving different states for races sounds crazy, or it all sounds crazy period. But the beauty is in finding the crazy that works for you. Run Disney isn't it for me (but I loved the Disney experience enough I would go back and visit and maybe even watch some Disney movies – haven’t watched one since I was a kid) but I can see how it is for some people. And that is awesome. For me, the perfect race has a small number of runners, a smallish price tag, great crowd support and a great after party (I’m looking at you Louisiana Marathon with you vegan food tent, all Abita beer and a bonus for letting me cross the finish line with my dog) because that is what makes me feel comfortable and run happy.

And that is my end goal in this whole running thing- to just be happy.

Which I really need to keep in mind when I pick out which races I want to spend my hard earned money on.

And I will make a promise to myself to lay off the racing Kool-Aid from now on ;)

Some pics from yesterday's half marathon- Gulf Coast Half Marathon in Gulf Shores, AL

I found a mummer...definitely the highlight of the race!

I was really excited to spot Erick at the finish and for the fact that this was the first time any race finish had pronounced my name correctly

After party inside Lulu's 

The 'famous' race medal//bottle opener

Gordie even liked wearing it :)

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxoxox

Wordless Wednesday: Gulf Coast Half Marathon

I promise I will get around to writing a race recap for the Gulf Coast half marathon really soon. But for now enjoy some pictures of the most scenic and enjoyable half marathon I've ever run! It was awesome!

 

On the Road Again

Hello...I'm here...I'm not avoiding you- I swear.

Life has been somewhat hectic the past few weeks. Why, you ask?

Well, let's see. January 18th was my last day of work at my job in San Antonio. I gave my notice after the New Year and then spent a very chaotic 2.5 weeks there trying to train my former co-workers to take over my responsibilities. That was crazy. Just a few days after my last day there I headed up to Rhode Island to attend Paul's graduation from Navy OCS- Officer Candidate School. From RI we headed to Boston for the weekend to celebrate. From Boston, we both returned to San Antonio in order to prepare for our move to Pensacola, FL that would take place just 12 days from our return. I should mention here that we didn't even find out our move dates until we were in Boston so we basically had just 2 weeks to prepare.

We are beyond fortunate that the military contracts movers to take care of the packing, loading and delivery of the household goods so that made the move a million times easier. That being said, there are still alot of things involved in moving hundreds of miles away like finding a place to live, where to stay while the household goods are in transit, what needs to be packed and taken with us (like important paperwork, dog meds, underwear, etc) and of course all the fun stuff like calling the power company and waiting on hold for 38 minutes just to stop service - which took less than a minute to do once I was on the line with a human. Sheesh!

And of course in the mix of all the moving stuff Paul and I started training for the Gulf Coast Half Marathon on April 7th here in Pensacola. We had a crazy first week of training because we thought it would be smart to do back to back to back runs- speed work one day, long run the next, and then a 7K race the day after that. I should also mention that we did that 7K race after an 18 mile bike ride. Needless to say my legs were TIRED after all of that. We had to fit in the runs whenever we could but it would have been smarter if we skipped one of those and gave our bodies adequate rest. Or at least maybe done an easy run in place of speed work. Hindsight, right?

Week two of half training was almost non-existent for me. I think I only got in one run, maybe two if you count the tiny bit of time I spent on the treadmill and elliptical Saturday morning before we drove to Pensacola. I had great plans on how to squeeze in my training schedule around my move but it just didn't pan out. Faced with the choice between running or cleaning/packing/organizing I had to go with the move stuff. It NEEDED to be done. Oh well, I am definitely not losing sleep over missing a few runs especially since it was only week 2. Life happens, we have to be flexible.

Now I am 'settled' into our hotel room here in Pensacola and have much more free time this week. I have gotten in 2 training runs so far (both on the treadmill) and have a my long run on the books for tomorrow. Paul found a great, unpaved running trail along the beach at NAS Pensacola and since I am still not working I will be able to join him tomorrow for a run.

On Saturday we sign the lease to our new apartment. We were hoping to rent a house but that didn't work out. We did however find a pretty awesome apartment complex with some amazing amenities; two pools, two fitness centers, and a huge dog park. Oh, and it is just 2 miles from where I will be working. So, yay me! I totally lucked out on that one. We are still waiting to hear from the movers- we were told the other day that our household goods might arrive Saturday which would be awesome. If not, they will be here early next week. Either way, I am just super thankful that it won't be much longer before I can get back into a normal routine. My body is sick of eating out every day and sleeping way too much. Ugh! I just keep telling myself that this situation is temporary and that I just need to make the best decisions I can.

Next week I start my new job, we'll be able to settle into our new home, and hopefully the weather gets a little bit nicer (no more rain, please!) and we can do more exploring of the downtown/beach areas. It should be great! Oh, and last night Paul and I went to Mellow Mushroom for trivia night and even though we were just a two person team we managed to come in third place. It was super fun and I think it will become a weekly tradition for us. Yay!

So that's my update for now. I hope to be back blogging regularly soon.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dream Big!

When 2013 rolled around just a couple weeks ago I hadn’t really put too much thought into what races I wanted to run this year. I had only one in mind (aside from the 3M half I was about to run on 1/13) and that was the Philadelphia Marathon in November. That’s my goal this year- a full on, 26.2 mile marathon in Philadelphia, my home town. The idea of being able to complete a full marathon is nothing short of amazing but to be able to do it with friends and family cheering me on along the way, well that’s just what every little runner girl dreams of, right?

When it comes time to start training for the full I will be using the Runner’s World 16 week beginners marathon training plan. And when that time rolls around (late July, I think) I want to have been running for the months beforehand and have built up a good mileage base. I like training for half marathons. I mean, I’ve only done it twice but I really enjoy the training part; having a schedule, tracking the miles, logging in the workouts and cross training, watching myself progress and get stronger- it’s very rewarding. So I started looking into half marathons I could do throughout the year to help get me ready for full marathon training.

Here is my tentative (I need to find a job in FL before I register for any of these) plan for 2013.

4/7/2013: Gulf Coast Half Marathon- what do you know, there is a half marathon in Pensacola in 12 weeks. Talk about fortuitous. That gives me two weeks for recovery and ten weeks for training which works out perfectly since I will be using the Runner’s World 10 week half marathon training plan. If Paul doesn’t have training that day and is allowed to participate he wants to run this one too which would make it so super special to have him there with me.

6/23/2013: Chicago Women’s Half Marathon- I don’t know much about this other than it’s in Chicago and is for women only, both of which you probably figured just by reading the name. I love Chicago and would love to run a race there. Again, I would have enough time to do a full 10 week training plan between the Gulf Coast and this one, which is awesome, and another plus is that my cousin lives across the street from Grant Park (the start) and so I would just need airfare and registration fee in order to swing it.

And if you want to hear my crazy plan for this one it goes like this; fly to Chicago Friday, run the half on Sunday, fly to Las Vegas either Sunday or Monday to spend a few days with my BFF who will be out there for a work conference, fly to Portland for Fitbloggin. I think you all would agree that that would be the best week ever!

After Chicago I would have a few weeks to recover and then I would begin training for the Philadelphia Marathon. While I am in training for the full there is another half I would like to run.

10/26/2013: Silver Comet Half Marathon- just outside of Atlanta, GA this half marathon seems to be a perfect fit for a fun race with some of my SM runner friends. It is small (capped at 1700, I think), a fast and flat course, and is in driving distance from Pensacola. I wouldn’t be running this as a race but instead as a training run. To make this one happen I would need registration fee, a hotel for the night before, and 1-2 tanks of gas to get there and back. Seems pretty reasonable and I am hoping that some of my favorite people will be joining me for this one. It would be nice to a) meet them in person and b) have some great company during the race.

11/24/2013: Philadelphia Marathon- this is it folks, everything before this date will have helped me get to this point. For me, running the Philadelphia Marathon would be comparable to someone else running Boston or NY. It would really be the highlight of my running career. There are only a few full marathons I would ever even think of attempting and Philadelphia tops that list. The other two are the Marine Corps Marathon and Big Sur and I would only ever consider those other ones if I could run them with Paul. Philadelphia is my big dream and I am confident that I can make that dream come true this year.

I know that running a marathon is no easy feat and that it will take months of training to get me ready for it but I am up for the challenge. Of course, there is other part of this race that I have to work on too- saving. The Philadelphia Marathon will require registration fee, airfare and a hotel room (for my peace of mind) the night before. It will be my most expensive race but it will also be the most memorable and rewarding. And if that means I must make sacrifices in other areas of my life so be it.

So, that’s my big plan for 2013. I know there will be other races thrown in. I have a goal of finally breaking the 30 minute mark for a 5K (best time to date is 30:26) so hopefully I can fit a handful of 5Ks into my training. I also have registered Paul and myself to run two races while we are in San Antonio together before the move to Florida; a 7K (what a weird distance- 4.35 miles!) on 2/3 and the Be My Valentine 5K on 2/10.

If you know of any races (5K up to 15K) in the general Pensacola area in 2013 I would love to hear about them.

What are your running goals for 2013? Have you ever traveled for a race before?

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ~Les Brown