Tag: Nick Takacs

2017 runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon…The Second Half

February 6, 2017

This blog post is the second part to the first one I wrote last week highlighting the first half of the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 8, 2017. This was my friend PK’s first marathon and we really wanted to make sure he had a enjoyable experience. I think we were very successful in that. So much so that he wants to do the Dopey Challenge next year!

Something PK and I noticed during the first half of the race was the number of discarded clothes and socks on the side of the road.  In past  years the discarded clothing dwindled off after the first 2 miles.  But this year we saw it as far as mile 10.  The funny thing were all the socks we saw.  I assumed that since people didn’t have gloves they used socks to keep their hands warm.

The second half of the race was going well.  We ran through Animal Kingdom and the long tour of the Animal Kingdom parking lot and then to the long stretch of Osceola Parkway.  I played my game of tag with Nick Takacs just outside Animal Kingdom; but didn’t see him the rest of the race.  The temperature was ideal, the sun was out and we were having a good time.  I found a few friends out on the road.  I saw Jon Biel and his friend Sara dressed as Bob’s Barricades.  Then a few miles up I found my friend Linda Bachand Jackson.

john

linda

After about 3-4 miles of Osceola Parkway we made our way into ESPN Wide World of Sports.  I was starting to do some mental math in my head and PK thought it was funny seeing me try to calculate the balloon ladies and our arrival time, etc.  He never saw that side of me.  I also knew that it was time to take in some sugar because I was starting to get a little mental in my head.  I was also feeling a little bit fatigued so I wanted to make sure I was going to finish strong.

At some point during the second half we were talking about our strategy.  He thought that maybe we would walk a mile or two near the end and then finish the end running.  I was ok with that plan.  But then, during our miles in ESPN, we got caught up with the 6:30 pacing group.  We couldn’t really get past them; so when they ran, we ran, when they walked, we walked.  It actually felt good.  They were doing a 15/30 pace.  We had been consistently using a 30/30 pace.  So I suggested to PK that we follow them until we get to Hollywood Studios and see how we feel.

That was a great plan, because I remembered that back on Osceola heading to Hollywood Studios there is an incline.  So if we stick to the pacer group that would help us get up the hill without walking the whole thing.  It worked out very well.  We made it to Hollywood Studios and continued with the group all the way to Epcot.  I actually felt a lot better using their intervals because it kept us at a consistent pace and the intervals left me less fatigued.  We made a new plan that at mile 25 PK was going to run ahead and I would meet him at the finish.  That was the perfect plan because I wanted to savor that last mile through Epcot.  Given everything the family had gone through since Thanksgiving I wanted to reflect during that last mile.  I wanted to have time alone with my thoughts.

With just about 3/4 of a mile left I saw a small child wearing a Pokemon hat and I swore it was Lyla.  It stopped me in my tracks.  I totally felt that it was a sign of her telling me that I had the strength to finish and that I could do anything I wanted as long as I worked for it.  So for the last 3/4 of a mile I was sobbing.  I couldn’t wait to finish and see my family.  As I rounded the corner after mile 26 I saw my family and blew them a kiss.  Then I saw Fitz waiting to give out hugs and I got the biggest hug from here.  It was so special to share that moment with her.  I had finished my 3rd Dopey Challenge (aka the Grumpy Challenge).  And I will continue to do the Dopey Challenge as long as my friends want to be crazy and do it with me!

Enjoy a recap of the entire race from start to finish!

Strength Training

January 31, 2016

Something I plan to work on this year as part of my goal in running is to incorporate strength training.  At first I was thinking that I just wanted to do more leg work; but as I am doing research and talked to my chiropractor; he mentioned it is best to do exercises that don’t just isolate one area.  Do more dynamic exercises that involve the entire body and fluid movement all at once.  We don’t just run and leave our arms by our side.  And we don’t just move our arms and our legs are still when we run.  So do a lunge walk with light weights and do shoulder presses at the same time.  All in one movement.  But remember to start off slowly and easily.  Don’t do 50 of these with heavy weights on your first day doing it.  Beginning off with using your own body strength at first is also good advice.  Focus on your form and then increase weight after you know how you feel the days following your new routine.

I realize you want to feel like you worked out and like how muscle soreness indicates that you did something (or at least I do); but you don’t want the extreme where the soreness is so bad that you can’t resume your regular workout or running schedule because you did too much in the beginning.  It’s similar to when you began running.  I know it happened to me.  I loved the feeling of getting out there to run; but I did too much too soon and had terrible shin splints and could barely walk, let alone run, and I lost time because of it.

I was listening to the Another Mother Runner Podcast recently in episode 194 that discussed with Angie Krueger how you should include it as part of your training. For me the biggest question was when do I do the training.  The day before you have a run, the same day after you finish your run?  This article from Runners World helps clear it up for me.  It does recommend to do your strength training on the same day as your run for two reasons.  The first reason is so that you can have recovery time from both the run and the weight training.  The second is because then it will force you to be a little more conservative on the weights that you use or your intensity on the strength training so that you don’t overdo it to the point where you cannot walk or run for several days later.

I ran into a friend of mine, Nick Takacs, during the marathon (my Dopey challenge) and he was telling me that he started to do a new training program called Iron Strength by Runners World. But he started doing it the week before the marathon and said it wasn’t the best decision!  His legs and butt were sore in muscles he didn’t even realize he had!  But I had seen that exercise routine going around on Facebook and it interested me to add it to my weekly routine.

The videos are good to watch to learn what you want to focus on for your workouts.  They use a lot of dynamic movements to get your body warmed up and loose without “stretching”.  The key in this workout is to strengthen your running muscles because when you run you use them but you don’t actually strengthen or build them.  Having a dedicated workout routine to focus on those muscles are what I want to work on during this year to help me be a stronger runner and to avoid injury because of overuse of these muscles.

The workouts also focus on your core.  Core strength is important not just in running, but in all areas of your life.  Unfortunately, we sit too much at work.  Having a strong core helps protect our backs.  Working our upper body will also help us in running because it will help prevent us from slumping forwards as we become tired during our long runs and longer races.  By remaining upright and strong we will finish stronger and will again avoid injury.

I haven’t started this routine yet; but I plan to so that I can get stronger and more fit and become a better, and hopefully faster runner.

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