How Dopey became Nopey 2015

So what I was under trained... It's Disney and magical things happen in Disney right? I just need a little pixie dust to make it through, right? Errrrrr. Wrong. Here's the run down of my first attempt at Dopey! My second RunDisney experience.

We arrive to Disney Tuesday night prior to the start of race week, so that we can hit the expo bright and early Wednesday morning. My cousin is doing Dopey with me and my sister (who has a 3 week old) deferred to 2016, we are all in tow with our husbands. My sister's husband will be running his first half also.

Expo experience is always hectic/frantic... More in my head than anything.. I want to see, touch, and buy it all, along with getting in the NB shoe queue.... We pick up our bibs and get our shirts and do a little shopping. I might add when we travel with my sister we always do the deluxe dining plan, which adds the "we've got to make our reservations factor to every day.

Our Post expo ritual was Hollywood Studios and SciFi Drive in for Lunch!

and of course we had to get our final "hat" pictures in since they were about to start removing it!

We learned from last year, that napping and going to bed early and not trying to do all the parks is essential to survive the early mornings. So we we had dinner about 8 and returned to the room to prep for the 5k and go to bed early.

5K Thursday.... So temperatures dropped and instead of warm and humid like last year it was BRUTALLY cold... as in FREEZING. I used my long sleeve race shirt to layer under my costume and thankfully I packed long running pants... but we also had to add Jackets, skullies and black garbage bags to our layers.... THAT COLD.

I would like to say that when I planned my costume my sister was supposed to be Tweedle Dee and I was Tweedle Dum... and then she deferred and left me Just plain Dum! I wore Raw Threads Tank, and Sparkle skirt and leg sleeves. My cousin dressed as the Cheshire Cat, however once at the race you couldn't see costumes because it was so cold! I honestly wanted to stay in the Port a potty at the race to stay out of the wind (gross) but that shows how cold it really was!

Race went off without a hitch, we stayed under the 15 minute mile cut off  with only one brief Balloon lady sighting (at the 1 mile marker when you make a turn back on the highway... it was at that point we could see the Balloon ladies pulling up the rear... I had to pee but pushed on because of FOBL (Fear of Balloon Ladies) set in! 

We went back to the room and napped and then went to Magic Kingdom for the Day. Again, we had dinner by 8 and back at the room for bed by 9! 

10K... Still FREEEEZZING...

Had hoped for a warm up, but alas it did not! 

Another race without Character photos... my goal was to finish under the 16 minute mile cut off and not get swept!

2 down, 2 to go... We went back to the room and napped for a couple hours and headed to Epcot for the day.  Lunch at Napoli (yum) 

Friday Night is always team dinner since I was running on The Autism Speaks Marathon Team

For a second year in a row I was the Top fundraiser for the team! We had a lovely Pasta dinner at the Sea exhibit (Nemo) in Epcot. 

Photo Bombed by a Sting Ray! : ) 

Back to the room for a roll out and rub down and asleep before 10 for the half!

Saturday and my second attempt at an Official Half marathon!

Still cold... like makes your bones hurt to stand in cold... we all were huddled together like Penguins shielding the wind with our backs!  I was nervous and tired! 

 As if running in Disney isn't magical enough... at mile 6 you actually run THROUGH the castle!! I have to admit I was a little misty eyed as I did!

My cousin, an experienced half marathoner, was my coach and cheerleader the entire time... she called out every interval with an "okay go" and then "okay stop"  I had told myself I wasn't going to complain or say "I can't" not once the entire race! It helped that we maintained a 15:45 interval the entire time. At mile 10ish they were out of fuel for the back of the pack runners... that really sucked. And it was about there that the miles seemed to get longer and boring.... at mile 12 my cousin said "whats it feel like to be finishing your first half?" And I'm pretty sure I said "SHHHHH don't jinx me... I could fall or something and not finish" but my thoughts were I'm pretty sure my feet are twice the size they should be....

BUT I FINISHED.

It was shortly after I began to wobble... my feet felt like balloons...when I got in the car to head back to the hotel I knew something wasn't right. My hands were HUGE and my feet were so swolled that the ball of my foot split. I iced bath, put on compression socks, elevated and took a nap. I slept the most of the day... I was in and out, hearing my husband come and go from the room.. he went and washed my running clothes because I was having to rewear layers... I kept thinking to myself "How the hell am I gonna do 26 miles tomorrow.. i can't even walk."  I had already defeated myself mentally and my body was fighting me tooth and nail.... Here's the thing... if you have an inflammatory auto immune disorder  you can't always count on your body doing what you want to and if you tack on the side effects of a prescription pill you shouldn't be running while taking, well stuff seems to fall apart. 

So I was retaining WAAAAAAY too much fluid in my hands and feet and dumping all the fluids from my kidneys... like had to pee every 3 minutes. If you've ever had a kidney infection it was like that, now try to run with that feeling, it aint happening.

So I told my husband in bed that night that I couldn't do the marathon... I said things like "I completed my first half, so i'm proud of myself." and "I was the top fundraiser and that's the real reason I ran." and "I've done more than I've ever done before so I'm okay with this."

He encouraged me to get up and at least start the marathon... said I'd never forgive myself for not at least trying... said to do the best I could and then i'd have no reason to be disappointed... so I tried.

Sunday, Marathon, where Dopey became a Nopey.

I woke up and forced my feet into my shoes... I kinda hobbled instead of walked.. but I hobbled my ass to the start line... You can see in the pics , my face, I already looked defeated. I already knew I wasn't going to make it far.. I encouraged my cousin to move up to her corral so she'd have a better chance of finishing... and I sat in my corral alone. I was cold, sad and all alone and it sucked! I did manage to find Nicole my running buddy from home and the friend she had met, so I started the race with her... within 10 feet of the start I had to pee and kept my sights on the first port a potty... Nicole offered to hold back and wait for me but I told her I was walking as far as I could and encouraged her to run on... and she did... I watched her run a head and disappear in the crowd... I knew she'd finish, cause she was a badass!  

As I walked I'd hear the corrals behind me start (fireworks) and then moments later the crowd would run past me... I counted through the corrals and knew when the last one past me.  There was a since of peace and relief as the crowds passed and I was walking all alone. As I got to water stations they were already breaking them down and cleaning up. I walked on. As I crossed under the gate into the Magic Kingdom parking lot the Cast members were still there cheering, just like they did for the first runners.... reading my bib they said "You've got this Elizabeth" "You're doing great!" "keep going!" I laughed and looked around and said "Thanks, but you realize, I'm last right?"  As I walked on I took selfies and joked about how people on all the FB running groups bitched about crowded areas and how hard it was to pass in parts of the race... I was like "I don't see the problem.. I've got ALL this room back here... I could  do cartwheels if I wanted too!.... The back of a Disney race IS the loneliest place in the world... as the Balloon Ladies PASSED me.. the bicycle paramedics pulled up along side me and said "You okay?" I said "yes" and she said "You do know those are the balloon ladies, right?" I laughed and said "yes" and explained that my feet were split and I was only in it for as long as I could walk it... which was 4 miles! 

I was put on a sweeper bus with another gentleman who had a knee injury... they seem to put Cast Member/Councilors in there with you along with the driver to make sure you aren't going to kill yourself on Disney property... I was fine.. I was relieved and happy at this point, but I could see the disappointment and sadness in the others we picked up along the way.  It was really depressing when you pull up along the character ops and Jack Skeleton comes to the van all sad looking and waves at you... it was like a sad reversed Disney parade. : (  I text my husband and told him I was taking the ride of Shame to the tent of shame and that he could pick me up there... He told me how proud he was of me for trying and for the first time I got a little teary eyed.  

In the tent they gave me my medal, which I pocketed and refused to put on... I was disappointed in myself, my body, but think I did the best I could in the moment.

We returned back to the hotel and slept until time came for my cousin to cross the finish line!

I was SO proud and slightly jealous... I wanted to be there on the other side of the fence... I wanted to be at mile 26 of 26.2, we had planned on doing it together and I let myself down.  The longer we were in Disney the more disappointed I became with myself... I had medal envy, seeing all the runners in the parks with all their medals... I knew I was the only reason I didn't complete the challenge and I knew it wouldn't happen again!!!

My sister decorated our rooms and made awesome signs...

and upon failing the challenge I  modified my sign! : )

I returned home and made a promise to myself I would no longer make excuses... that Fibromyalgia might be the reason I hurt.. but it would never again keep me from achieving my goals, and the mind games and lies I told myself  were done... No excuses... I was gonna complete Dopey in 2016.

So you think you can run? Life throws curve balls into my training!

I returned home from Diva all inspired to train and make things happen. I ran my next weeks runs without a hitch and planned on running 13.1 on my Saturday run to prove to myself I could. I ran at our local park that has a 2.2 mile loop around a beautiful trail.. the temps were perfect and fall like. Upon finishing my 4th lap I turned the corner and headed up the hill to hear some chick whooping and hollering and jumping around like an actually race was going on... as I got closer i realized the chick was my very pregnant little sister cheering ME on on my final laps for my first half distance! If definitely put some pep in my step and I finished out my 13.1 with a bang! I now knew i could do a half. What a great feeling!

What didn't feel so great was the ache I started feeling in the top of my right foot. I gave it a couple days, but it didn't go away so I went to an Orthopedist only to find out I had a stress fracture and tendinitis. WHAT? NOOOOO? I'm JUST getting on track for my training... so many long runs ahead of me!!  Because tendinitis is an issue with inflammation I also went to my GP to discuss options of anti-inflammatories for my FMS. He felt Meloxicam was the best fit for me, I'm not sure he listened to me that I was training for a marathon and going to be running, because I later learned that I shouldn't have been running while taking it!

How do you bling up an ugly boot? Cute Socks and Hair clips!

  The running groups I belonged to on Facebook and my mentor circle I chatted with all encouraged me to take my training to the pool for water running. I met my running buddy, Nicole at the pool a few times... and we talked and water ran and water ran and talked, along with all the sexy senior citizens that do water aerobics. We learned that on Friday mornings the local Navy reserves came in and did their swimming and training, guess what day was our favorite day to water run?!?  BTW, Did you know it takes like THREE HOURS to run 3 miles in the water?

October and December I might have had 6 water running sessions and zero walking or running sessions and still I hadn't told myself Dopey wasn't going to happen. In December I was out of the boot but still had pain so I asked for a cortisone shot in my foot. If you've never had one you won't understand the pain... it's not just the needle going into a none meaty area of your body.. as they push the gel substance into you the pressure builds and it hurts... I dropped the F bomb a couple times and apologized to my doctor, but it felt like my toes were going to explode!

So what do you do to "train for a marathon" when you can't run and swimming sucks? You get a tattoo for the cousin and Charity you are running for of course!

With the birth of my nephew the week of Christmas, Christmas and New Years,  training in December was a wash... so I was going into Dopey not having run in months, and only having about 75 training miles under my belt.

Lessons learned : Had I been training and adding the miles gradually all along I might not have had the stress fracture, had I had the right shoes it might not have happened also... I was running in Asic gels which were fine for short distances, but I really need the cushion of Hokas for anything longer than 6 miles now. ALSO recovery shoes... I noticed my foot pain the day after when I put on regular flip flops... NEVER wear non supportive shoes after a long run, if ever... OOFOs are my go to recovery shoes now, I live in them. Also, Water running DOES NOT substitute actual running.. it might keep your muscles limber and warm, but it doesn't keep you trained for a race.

So you think you're Dopey?

This is gonna cover in a flash my 2014 and Dopey 2015 run....

Upon signing up for Dopey 2015 in March of 2014 I downloaded the RunDisney/Jeff Galloway training plan. Which doesn't have you start training until July 2014, this would be great if  I was an experienced runner. Up until this point I haven't wogged anything faster than a 15-16 minute mile.  I mean I'm out there running and doing races and having a blast, but I've never had to beat a cut off time.  SO, I plan on training like the schedule says.. but it's Summer in Georgia and it's Africa hot... keep in mind I have FMS and at this point my diet was not what it needed to be for a healthier me... I had a pretty mean Diet Coke addiction (4+ a day, at least) and I became the Queen of excuses... I'm tired, it's hot, I haven't pooped yet today (an actual excuse I used A LOT).  My husband would come home from work and say "I've got the kids, go run" and I would say " You don't get it, I'm tired, there's nothing left in the tank today" and so on.....OH here's where I should tell you my sister got pregnant and had issues and wasn't able to run during her pregnancy and had to defer her Dopey, merp.

So when I  should have been doing 3 runs a week, it looked more like 2ish runs. I would mark my calendar with frowny faces on the days I gave up and continued with the lie that I could run 48.6 miles without training.

In the Galloway plan you (basically) do (2) 45 minute runs a week and then a long run on the weekends and every other weekend you add miles to your long run. I knew I needed  to complete a real half  so around the time I hit my 13 mile Saturday I signed up to do the Diva Half in Peachtree City Georgia in September 2014. By September my longest run was 10 miles.  It was a HORRIBLE experience for me for my first half.  Here's the run down.....

I got up and dressed, (as Audrey Hepburn/Kitty Golightly)  in plenty of time and headed to the parking area we were told to to catch the shuttle to the race. Peachtree City is NOT equipped to host a big race and have everyone park in the same area. It is in fact called Golf Capital of Georgia, so you park away from the start and take buses to the park.  We were in line waaaaay in advance, because I hate being late and rushing. We waited our turn and by the time it was OUR turn to get on the bus (Still an hour before our race start) the race organizers/volunteers started yelling for all the late comers for the 5k to jump ahead and get on the bus because they would miss their start. Why they were getting preferential treatment is beyond me, but I did what I was told, which bumped us many buses back. By the time we got to the park and unloaded it was time for the half to start. I HAD to pee so I got in the super long portapotty lines and waited... there were definitely not enough bathrooms for the amount of runners for this race also. I ran from the potty to the start, paused for a pic

 and immediately started the race because our corral had already gone. I was maybe a minute later starting. Temps were warm and headed for hot and humid. I could not get my Garmin Forerunner 10 to sync with GPS because of all the trees and spent probably the first mile walking waiting for my watch to wake up and start beeping my intervals. I now have a Gymboss for my intervals because a) it doesn't use GPS and always works and B) it saves my Garmins battery. I am hoping to upgrade soon to a Garmin VivoActive that has a 10 hour battery. Back to the race, So we started with the intervals, but I was already in a crappy frame of mind from the late start, no watch and so on... so I had a hard time maintaining the intervals and walked and talked with my cousin with whom I was running more than I should have. Most of the race was on narrow golf cart paths through out the backside of neighborhoods....the water stations were definitely not close enough for the heat that day. Heres where I realized how costumed running could interfere with your race... the gloves came off immediately... cause it was hot... but as I ran along my triple strand of pearls beat me to death, wearing all black made it feel hotter than it actually was. I also learned the lesson of wearing the right bra for me, because as I ran and got hotter and more tired, where my bra hit me against my neck caused excruciating tension to the point that I could only fixate on that pain (which is an FMS problem) It was about mile 9 that my make up (yep i wore make up for a 90 degree race) began to stick to my contact lenses and made it seem like I had cataracts. Mix my neck tension, with the heat, feeling blind and run me down a drainage tunnel (yes there were 2 underground drainage pipes the race took you down, I was about to have a claustrophobic freak out. By the time we hit mile 10 our time was still good (we were right at 3 hours 10 minutes for a 4 hour race time limit) a golf cart pulled up behind us and told us to get on that we had been "swept".....My cousin ran on ahead of me, (she's the rebel in the family) but I did what I was told and got on. The cart behind us with 6 girls on it pulled up, across the street and let the ladies out and they picked up their race... our golf cart would not stop for us... so basically the back of the packers behind us got shuttled a mile and were allowed to finish. We were driven to the last 2 tenths of a mile and put out to finish the race. I was devestated and heartbroken... what should have been an empowering experience was not. I was running a 15 minute mile and would have finished in the allotted time and even as I sat there watching the finishers there were many runners that came in 30 minutes after the 4 hour time limit. So why was I swept? apparently it was a Volunteer enforcing their power.

Here's my poop out van selfie:

And my cousin getting her medal for finishing:

So my first half was actually a 10 miler and I learned many lessons at this race. I was angry and upset and sent emails to the race director for the transportation, water and sweeping issues and basically got an unapologetic response of "we use volunteers and have no control over them"  I wasn't expecting a discount offer for another race or any freebies but an apology would have been nice. A Race that I thought was designed to empower women left me feeling less than able,  So I swore off Diva Races, but looking back there was a lot to learn from that race.

Here's what I learned:

Don't let late comers  take the bus in front of you... if you are there on time you stand your ground and get on the damn bus, if you have to lie and say you are a 5k runner also, then do it!

 As far as MY capabilities I realized I was under trained, certainly for those conditions (heat and humidity). I was running with fashion over function and it hurt me, the heavy pearls, black dress, earrings etc all contributed to the extra stress and pains I experienced. 

Make up, I no longer pile on the make up for a race over 6 miles, it's bad for your skin and it is pointless. 

 I was wearing the wrong bra, I can't tell you how important the right bra is for big boobied girls to have... I was layering 2 and 3 cheaper bras for support and in return I still had clapping boobs and shoulder pain. Moving Comfort bras revolutionized my running. If you haven't tried them I'd recommend you finding a local store and trying them on.

  I also should have carried more water/Gatorade myself, self fueling can literally save your life in races that don't have enough water stations. 

I also should have ran on ahead of the poop out golf cart when they pulled up behind me...It wasn't a police officer or anyone with any real authority.. 

I went home in shame, gave my medal to my daughter and committed to taking my training seriously for the next 13 weeks...