RunDisney Lovers, This Will Make You Laugh!

Hehehehehe, I found this while trolling Instagram and immediately began uncontrollably laughing in the middle of a waiting room. It was rather embarrassing, yes, but totally worth it.  One of the recent Mickey Miles Podcasts talked about some of the issues people had with signing up for the Wine and Dine a few weeks ago. Many of my friends ran into the same error screen after putting in their payment information (did this happen to you?) and are out of the race- quite literally. 

This got me to thinking how hilarious it is that 1) runDisney races are the price that they are and 2) that we will take off work, wake up at odd hours, and have the internet equivalent of Thunderdome battles to give runDisney our money. And you know what? I don't even mind!

Maybe that is the crazier part, we all find it laughable, but we will all keep doing it. Because it is a group of people going for the same goal together with some of the most iconic characters of our childhood, nay the world's childhood, at the happiest place on earth. I would say that is a darn good reason- plus the race after party, let's not forget that. 

Yep, I have not even run my first runDisney race but am already planning my second and third. In fact, the chances are pretty high that I will have signed up for another 2016 Florida race and a 2016 California race before even running the Wine and Dine. Sounds a bit crazy right? What if I hate this whole running thing? What if it is about the worst thing I have ever done and I have visions of burning my running shoes in an runDisney fueled hatred of how awful this event is? Well, thankfully, there is no one who can make this race amazing or terrible except myself and what mental attitude I have. Even better, I have made a personal guarantee to myself not to let negativity creep in and to listen to my body for guidance. I will not push past my physical capabilities, but I have every intention of pushing past as many mental ones as humanly possible.

Goodness, we went from Fry yelling to some pretty deep stuff. So true though, our mental fortitude is what will guide our success or failure in most parts of life. Running, yoga, kickboxing, whatever physical activity you do that pushes you past where you are comfortable and into the unknown, it is not just making your body stronger, it is strengthening your mind. And, that is one of the greatest reasons to workout that I have yet found. 

Now, runDisney, shut up and take my money.  

Disney Marathon Weekend and Other Races

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This one is a decision we will all have to make quite fast. As of Tuesday at 12:00 PM Eastern time, Disney World opened registration for the Disney 2015 Marathon Weekend. Ahhh, I am so excited about it, but am still trying to decide if I can. If you are in the same place, we better make up our minds quickly, the half marathon is already 85% full. Whaattt?! I know, crazy. 

Since going to runDisney and checking out all the race availability yesterday, I have also had the sad, sad realization that the Wine and Dine Half Marathon is sold out. Seriously, it was sad day. Oh well, I will just have to sign up quicker for 2015. 

As for 2014, here are a few races that I am interested/considering running in. Have you done any of these before? And if so, what was it like?

Key Largo Bridge Run

From what I gather, you run on one of those crazy long bridges that we see all over the Florida Keys. This one is also in November, so the weather should be absolutely beautiful! Seems fun, but early. Why are there so few night runs? 

Florida 10 Sarasota

The park where this run takes place is absolutely beautiful. This race is also a bit less than a half marathon, so it would be super great for me in December. I am pretty sure it even has a post race breakfast party. You had me at breakfast... Well, except for the whole bit about needing to run 10-miles before eating. My lazy side is still hung-up on that part. 

RAG Sarasota 9K to Marathon

This one also looks pretty great, and close. The only down side I can possibly see is that the entire race is on one, half-mile, track. I have heard that this track is beautiful, but will have to go check it out myself before agreeing to run around it about 26.5 times. 

Oh, and its in the morning. Am I the only person who hates running early? 

Southernmost Marathon and Half

This looks like sooo much fun! The race ends at the southernmost point of the US and takes you all around Key West. I have also never been to Key West and would love to have a reason to make the trek down. Really, this race is the most likely for me. The views will be stunning and I can get a vacation in as well!! 

What other races should I have on my radar? If you have any you love or are planning to try, let me know! I am trying to broaden my race horizons past Disney World :)

Things to Note: The picture above was taken by my favorite Disney blogger, Ricky Brigante from Inside the Magic. His flickr page has lots of super fun pictures for your viewing entertainment. 

How Fast Do You Run?

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Do you know how fast you run? I started using the Nike+ Running app a few months ago and now have a very complete idea about my pace and what changes it. When I started using the app, I was comfy at a solid 10:00 minutes/mile. Not too shabby, but nothing to write home about, especially in the marathoning world. Now, I am down to a 9:14 average! That is a pretty big deal for this yogi. I have never averaged that low. This is also super fantastic for me because I wanted to be at 9:30 min/mile for the Expedition Everest Challenge. Nailed it. 

Now that I know my speed, I have so many other questions... What is considered a good running pace? What is a healthy increase in my overall pace? Should run times decrease during long runs or short? How do people run a mile in 4-minutes? 

Some of these questions are still left unanswered (future posts, perhaps?), but I found a website that gave me a pretty good idea of what bracket I fit into running wise. Runner's World has a pretty great race percentile calculator for all you time needs. All you do is input your age, gender, run distance, and run time. Then, your percentile is calculated for you. Turns out that I am the definition of a happy medium at 52% for 27-year old women running 4-miles. 

52% is pretty darn great and all, but being 52% made me search out information on how to decrease run times in a healthy manner. I am sure there will be a blog post on that soon enough, but this article is great (albeit long) in the mean time. 

Race Training: What, When, and How to Eat

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Races, we all have done them, want to do them, or have plans of doing them sometime in the future. Pretty much everyone who works out wants to compete in some sort of race at some point in their lives. Whether it be a 5k or an ultra marathon, there are certain things we can all consume to make our training easier and our results better.

What

The average person burns 100 calories per mile run. Depending on the race you are running, your calorie intake may increase a small amount, or vary greatly. Most people other than those competing for marathons do not need to massively increase their calorie load per day. The average racer should eat between 60%-70% healthy carbohydrates like vegetables and whole grains, 20%-30% fats that are high in omega-3, and 10%-15% lean protein like fish or chicken. If we break this down on a 2,000 calorie diet, it means that the average runner should have as much as 1,400 calories from carbs, 600 calories from fats, and 300 calories from protein.

It is important for runners to eat so much carbohydrates because the stored version of carbs, known as glycogen, is what our body uses to re-fuel while running. When glycogen levels get depleted, a runner will feel fatigued. Athletes also need up to 50% more protein than the average adult. Protein is used in muscle growth and repair- it is pretty obvious that athletes training will need extra protein for extra growth compared to sedentary adults. Just be sure not to overload on the protein; it is much harder to burn off than carbs during a run.

Check out this article for a full breakdown of servings per day.

When

When we eat is as important as what we eat when training. It is best to refuel with a snack within the 30-minutes after finishing a run. Great post-run snacks have both healthy carbs and protein. This will help renew your glycogen storage after an energy depleting run and increase muscle growth and repair. A great post-run snack should have 75% carbs and 25% protein. Smoothies and protein bars are great options after a run. Another great option is one serving of bread (one slice or half a bagel) with peanut butter.

Our bodies begin to rebuild muscle and renew glycogen levels 30-minutes after a workout. When we eat within this 30-minute window, we are giving our bodies more nutrients to work with. This will help keep our metabolism going and decrease soreness. Eating 90-minutes to 2-hours before a run will also help boost energy without weighing you down. It is best to have whole carbs before a run and low protein and fats.

How

The things we eat are equally as important as the percentage fats, proteins, and carbs and when we eat them. Great foods for runners include lean proteins like chicken and fish, almonds with their high amounts of omega-3 fats, whole grain pastas and breads, yogurt, black beans, and eggs. Most dieticians recommend eating six times per day. Three of these times should include whole meals and three should be snacks. Great snacks include yogurt, fruit, and almonds. Meals should follow the 60-30-10 principle listed above.