Rockin those Hills

This morning was so cold!  19 degrees outside! So why am I awake at 6AM, getting dressed to go out there and do hill work?  I must be crazy! I decided to wear my CW-X compression pants, my Nike running pants, a long-sleeved tech shirt, my warm, neon green running 1/2 zip jacket, gloves, SmartWool socks, and the new running balaclava I bought at CostCo last weekend.  I haven't worn that hat yet so I figured it was time to test it out (I got it for the Polar Dash next month).  I also brought some water figuring it would be needed.

So I get out to the cardiac hill in Algonquin and I am thinking, "Coach won't have to know I skipped this training day.  It is so cold!"  Actually, I wasn't all that cold.  It was just my fingers that were cold inside my gloves.  I have to go find those 'Little Hotties' things that you can put inside gloves that warm them up (it is a packet that you crack and shake to generate heat).  But, then I think, "Don't be a wuss! Suck it up! You know this will be helpful."  Damn! I hate it when my self-talk berates me with legitimate arguments!

I get started with a 3/4 mile easy run, at a nice 10:25 pace, down the road (not the hill) as a warm-up.  Then the hill work begins.  I walk down the hill (5-6 minutes) to the bottom.  And then start my first run up the hill.  I make it to the top in 2:47 -- the hill run is 1/3 mile and rises 110ft from the start to the top.  Not bad!

I start the walk back down the hill to get ready for the second hill run (I have to do three of these for my workout).  I reach the bottom, and begin again.  This time, my legs start complaining about halfway to the top.  But I keep moving forward and complete the second run in 2:57.  A little slower but, hey, it's a HILL!

I am really sucking in the air as I start my walk back down for the third time.  The legs are feeling weaker and my resolve is wavering a bit.  I try to stop any self-talk about 'walking' part of the next climb.  So I begin the third run.  This one is tough!  I just keep counting each streetlight, telling myself "I'll run to the next one!".  When I see the last two streetlights, I tell myself "I can do this! I've done it before and I am not telling Coach that I gave up!"  So I push through the burn and make it up for the last time with a time of 3:03.  Whew!

I just stand at the corner, breathing hard and drinking some water, for about a minute and a half. Then I finish the workout with a hard run for 3:15 minutes (.40 miles).  I averaged 9:11/mm pace for that little run.  Then I walked back to the car and concluded the workout.  The whole thing took about 45 minutes to complete.

Total miles run was 3.25 and I burned off 608 calories in the process.  I climbed 330ft during the hill runs and made them all without having to walk.  All in all, a good workout!  So I sent the stats to my coach and she responds back how pleased she was with the effort.  Yay!

But then she says, "I am not sure I'd be dedicated enough to go run hills in the winter morning."  I am like "Are you KIDDING ME!??"  I ran this because it was on the schedule that she helped develop for me.  There was no way I was going to skip it and then have to tell her that.  LOL!!  I just had to laugh at that!  Truth be told, I know her, and if it was on her training schedule, I am 100% certain that she would have done it without regard to the weather.

So I figure I need to be exactly as dedicated as she is!  And so I was!  And I can be proud of my work today. :)

Listening to your body (and Disney getting more 'real' every day!)

This has been a strange week so far. Monday I had a great Cross Training session with TEAM Fitness. It consisted of an hour working the weight circuit, mixed in with step-ups, lunges, planks, and an 'ab' workout I don't know the name of. The circuit machines worked triceps, biceps, lats, shoulders, chest, with some hamstring and hip work just for fun. It was tough but good!

Then I came home after work to find my Magical Express envelope waiting for me! So excited to see that my Disney transportation documents had arrived, confirming that Disney will pick us and our luggage up from the airport and take us directly to our resort hotel on property. Sweet! We even got special luggage tags so that Disney can get our bags directly from the plane to bring them to the resort.

On Tuesday, I woke up feeling a little nauseous and kinda dizzy so I decided I just needed more sleep. So I did not do my Tuesday EZ Run and slept for 3 more hours. I felt way better the second time I woke up so it was a good choice. While I was at work, I saw a posting from a member of my racing team asking whether Disney had any discounted park tickets available for the Marathon Weekend (I had been searching for something like that and had come up empty). Well someone else on our team had the answer and posted a URL link to a Disney site offering discounts for Marathon Weekend participants. So I used that site and got a great discount! I saved over $100! I actually called Disney World first to make sure this site was legitimate and that the park tickets would be accepted during the weekend, and they said YES! Score!

Today, I woke up very tired so I canceled Cross Training to get more rest. I am thinking that my body is giving me the signal I need to take it easy for a while so I am trying to listen to it. Listening to your body is a learned activity, and it can help you to avoid pushing too much and risk injury. This was a cutback week for me anyways, so at least I am not really missing critical 'foot time'. My LSR this Sunday is only supposed to be 3 miles. Perhaps getting the extra rest this week is a good thing since next week, my training schedule has me running 20 miles (with a 12-mile LSR included).

This afternoon, I got more exciting Disney news! Disney posted the Waiver Form web site on the RunDisney page today! This is an important thing because you need to print out and sign your Waiver Form and bring it to the Expo at WDW in order to get your race packet with your Bib! So I was able to print the forms for me as well as my wife and son (who are walking the 5K race). So now I know my Bib #! It is #36,593 for the Half Marathon and #1820 for the 5K. Knowing my Bib #s just makes this whole experience feel that much more REAL now!!! This is going to happen!! The excitement level just went up two notches!!

Tomorrow I have a Hill Run scheduled. Hopefully, I will feel up to doing that (even though the temperature is expected to be 21 degrees with a wind chill factor even lower than that). The key thing in my mind right now is that I know I am ready for the Half Marathon. So while I want to keep to my training schedule (which is going into Taper Mode after Dec 18th), I also want to make sure that I do not suffer any injuries between now and Race Day at WDW. I have to stay healthy and rested in addition to physically and mentally prepared.

No way am I missing my WDW races after so many months of training and preparation!