Goofy Challenge Race Report
What can i say, my 2nd attempt of the Goofy Challenge this year was exactly that. A challenge. Last year i had competed the event under my goal times of sub 2 hr for the half and sub 4 hour for the full marathon (1:53 and change for the 1/2 and 3:56 and change for the full). So this year i was shooting for exactly 1 minute lower for each event. I was able to achieve my goal for the half by finishing in 1:52 and change, but the day was not mine for the full and i had some major problems. i ended up finishing with the 4:10 and change (almost a 4:11) after what i can only explain as a meltdown around mile 18 or so.
I'll spare you some of the nitty gritty details of the weekend, but Disney still puts on great races. We had several runners from OH running the event and we had a brief meet/greet/meal on Friday afternoon at T-Rex. It was really great meeting up with everybody and racing with everybody. Also, on Sunday Sue, John, Scott A, and I were able to meet up and spend some time catching up and waliking to the corrals prior to the start of the full marathon. Kudos to everybody that raced!
So my racing weekend can be described as a tale of 3 - 1/2 marathons. The first being the stand alone 1/2 marathon event. This is the biggest race of the weekend with something like 26,000 registered runners and 22,400 finishers. As i stated before, my goal was a 1:52. The problem with Disney races are they start @ 5:30 in the morning and you pretty much have to be there super early to make the start due to the traffic/logistics. So my father woke me up @ 1:20 AM before the race and we were waiting for the bus @ 2:30 AM. So sleep is always a factor at Disney. My goal for the 1/2 was to keep a pretty consistant 8:30/mile pace. I figured that with all of the weaving i would have to do, I would end up running a couple of tenths more, so would have to run a slightly faster pace to achieve my goal. I had a lot of success running even splits and ended up slightly negative splits toward the end. my strategy worked perfectly and i hit it right on the nose at 1:52. during the race i felt good aerobically, but i could feel my legs starting to get tight in the last couple of miles. after the race i still felt good, i wasn't drained, but my legs were aching. this was beginning to alarm me. i iced my hammies, calves, and quads down and tried to stay off of them for the rest of the day. i was able to rehydrate and refuel properly and actually caught about 5 hours of sleep saturday night, which is pretty good for the goofy.
splits for the 1/2: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/140694542
the "2nd half" was the first half of the full marathon on Sunday. my legs never fully recovered from saturday, but they didn't feel awful on sunday morning. it was definitely in my head that i could be in trouble for the day, which mentally is not a good warning sign as so much of running is mental. but after the fireworks went off and i was able to get going, i felt ok to good for the first half of the marathon. my goal was to keep my pace somewhere between 8:40 and 8:50 for the first 20 miles and then "hang on" for the last 10K. that worked pretty well for me last year. i was bringing more fuel this year and more electrolytes so i felt i had a better nutrition and hydration plan for this year. i was able to basically keep within my goal pace for the first 13 miles. but a sick feeling was building in me from around the 6 mile mark and red flags were going off from around mile 8 or 9 with my legs, they were really really aching. that is way too early for that to happen in a marathon. first hiccup happened around 13.5 miles in when i had to sprint to a port-o-potty with a major gastro issue. *warning* my description may get a bit gross so proceed at your own risk :)
while i was in the port-o-potty, which was pretty small, my right thigh started to severly cramp up and i couldn't extend it. suffice it to say, that was the most painful bathroom experience i can remember! so while i had a good hydro plan and the weather was cool, it was also at 100% humidity, which means a big sweater like me will sweat and keep sweating hard. my mile 14 split shows my painful experience. this starts the "3rd half" which was the most miserable half marathon i have ever run (even worse than the FL IM 70.3 run). i was able to run another mile and a half within my goal, but the wheels were falling off really early, and multiple issues were bubbling up. first was the gastro issue which was dehydration related, then the legs stopped responding. at mile 17 it took everything i could muster to finish a 9+ minute mile, i knew then and there i was done. i trooped on for another mile and then my legs had had enough and i had to stop. this was the first time i had to stop in any event other than the FL IM 70.3 and that was for ice only. i took in some gel and hydration, walked to bring my HR down and then started jogging again. that really sucked. my stomach was hurting and now was sloshing around with gel and poweraide coming up my throat. this was the lowest point of the race. i swear to you now, if there was a medical tent within my sight at that moment, i would have quit right there and then. i walked it out a bit and then to add insult to injury that effing 4 hour pace group leader ran by covered in baloons. that was really demoralizing. after a minute i just sucked it up, convinced myself that it was ok to take it easy now that i wasn't going to make my goal and just run. so i ran as much as i could, walked when i had to, which was often, and then kept running. i never had the experience where my legs would just stop functioning before, it was not pleasant. my gastro issues got much worse and i had full on diarrhea at this point and had to stop a few more times. it was really a rough go of it for the last 7 miles or so.
but.
i found a way to finish. not sure how, but i did. i was really demoralized and hurt, but happy i didn't quit, and really happy there wasn't a medical tent at mile 18 :)
the story can be recounted in the splits here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/140694554
the real story of the day was my father. he is 71 years old and last year he finished the goofy walking due to an injury and this year he was looking for redemption. well he got it. he killed the race. finished in 2:07 and 4:28 respectively and missed a Boston Qualifying time by 3 minutes in a goofy marathon! He also finished 3rd in his age group for the full marathon. he is really incredible and an inspiration to me.
sorry if i grossed anybody out :)
I'll spare you some of the nitty gritty details of the weekend, but Disney still puts on great races. We had several runners from OH running the event and we had a brief meet/greet/meal on Friday afternoon at T-Rex. It was really great meeting up with everybody and racing with everybody. Also, on Sunday Sue, John, Scott A, and I were able to meet up and spend some time catching up and waliking to the corrals prior to the start of the full marathon. Kudos to everybody that raced!
So my racing weekend can be described as a tale of 3 - 1/2 marathons. The first being the stand alone 1/2 marathon event. This is the biggest race of the weekend with something like 26,000 registered runners and 22,400 finishers. As i stated before, my goal was a 1:52. The problem with Disney races are they start @ 5:30 in the morning and you pretty much have to be there super early to make the start due to the traffic/logistics. So my father woke me up @ 1:20 AM before the race and we were waiting for the bus @ 2:30 AM. So sleep is always a factor at Disney. My goal for the 1/2 was to keep a pretty consistant 8:30/mile pace. I figured that with all of the weaving i would have to do, I would end up running a couple of tenths more, so would have to run a slightly faster pace to achieve my goal. I had a lot of success running even splits and ended up slightly negative splits toward the end. my strategy worked perfectly and i hit it right on the nose at 1:52. during the race i felt good aerobically, but i could feel my legs starting to get tight in the last couple of miles. after the race i still felt good, i wasn't drained, but my legs were aching. this was beginning to alarm me. i iced my hammies, calves, and quads down and tried to stay off of them for the rest of the day. i was able to rehydrate and refuel properly and actually caught about 5 hours of sleep saturday night, which is pretty good for the goofy.
splits for the 1/2: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/140694542
the "2nd half" was the first half of the full marathon on Sunday. my legs never fully recovered from saturday, but they didn't feel awful on sunday morning. it was definitely in my head that i could be in trouble for the day, which mentally is not a good warning sign as so much of running is mental. but after the fireworks went off and i was able to get going, i felt ok to good for the first half of the marathon. my goal was to keep my pace somewhere between 8:40 and 8:50 for the first 20 miles and then "hang on" for the last 10K. that worked pretty well for me last year. i was bringing more fuel this year and more electrolytes so i felt i had a better nutrition and hydration plan for this year. i was able to basically keep within my goal pace for the first 13 miles. but a sick feeling was building in me from around the 6 mile mark and red flags were going off from around mile 8 or 9 with my legs, they were really really aching. that is way too early for that to happen in a marathon. first hiccup happened around 13.5 miles in when i had to sprint to a port-o-potty with a major gastro issue. *warning* my description may get a bit gross so proceed at your own risk :)
while i was in the port-o-potty, which was pretty small, my right thigh started to severly cramp up and i couldn't extend it. suffice it to say, that was the most painful bathroom experience i can remember! so while i had a good hydro plan and the weather was cool, it was also at 100% humidity, which means a big sweater like me will sweat and keep sweating hard. my mile 14 split shows my painful experience. this starts the "3rd half" which was the most miserable half marathon i have ever run (even worse than the FL IM 70.3 run). i was able to run another mile and a half within my goal, but the wheels were falling off really early, and multiple issues were bubbling up. first was the gastro issue which was dehydration related, then the legs stopped responding. at mile 17 it took everything i could muster to finish a 9+ minute mile, i knew then and there i was done. i trooped on for another mile and then my legs had had enough and i had to stop. this was the first time i had to stop in any event other than the FL IM 70.3 and that was for ice only. i took in some gel and hydration, walked to bring my HR down and then started jogging again. that really sucked. my stomach was hurting and now was sloshing around with gel and poweraide coming up my throat. this was the lowest point of the race. i swear to you now, if there was a medical tent within my sight at that moment, i would have quit right there and then. i walked it out a bit and then to add insult to injury that effing 4 hour pace group leader ran by covered in baloons. that was really demoralizing. after a minute i just sucked it up, convinced myself that it was ok to take it easy now that i wasn't going to make my goal and just run. so i ran as much as i could, walked when i had to, which was often, and then kept running. i never had the experience where my legs would just stop functioning before, it was not pleasant. my gastro issues got much worse and i had full on diarrhea at this point and had to stop a few more times. it was really a rough go of it for the last 7 miles or so.
but.
i found a way to finish. not sure how, but i did. i was really demoralized and hurt, but happy i didn't quit, and really happy there wasn't a medical tent at mile 18 :)
the story can be recounted in the splits here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/140694554
the real story of the day was my father. he is 71 years old and last year he finished the goofy walking due to an injury and this year he was looking for redemption. well he got it. he killed the race. finished in 2:07 and 4:28 respectively and missed a Boston Qualifying time by 3 minutes in a goofy marathon! He also finished 3rd in his age group for the full marathon. he is really incredible and an inspiration to me.
sorry if i grossed anybody out :)
Where are we going?? And why am I in this handbasket??
right now. somewhere. somebody is working harder than you.
right now. somewhere. somebody is working harder than you.
I know you were disappointed with the marathon, but considering what went on, sounds like you really gritted it out, which I totally admire.
Having now experienced it, the Goofy Challenge is indeed a challenge. You did yourself and all of us proud.
Your father.... what an inspiration!
Having now experienced it, the Goofy Challenge is indeed a challenge. You did yourself and all of us proud.
Your father.... what an inspiration!
Read my blog, BARIATHLETE I run because I can.
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
Good work Bill. Sometimes its just about moving forward and it sounds like you did a great job at that.
I was about 100 yards past the mile 19 sign about midway up the overpass. I had some time to help you out but I never saw you. I swear that I looked at every face from the time I got there as the 3:30 pace group passed to the time I left when the 6:00 hour people were going by. Damn! I did see your dad though. His look of determination reminded me of seeing you last year before the half. Same look.
I was about 100 yards past the mile 19 sign about midway up the overpass. I had some time to help you out but I never saw you. I swear that I looked at every face from the time I got there as the 3:30 pace group passed to the time I left when the 6:00 hour people were going by. Damn! I did see your dad though. His look of determination reminded me of seeing you last year before the half. Same look.
Scott
Link to my running journal
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1303681
4 full's - 14 halves - 2 goofy's and one Mt. Washington!
Link to my running journal
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1303681
4 full's - 14 halves - 2 goofy's and one Mt. Washington!
bummer i missed you on sunday... i probably had my head down, mile 19 was pretty close to my ground zero moment and i remember putting my head down for that overpass (long slow climb), i was all the way to the left by the grass trying to suffer alone :)
Where are we going?? And why am I in this handbasket??
right now. somewhere. somebody is working harder than you.
right now. somewhere. somebody is working harder than you.
COngrats on the finish!
Even with your issues you still run an impressive race and show that with the right attitude anything is possible. I like to believe that as much as you say you would have gone to the medical tent I bet something would have stopped you from entering it, as I doubt you know how to quit.
See you tomorrow maybe!
Even with your issues you still run an impressive race and show that with the right attitude anything is possible. I like to believe that as much as you say you would have gone to the medical tent I bet something would have stopped you from entering it, as I doubt you know how to quit.
See you tomorrow maybe!
Paul C.
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
DOH! thanks for reminding me I have Therapy at 7am tomorrow. I totally forgot about it monday. which is typically tues and thurs. Once I am cleared from therapy I am going to shoot for Tues and Thurs spin, they are the same class right? not one of the cough your lung up and keep pedaling Dan type classes right?
Paul C.
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
sort of... Maria teaches on Tues and some guy (maybe Kevin) on Thurs. different style instructors but similar exertion level. if you want a really crazy instructor, walter on thursday nights, he's an advanced a-hole :)
Where are we going?? And why am I in this handbasket??
right now. somewhere. somebody is working harder than you.
right now. somewhere. somebody is working harder than you.
You are such a friggin stud. I have never even ran a 4:10 marathon on my best day! LOL... Way to gut it out brother... You da man
Your Friend In Health & Sport,
Dan Benintendi - OH Support Group Leader
www.trimywill.com
www.swimfromobesity.com
www.trimywill.blogspot.com
Support Group: www.obesityhelp.com/group/Post_Op_PRs/
Dan Benintendi - OH Support Group Leader
www.trimywill.com
www.swimfromobesity.com
www.trimywill.blogspot.com
Support Group: www.obesityhelp.com/group/Post_Op_PRs/
Sorry it didn't go as planned, but you should have a lot pride in finishing the race. I think completing the Goofy is great and don't worry about your times. Every race is suppose to teach us something and maybe this one was to teach you a little more about yourself. I remember the stretch from Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom being very depressing (and smelly). The stretch from Animal Kingdom to the Sports Pavilion was boring, but at least you could think about finishing.
BTW, your dad is amazing. I just hope I can keep running in my 60's (coming up soon), much less run fast.
Enjoy your medals.
BTW, your dad is amazing. I just hope I can keep running in my 60's (coming up soon), much less run fast.
Enjoy your medals.
Rob
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