WALT DISNEY WORLD WINE & DINE HALF MARATHON

Where else could you attend an international food and wine festival and end up drinking a domestic beer, a Bud Light to be exact?  Walt Disney World’s food and wine festival, that’s where!

Our fall of 2010 weekend vacation in Central Florida’s Walt Disney World began on a high note by having a late breakfast with one of our favorite American families, the Clark family of Vero Beach, at one of our favorite restaurants, Mimi’s Café.  Mimi’s is located on Osceola Parkway ten miles or so from Disney’s mega acre spread and just 2.4 miles west of the Florida turnpike. 

After filling our bellies with the most delicious food this side of the Florida/Georgia border, we convoyed to Disney’s Wide World of Sports for the sole purpose of picking up our race packets and race numbers.  Austin, Travis and Cody took turns rolling down the grassy ballpark hills under the watchful eyes of Daddy Chris while Tina, Janet and I browsed through and around the many aisles and booths of the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Expo.

After spending an hour or so in the expo, we then drove to our respected Disney resorts, checked into our rooms, and basically did our own thing until Tina, Jan and I met at the event’s shuttle bus stop in front of the All Star Resort around 6:30 p.m.  The race was scheduled to begin at 10 p.m.

 

Our Disney marathon experience has taught us that waiting for the gun to sound is typically a long wait, and the Wine & Dine Half Marathon was no exception.  I will say, though, that the pre-race entertainment was enough to keep boredom at bay and most runners hyped, me included.  A lively DJ, good music, and hundreds of participating runners kept us all laughing and moving for the entire three hour wait, all while sitting and dancing on the grassy field adjacent to the Wide World of Sport’s complex. 

There were allegedly 11,000 to 12,000 runners and walkers signed up for this event, four starting line corrals, and as far as I could tell not one snafu of any significance.  No one organizes races any better than the Disney people.

When an awesome array of fireworks was displayed near the starting line, the race was underway.  Hordes and hordes of runners and walkers, all hyped, trained and ready to take on the magical 13.1 miles of roadways and two of Disney World’s theme parks, surged forward over the starting line’s timing mats. 

Log jams are typical during the beginning of most races, maybe a tad bit more in Walt Disney World.  Or maybe it was the simple fact that Janet and I were back-of-the-pack walkers, albeit fast walkers passing all other walkers and many slower runners.  Other than a few darkened congested areas along the course, more than we would have liked, the main log jam ended shortly after mile one.

Speed walking over the overpasses wasn’t a problem with me, but I could tell that Janet was struggling on the uphill climbs as well as our faster-than-normal walk pace. 

Instead of keeping to our plan of running every ten minutes for one minute, I decided that we needed to run for one minute and then walk four.  So not only was Janet bothered by the overpasses, she was slightly stressed by the sudden modification to a faster run/walk pace.  All of our previous training was walking only, so I easily related to her anxieties.

Shortly before we entered Hollywood Studios and not too long after walking and running through Animal Kingdom, I suggested to Janet that we slow down to whatever pace she would be comfortable with.  So from mile nine forward, we did very little running along with keeping our walking at a reasonable pace. 

Even though we finished the 13.1 miles in 3:09:09, we were overly pleased that we completed another half marathon without any signs of injuries or blisters, and we had fun doing so.  We were also pleased to learn that hundreds and hundreds of runners and walkers crossed the finish line well after our finishing time. 

We both surmised that the Wine & Dine half marathon had hundreds of first time marathoners, newbies as they are often called.  Based on who was standing around in the last corral and who raised their hands when the DJ asked if there were any first time marathoners, it was apparent that most of the first timers were young ladies.  Some looked to be very fit, many did not. 

Would we run this race again?  Probably so, but maybe not!  There are pros and cons to running in the darkness of night.  The main downside of running at night as far as we are concerned is not being able to see the surface of the roadways and pathways, especially in Animal Kingdom where the walkways were intentionally built to imitate non-paved trails.  In speaking with two different runners the day after the event, both claimed that they injured their knees because they were unable to see the surface of the roads. 

Some people mentioned that starting a race at 10 p.m. was way past their bed time.  We had no problem with the lack of sleep issue.

On the plus side, it was enormously delightful running and walking in the cool of the evening and not having the sun blistering your skin.  There was no need for sunscreen or sunglasses, that’s for sure. 

Another late evening plus was the absence of bathroom issues that typically haunt most runners and walkers during morning races.

The post-race party in EPCOT is another story all together.  If you’re into crowds, elbow to elbow type crowds, then you would have loved EPCOT.  We are not, so you know where we stand in regards to the wine and dine portion of the event. 

I understand that if you were one of the first runners to cross the finish line then the food and beverage lines were not that long.  But if you were an average runner, or slow as snail poop rolling uphill as we are, then most beverage and food lines were beyond intolerable – hence my domestic Bud Light and Janet’s Sprite.  Forget the German beer that I longed for all during the race.  The line at the German pavilion was endless. 

Summing up our three day stay at Walt Disney World, I have to say that we had a magnificent time.  We especially enjoyed touring nearly 100% of the Magic Kingdom (18 rides and shows) with Tina, Chris and their three very active boys after only three hours of sleep.  That’s right, only three hours of sleep from the time we fell asleep after the race up until we ate breakfast at our food court and then drove to the Magic Kingdom with the Clark family.   

And on the third day, Jan and I duplicated day two by walking hours and hours inside Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Now you know why we train for and run marathons, to survive Disney World’s theme parks.

Did I mention that Expedition Everest made me slightly woozy?   

HIGH COST OF BEING A TRIATHLETE

$1,599 Felt Z6 Road Bike

Who was it that said swimming, biking and running were inexpensive sports, hobbies or pastimes? Someone please point out that person!

Whoever made that comment surely isn’t acquainted with what it takes to supply a typical triathlete with the appropriate equipment and necessary clothing. Nor were they aware of the high cost of signing up for applicable competitive events.

The minimum cost of a basic road bike is somewhere around $799 and change. Add a few bells and whistles and you’re up to $1,500 and even more change. Want a bike that is specifically made for racing?  Add another $1,000! And we haven’t even gotten into proper bike outfits and a reliable helmet. And what about routine bike maintenance like new tires, tubes and tune-ups? Yes, road bikes need tune-ups just like automobiles and trucks.

The swim discipline isn’t too bad as far as costs. A good pair of tri shorts, a swim cap and goggles is about all you need to cruise through the water.

$316 to refurbish an older Bianchi Road Bike

Running takes a little bit more money than swimming only because of the extreme cost of a good pair of running shoes, which will run anywhere from $80 to $140. Most runners have two or three new pair on standby.

But even then, you must keep track of your shoe mileage and replace them periodically. After running 300 to 400 miles on a pair of running shoes, 400 miles being the absolute maximum mileage allowed, they are ready to be worn in the garden, for lawn mowing or washing the car – certainly not running on hard surfaces. Your feet are worth much more than the cost of a new pair of running shoes, no matter the costs.

But the way that I look at it is that if I weren’t running, swimming and biking, and putting out the money to do all three, I just may be spending some or all of that money at the doctor’s offices having them mend a broken down, obese, semi-comatose body.

I made my choice, what’s yours?

TOUR OF SEBRING

This past weekend was spent exploring the natural beauty of the rolling hills, citrus groves, cattle ranches, small towns and gem-like lakes in scenic South-Central Florida. Over 400 cyclists participated in a three-day mini-vacation over Labor Day weekend.

Sebring and the Kenilworth Lodge, the host lodge, are located on Hwy. 27 in South-Central Florida approximately 1 1/2 hours south of Orlando and 2 1/2 hours north of Miami. Opting not to stay at the host lodge, we stayed three nights at the Inn on the Lakes located about a mile from the Kenilworth.

My biking distances during the weekend totaled 135 miles, 64 on the first day, 47 on the second, and 24 on the third.

Only on the first day did anyone in our local group experience a flat tire, which we learned was widespread amongst the larger group because of the scorching temperatures and over inflated tires. But on the second day, one member of our group accidentally drove her bike into a roadside ditch when attempting to make a right turn. Surviving the unexpected delay, she laughed, we laughed, and away we went.

All rides, no matter the distance, were fully supported with deliciously stocked rest stops. Routes were well-marked and excellent maps were provided. Rides are done at your own pace, so this event was perfect for riders of all levels of experience.

Included in the $100.00 registration fee was breakfast before each day’s ride and lunch after each day’s ride. Each registrant also received an event T-shirt and water bottle.

The only downside of this event is the early September heat and humidity, but that’s what we train in and that’s what we are accustomed to.

I’ll do it again next year.

MY FIRST TRIATHLON

Please allow me to refer back to an excerpt posted on this blog on the 15th day of May, 2010.

“To be honest, I’m never going to sign up for any event that calls for swimming in bodies of water other than a filtered swimming pool. No way! If it’s all the same, I’ll keep my body out of murky, polluted, shark & gator infested bodies of water. And besides, I would resent having other triathletes kick me in the head just because my swim pace might be slightly slower than theirs.”

So much for my promise to myself! On the 28th day of August, 2010, yours truly participated in a sprint triathlon in the very same park where I do all of my run and bike training. When signing up for the event, my thinking was that nothing could go wrong in my personal training grounds, not even in the park’s main lake.

Race day started out to be a perfect morning. The winds were calm, the temperature was in the low eighties, and the triathlon folks kept the capacity at a reasonable 300 people – and some of those 300 participating athletes were going to be doing the duathlon and not the triathlon, which meant less people in the water and less swimmers vying for personal space while swimming in the lake.

My mini-triathlon ended up being real mini – at least for me. After swimming out about 200 feet from the shoreline and starting line, maybe farther, I evidently went into an anxiety attack of sorts. I never could get my breathing down from the very beginning, and it only got worse as I swam. I even tried breaststroke with no noticeable improvement.

The water was black, spooky and disgusting, and I do mean disgusting.  You couldn’t even see your arms stroking in front of you, but you could feel the slimy grass beneath your body when swimming.

A quick decision had to be made before I ventured too far from shore.

Feeling a bit apprehensive at that moment, and doubting myself, I chose to swim back to shore and continue on with the biking and running – knowing full well that I would be listed as DNF. In fact, the guy at the starting line advised me that I would be listed as such, but in the same breath he commented on how much determination I must have for continuing on with the biking and running despite the potential DNF classification. He made me feel worthy and more determined.

Well, they have me listed in my AG (age group 65-69) as the winner. Not remaining for the awards ceremony after a friend of ours was awarded her age group third-place medal, we didn’t have a clue that I would have been awarded a medal when they came to my age group. I’m glad that I left because I would have been compelled to embarrassingly decline the award.

Turns out, I was the only participant in my age group.   

Anyway, I’m not discouraged in the least. My mistake was not jumping into the water beforehand and warming up, and not training in that type of environment. Even in a pool, it takes me two to three laps, often more, just to get my oxygen flowing throughout my system. Even when I was a youngster, my breathing was challenged considerably while swimming and running.

Yesterday morning, I swam one-mile. The day after the event, I swam ½ mile, both times in the swimming pool. I’m a skilled swimmer, but when you have an anxiety attack in open water, you’re goose is cooked. My goose was cooked well done.

I’ve since signed up to participate in the Port St Lucie duathlon October 10th. Whenever I become skilled in open-water swimming, I’ll give a triathlon another try. But until that time comes, only duathlon, biking and running events will be on my agenda.

Oh, my biking and running during the triathlon went really well. Much better than expected!

So you see, there were more positives than negatives that came out of that triathlon. Rather than be defeated by one negative, I’ll build on the two positives.

EXERCISE JOURNALS

Whenever a dieter writes down what they eat, along with the item’s calorie count, they soon learn that keeping a food journal improves their chances of being successful.  This has been proven time and time again.  Not often does a dieter want to over-consume and then have to record their over-indulgence for others to see.  Even if they are the only one that looks at the log, it has nearly the same result.  The majority of dieters will ordinarily adhere to their weight-loss diet just so they don’t have to disclose their momentary weaknesses.

The same can be said for runners, swimmers, bikers or workout enthusiasts.  If you have to record your workouts for a group of peers to view, you will typically work out harder, even longer. Intentionally missing a scheduled workout may suggest to others that you are a slacker.  Perish the thought, right?  After all, you’re no longer the only one that knows of your lackadaisical choice not to swim, bike, run, or whatever it is that you do for exercise.  You’ll find yourself wanting to exercise just to have something to write down.

Dailymile, an online social network of people that choose to share their healthy lifestyle with others, is a perfect example.

Web address: http://www.dailymile.com/

Dailymile operates on a similar concept as Facebook.  Because Dailymile is somewhat comparable to Facebook, a Dailymile member can invite fellow exercise enthusiasts to be their Dailymile friends, thereby forming their own smaller group within the main group.  You can keep your postings relatively private or you can post your workouts for the entire world to see.  It’s your choice!

As a member of Dailymile, you can also post your upcoming events, past events, create your very own run or bike routes, including a Google map of the route, create a personal profile with or without photos, and you can even comment on other people’s post and they can comment on yours.  It’s a motivational tool like I’ve never seen before.

Members of Dailymile, by the way, are from all over the world, not just the United States.  Being a worldwide network is one of the things that separate Dailymile from other online exercise journals.

New signees are never asked to divulge any personal information such as home address, birthdate, etc., so your personal information, on-line security, and threat of ID theft are never an issue.  You have the option of listing your location, such as city and state.  Some members don’t, most do.

And for you biking enthusiasts, I highly recommend logging your miles with bikejournal.com. http://www.bikejournal.com/index.asp

Looking back, I can happily claim that since I’ve been keeping these two journals up-to-date, my discipline training has more than doubled, even tripled.  And I’m much happier and fitter for it!

NEW RUNNING SHOES AND NEW RUNNING COURSE

Today was the first morning that Janet and I parked our truck at Publix Market on Sheridan Street for our weekend long run/walk along Hollywood Beach’s boardwalk.

Arriving at the Publix strip mall at 4:50 AM, we were predictably greeted by friendly, early-morning Publix employees, not the creepy degenerates and late-night party goers that frequent Hollywood Beach’s bandshell area where we used to park.

It was a welcome relief to feel relatively safe and secure when parking our vehicle in the dark of night. And never once did we smell the putrid odor of human urine.

Janet liked parking at Publix much better than the Johnson Street bandshell. I did as well!

Because Janet was testing out her new Nike running shoes, we agreed to maintain a walk pace no faster than 4 mph. We also agreed to not run, just walk.

The no running idea was not just for Janet's sake, though.  Walking only was agreed upon to prevent my spinal stenosis from worsening. We both would prefer to mix it up by running and walking, but nearly every time I attempt to run I can count on my lower back aching for the remainder of the day – and sometimes into the next day. It’s not worth the faster time.

Regarding Janet’s new shoes, she still ended up with a couple of small blisters at the end of our eight-mile walk. She reasons that it was the socks and not the shoes.

Going against her better instinct, she wore a brand new pair of unwashed socks with the new shoes. Not a good idea, for anyone. Another factor that may have generated blisters was that the new socks that she did wear were thinner than her traditional running socks (pictured). Next run or walk, you can bet that she will be wearing her older, thicker running socks.

Janet will eventually find the right combination. She must! We have too many running/walking events coming up for her to be held back by agonizing blisters.

And what breakfast nook did we choose directly after our muggy morning walk? None other than Bagel Palace in Pembroke Pines, a neighborhood eatery that we've been going to for many years! The waitress was friendly, prompt, and she delivered us exactly what we ordered. The food portions were much larger than what you get on the boardwalk and the coffee cups always full. And the total cost of our breakfast, including tip, was half of what we would have paid at the rip-off Broadwalk Café or most other boardwalk restaurants.

We did miss having breakfast with our friends, though. But everyone needs to understand that Janet must report to work nearly every Sunday afternoon, typically between 1 and 2 PM.  And it’s because of her work schedule that we do not have the time to wait around for everyone to complete their individual runs, take a dip in the ocean, shower off and change shirts, put additional money in the parking meters, and then come together as a group inside a boardwalk restaurant. The situation is what it is.

In summary, monetarily speaking, by parking at Publix and eating at Bagel Palace we spent $20.00 less than what we would have spent had we parked at the bandshell and eaten breakfast at a boardwalk cafe.  To us, that's a significant savings.

We're pleased with our decision to no longer park on the beach.   

LIFE’S LITTLE OBSTACLES!

I need to vent!

Earlier this morning, right around 6:30 a.m., I was sympathetically advised by the benevolent gate guard, who I quickly learned was a contracted guard with Wackenhut, that no longer will I be allowed to ride my road bike into CB Smith Park until 8:00 a.m. Riding my bike into the park before the summer-camp traffic and the Memorial Hospital West employee traffic arrives, which assuredly makes riding in the park dangerous to your health, is strictly prohibited. They would prefer that I ride my speedy bike on the local streets where kamikaze, dysfunctional, oblivious drivers are common place. If it’s all the same, thanks but no thanks, I’ll wait ‘till eight in the morning and take my chances inside the park.

I don’t know what’s worse to contend with, though, the multitudes of crazed mothers (literal definition) who are dropping off their kids at day camp or the Memorial Hospital employees who must park their vehicles in the park due to lack of employee parking across the street on hospital grounds.

Grading which ones are the worse drivers, I would call it a draw. Both groups of people typically have their cell phones plastered to their ears giving last minute instructions to their spouses, any kids they purposely left behind, or their house pets. Yes, I said “house pets.” Trust me; many house pets are brighter than their owners, at least the ones I’m seeing entering and leaving the park with fire and brimstone in their eyes. They could easily be mistaken for amateur race car drivers on steroids.

According to the compassionate gate guard, there is absolutely no reason or reasons why road bikers should not be allowed in the vacant park before the motor-carriage onslaught. And dusk is a perfect time to bike, much better than later in the day when the sun’s rays and high heat melt even the strongest biker.

About the only possible danger in the park at that early hour are stray possums or raccoons scrounging for their morning vittles.

Despite the illogical idiocy of the park’s operating hours, I wasn’t going to allow their stupidity to ruin my biking plans or day. More determined than ever, I rode back to the park at 8 a.m. and managed to get in 12.20 miles before any noticeable signs of melting or before I became county-park road kill. I even survived playing dodge car with numerous park-going moms, pops, and outwardly disgruntled Memorial Hospital employees.

And now for the Hollywood Beach parking debacle!

Unwilling to be financially assaulted by the City of Hollywood and their new fivefold price increase, Janet and I have concluded that we no longer will park at the Johnson Street band shell or in any of Hollywood’s parking lots or garages. The band shell area stinks of urine, anyway. So parking elsewhere will be no big loss. Not only does the area stink of urine, but often we have been apprehensive regarding the vagrants and drunks that pass out and sleep in the doorways and adjoining alleyways.

Just when we concluded that we would give up our Sunday long runs, Janet came up with a brilliant thought. She tags it as one of her better light bulb moments!

Recalling where we regularly parked during the era when we used to run on Fort Lauderdale’s ocean boardwalk, Janet and I went to the computer, opened up Bing Maps, selected a bird's eye view of the Hollywood/Dania Beach area and quickly spotted a safe and convenient place to park, a Publix Market not but 1.3 miles from the beach’s attractive boardwalk. And I’m betting that there are no vagrants, drunks or putrid smelling urine in Publix Market’s parking lot. And if one doesn’t wish to park at Publix, one block closer to the beach is a Walgreen’s Drug Store on the same side of Sheridan Street as Publix.

Problem solved and we get to keep what monies we would have placed inside Hollywood’s gluttonous master meters.

Now all we have to do is determine where we wish to eat breakfast immediately after our Sunday boardwalk runs.