A Disaster

Saturday was the Run Wild for a Cure 5k at the Cleveland Zoo. We ran this race last year and it was quite good, though a bit odd that miles 1 and 3 took place on the same paths in the park. This year was the same thing, except part of the zoo was closed off due to construction, so the mile 2 route was to be different from last year. It is still a very challenging course as there is little flat ground and a hill which is nearly 100 foot elevation change.

The race, however, ended up being a disaster. The course should have been as follows...
Mile 1 - Run through the bear section
Mile 2 - Run up and back down the big hill
Mile 3 - Run through the bear section again

Rather than letting runners continue to the second mile hill, for the first several minutes of the race they routed runners back to the bears. To further complicate the problem, at a different intersection they were directing runners toward the finish line who had only run about a mile.

Kristin ran pretty close to a 5k. She got sent back to the bears too soon, but within about 50 yards of turning around found out she shouldn't have. She got back on track and ran the proper course from there on. She ended up finishing right about 32 minutes...which is her best 5k time ever and she did it on a very challenging course. Great job!

I didn't fare too well. Things went well the first mile -- which I completed in 7:35. I was in a group that was directed back around to the bears shortly after mile one. As I was approaching them the second time, another set of volunteers tried to direct me toward the start/finish line. But at the same time the runners who were errantly sent to the finish line were coming back to the main path and warning me and other runners not to go that way.

I ran the bear section again, then up and down the big hill. When I got back to the intersection with the start/finish leg, the volunteers tried to route me through the bears a third time, but I refused and headed toward the finish line, knowing I had run more than 5k, but hoping that I could get a fairly accurate time. I crossed the line at 28:03. With the help of MapMyRun.com, it looks like I ran about 3.4-3.5 miles, which means my pace would have put me right around a 25 minute 5k (which would have been my second best ever).

I wish we would have gone to the awards ceremony. I can't imagine they actually gave prizes since the fastest runners were the ones that got screwed up the most. The slower runners would have run a perfect 5k course.

Talking to people afterwards, we had a guy tell us that his Garmin recorded a run of 4.6 miles (likely what I would have run had I ran the bear section a third time). No race results were posted online -- just an apology and a statement that we would get free registration at next year's event.

Here's hoping that next year works out better...

Update (great post title, huh?)

Just wanted to throw a few words out there...

Looks like we will indeed be able to make it to the World for a few days in late October and we will be running the Tower of Terror 13k. More details to follow as we actually start making some plans.

Zoo race is tomorrow. I ran 2.9 miles yesterday in 25:30, which including a bit of walking warm up at the start. I haven't really timed myself since the half marathon, so wasn't too sure how I was holding up pace-wise. I should be good to go for our race at the zoo on Saturday. This was my worst 5k last year at about 26.5 minutes. It is a crazy tough course, so I will be happy with a similar time again this year.

Lapu Lapu

What better way to cool off after a run than a nice, refreshing adult beverage served in a pineapple?

I have no idea what goes into a real Lapu Lapu, but this concoction was a blend of dark rum, pineapple rum, coconut rum, triple sec, fresh pineapple juice, fresh pineapple, and a splash of orange juice.

I must say that prepping the pineapple was a pain in the butt! I wonder how Disney does it. My guess is that they scoop it out rather than cut it out and then use the scooped pineapple in other menu items where the pineapple will be blended/cooked in rather than used in chunks (pineapple bread, anyone?).

On an even happier note (yes there are things happier than adult beverages served in pineapples), I think we will be going back to the World this year. AND -- yes there's more -- running the Tower of Terror 13k! Kristin's sister is getting married on a cruise ship stop at St. Thomas. We are joining them for the cruise and wedding. I had the brilliant idea of visiting WDW for a couple days upon return to land, only to discover (thank you, Lori!) that the day we would arrive would be the day of the race. Things are still in the planning stages, so nothing definite yet, but the excitement is mounting.

Anyone else planning to be there?

Additionally, we are signed up for the Cleveland Zoo race that we ran last year. Tough, tough, hilly course. The worst I've ever ran. But the whole course is in the zoo so you get to see the animals as you run by. Plus admission to the zoo and rainforest is included in the cost.

We also have plans for the Akron marathon. At this point, Kristin plans to run the half. I am working to get a relay team together at work. We are one person short...still have a 10k leg to fill. My leg will be the longest one -- 12.25k. This is the leg that Kristin ran last year.

D23 - a complaint

So here we are just a couple weeks into existence of D23 and I have a complaint. The magazine is awesome. The charter member lithograph is beautiful (and huge).

But I just hate Spam. You heard me right...a big pile of Spam.

As soon as I signed up for D23, I begen receiving multiple e-mails per week from Disney Shopping. My instinct is to just unsubscribe, but the following tag is in the e-mail...

If you decide to unsubscribe from this communication, you will also be unsubscribed from D23 member communications, which include announcements about D23 special events and promotional codes that are only available via D23 email communications. To unsubscribe from all types of future commercial email from Disney Shopping, Inc. regarding its products and services, and from all types of future D23 communications click here.

So they are forcing us into Disney Shopping Spam if we want to receive any relevant, membership-related communication from D23.

I am not a fan of this.

I'm 23

I haven't posted in a while and I've decided that I need to get back to some regularity here. I'm going to try for at least once a week.

Thought I'd share the good news. My D23 membership card arrived today. I'm 23. Are you 23?

Getting in My Head

January 10, 2009...

3:30 am: I'm nervous. I'm excited. Did we forget anything? I'm nervous. I'm excited.

4:15 am: It is cold out here.

4:30 am: Nerves are calming. Excitement mounting. It's great seeing everyone before the race. Chris is in my corral...it will be nice having someone to start with.

5:00 am: Time to walk to the corral. Anticipation is creeping in. The next 45 minutes are going to be so slow. How long will this race take me? I have to get under 2:10. I need to do it for myself and for Dave's Challenge. I would love to be closer to two hours flat...but realistically I've never held that pace in any of my 10+ mile runs.

5:45 am: Shouldn't we be starting? That announcer needs to quit gabbing and let us run. Chris has finished two half marathons in the past -- both in 1:56. His goal today is loftier than that. My running pace is about the same as his, but I'll need to slow down occasionally. I've never run more than five miles without a short walk break. I should be able to keep pace with him for a few miles.

5:55 am: Here we go. Look I'm up on the big screen! Here comes the start line.

Through Mile 1: This is a lot of people running. I wish I didn't have to keep running on the grass to get around people. Hey SpeedWalker: How did you get into wave 1?

Mile 2: I'm starting to settle into my pace. Thank goodness I have Chris to run with. Time is flying by having someone to chat with.

Mile 3: We need to quit gabbing and get running. We've been over 9 minute pace the first two miles.

Mile 4: I'm feeling great today. What a day for a run. The cheering crowd is awesome. "Git 'r done!" Someone just yelled "Go Craig!" Oooh...she's cute. I think Chris is jealous.

Mile 5: I'll probably need to slow down soon. I've never tried to run farther than 5 miles without a break. Oh no...we're about to run under water. This is going to be steep...wait...that wasn't as bad as I thought. Hold on a sec...I always pictured running through the Magic Kingdom in daylight. It's still dark out. This is going to be awesome.

Mile 6: We're backstage. The best part is about to come. The lights are on down Main St. Look at all the people. The castle is lit in purple. It looks awesome. This is going to pass too quick. I think I'm running too fast. But I'm too excited to get back on pace. "Now approaching Rocket Tower Plaza." There's Alice. High-five, Piglet! Check it out, the rides are all spinning. Look at that girl running in the grass skirt ahead of me...that has to itch real bad. I hear trumpets sounding. They're up in the castle! The view back down Main St. is great. Oops...sorry Chris....didn't realize you were that close...didn't mean to cut you off in front of the cameraman. It's western Donald, Mickey, and Goofy...and there's Big Al.

Mile 7: So long Magic Kingdom, but hello Captain Jack. Awesome pirate ship. Whoa...what happened to the course? This road is much too narrow for all these people. Guess I'll run in the grass some more.

Mile 8: There's Mary Poppins and Bert. And there's still a lot more road ahead of me...I'm getting a bit tired. I've never run this far before without a break.

Mile 9: I can see the food station ahead. I better hurry up and eat these Clif Blocks so I can wash them down up there. Maybe Chris wants the second dose. What? No drinks at the food station? Maybe I shouldn't have eaten those yet.

Mile 10: Where'd Chris go? I would have taken a break miles ago if I hadn't had him to run with. What a motivator it has been to run with someone who had a faster goal time than me. I'm lucky to have started with him. Oh good...he's still really close, just 20 yards behind me. Ahh...there's my water. But, I still have four miles left to run. Maybe I should take a walk break starting at this water stop? I really am pushing my body harder than I ever have before. No...You can't stop. You've done so well. You are doing fine physically, it's just mental strain at this point. OK OK. I'll try to keep going. Now my left ankle feels a bit weird. There's nothing to look at. I've still got to run for half an hour!

Mile 11: Only.....5.....k....left.....to.....go. You can do this. Don't stop. Think of your training, three miles is a walk in the park. Just keep it up. Need to stop. Just keep running. Need to stop. Just keep running. There's been nothing cool to look at this mile or the last one -- Boring! Just keep running.

Mile 12: Two miles left. This really is a breeze from here on out. Think of it. You're about to finish. Finish strong. Confidence builds. Excitement mounts. Two miles is nothing. Hard right turn. Here comes that big ramp I've heard people complain about. This thing is sloped oddly to the side...nowhere near flat. OUCH!!! Sharp pain in my left ankle, shooting up through my calf. I've never had pain like this before while running. It must be the slope. Just slow down. Get to the outside, it looks flatter over there. I don't want to have to walk the last mile and a half. But can I still run? Not if this pain persists. Just try. OK...here goes. Very stiff, but manageable. Just try not to think about it.

Mile 13: Did my eyes deceive me? The Mile-12 marker had a time of 1:49:00 when I passed it. I'm going to finish in under two hours! I have 13 minutes to run 1.1 miles. That's plenty of time. Head high...you are crushing your goal. Into Epcot. Around the fountain, then looking over at the other path to find Chris. He had to have caught up when I slowed down back there. But I don't see him. I guess I'm going to finish alone.

The Finish: Look at all the characters and the gospel choir. I'm so close to the end. I see the clock. 1:58. What about Dave's Challenge. Think...what was the time for the under 9 minute pace? Crossing at 1:58:20. I think it was after two minutes on the clock when I crossed the start. That means I finished under 1:56! I beat my goal by 15 minutes! I snuck into the next rung on the Challenge ladder! I can't believe I ran this whole thing!

The Aftermath: Medal? Check! Picture? Check! Drink? Check! Food? Check! People to celebrate with? No check. Let's go find people. There's Mike and Chris. Mike smoked us all. Chris finished only a minute behind me. Talk about being consistent. Good ol' Mr. One-Fifty-Six. New goals: Congratulate the team, find Kristin, give her a big hug, hit the hot tub :)

Disney World!

It's Disney World day. Today we put our mileage over the edge and we have finally reached Walt Disney World. We also had a mad dash of last minute to-do's and packing because we are leaving in the morning.

Here's what our schedule looks like right now:

Saturday: Check in to Port Orleans French Quarter. Going to Magic Kingdom. It is the only day that Splash Mountain will be open. Will end the night at MK or the Studios.

Sunday: Going to Animal Kingdom to catch the last performance of the Jingle Jungle parade. Then off to either MK or DHS, whichever we didn't go to the night before. This is also the last day for Osbourne lights.

Monday: Might go to Blizzard Beach, otherwise, don't know. Dinner at Ohana with a coworker and his family.

Tuesday: Our third anniversary. Going to Jiko for dinner.

Wednesday: Backstage Magic Tour. Wedding rehearsal at the Grand Floridian. Then possibly hanging out with friends afterwards.

Thursday: I'm in a wedding. Don't know what the plans are after the wedding.

Friday: Relax day. Pickup our race packets. Maybe go to the grocery store to refill the food or do some laundry (sounds like fun, eh?).

Saturday: Half Marathon at 6:00. Lou's meet at 2:00. Illuminations meet at 8:00. I have heard talk of Jellyrolls after, but we'll have to see how tired we are. (I had to cancel my Le Cellier reservation to go to Lou's meet <sniff, sniff>).

Sunday: Dole Whip meet at 3:00. Otherwise no plans.

Monday: No plans. Will end the night at either MK or DHS, whichever we did not do on the first Saturday. These are likely the only two nights we will be able to catch Wishes and Fantasmic.

Tuesday: No morning plans. Lunch at Yak & Yeti, then hanging out at Animal Kingdom for evening EMH.

Wednesday: Fly home :(

I can't wait to meet everyone. We will see you on Saturday if not before!