Tri-ing to stay young!

01/07/2010: I’m writing this while waiting for our connecting flight at the Seattle Airport. I don’t seem too nervous but I should be considering that my long run for this race was the Victoria Marathon in October and I’ve totaled about 100 miles since then.
My planned goal for Goofy is under 8 hours but now I will be happy to have three medals around my neck come Sunday evening.
I flew with another Victoria runner doing Goofy. He tells me that there are 7500 Goofy Participants and something in the order of 25000 runners in each of the half and full marathons. ….It would be really embarrassing if I finished last this race!!!
01/08/2010: We’re in wintery Orlando. I overheard the next able saying that we are in store for record low temps. Walking around Disney World won’t be fun. I’m glad that I brought my Jeans and lined jacket.
Went to the Milk House to register at 10:00AM. Amazingly, there were no lineups. The expo was okay but not as good as I would have expected with close to 50,000 runners in the 3 events. Cheryl had her lower back and right foot taped up with “TX Tape”. It worked wonders almost eliminating her foot pain and significantly reducing her lower back pain. I think that we will be buying some to take home.
01/09/2010: 3:00AM comes early. The outside temp is below freezing with wind and ice crystals. It won’t be fun. Cheryl’s back is acting up so I’ll be doing this one by myself. With 25000 runners, t took me 18 minutes to get to the start line. It’s a good thing that they don’t use gun times at this race. This was the first race that I have run where my fleece was done up to my neck right to the last step. It was cold and blustery! Finish Time: 2:27 The highlight of the race was the incredible after race massage given me by Candy, the Director of an Orlando Massage school. I left feeling great. My biggest disappointment: The 1.5hr wait for buses after the race. My body was shaking uncontrollably by the time I got back to the room. I understand that here were a number of entrants that were hauled off to med tent with hypothermia. I’m not looking forward to tomorrow.
01/10/2010: Another 3:00 morning. I’m still cold from yesterday but my body feels great. Orlando set a new record low temperature of 27F or about -4C. There was someplace in Alaska that was warmer at gun time. (And we had been standing in our pens since 4:00AM) The race started off very well. Other than for the cold, my first 15 miles looked like a sub 5hr run. That’s when my calves stated acting up. By the time I hit the finish line they were howling. My knees, on the other hand, felt great. I credit both to the new CWX Tights that I bought. The compression bands over the quads and under the knees were wonderful leaving them feeling fresh at the end of the race. My calves, probably due to the fact that I use them differently as a barefoot runner, caused more pain than I have ever experienced during or after a race. This was the second race that I have run with a fleece done up to under my chin. I was cold, windy and raining. Finish Time: 5:32. My overall goal was 8 hours or under. It is amazing how one’s mind controls one’s outcome. I should have thought a 7:30 time and I probably would have done it! The highlight of the race: I found Candy again and she gave me another wonderful massage. Unfortunately my calves howled for 3 days after, cramping up every time I sat for more than a few minutes.
Overall Race thoughts: If you are thinking about doing the marathon – Do the Goofy. You’ll end up putting more than 13.1 miles on your legs walking around the Disney Parks. And, you’ll have three great medals to brag about at the end of it all.
My promise to myself is to do at least 1 long run before the Vancouver marathon in May. And maybe a few short ones too!
Talk to you all soon;
Bill