The Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon

First of all - I want to thank EVERYONE who texted, e-mailed, cheered, etc. for me yesterday. Trust me - it meant a TON. And after you read my report - you'll understand why.

Friday night I was nervous. More anxious, but you know - rushing around to get everything laid out. The right shirt. The right socks. All my foot stuff.

Even Runny Bunny helped me get ready with BodyGlide and Moleskin.

3:00am Saturday the alarm went off, and I popped up. Yawned. Stretched a little. And began getting dressed and ready. At 3:30 Amber drove me down to Tukwila, WA, where the starting line was, and dropped me at the "drop-off" point. At 4:00, I was told I was the first drop off of the day. I walked 1/2 mile to the starting village. I had some water. Half a bagel. And found my porta-potty.

By 5am people were really starting to arrive, so I headed over to my corral. They used 38 corrals for this race. Mine? Corral 33. And it was a lively corral of 75 people.

Corral 32 had some WiSH'ers in it! Yup - the DisBoards folks were there!

Here's a cool fact. I met a nice lady in my corral who TAP DANCED the entire race. Had on tap sneakers. WOW. She was on the news and everything.

At 6 we were told to go to our corrals. So I hopped into it and stood, knowing the start was an hour away. John Bingham was on the microphone making announcements and telling us inspiration facts (over 70% of our participants were WOMEN - nice!). At 7am, corral 1 was sent off. Each corral was then staged out over about 90 seconds. Yes. I stood, and walked for about 55 minutes until crossing the start at 7:55. So I'd already been on my feet two hours solid. And awake for 5 hours. The sun was already up and it was somewhat warm.

The first three miles or so were quite good - in fact, I had my best 3 mile pace on the first three miles. About 16:40. After that I averaged around 17:50 per mile. But about mile 3.5 my feet started to warm up and really kind of hurt. I figured the further I went, they'd just get used to it.

WRONG.

But the scenery and the bands helped. Sadly, none of the participants were really talkative on the course. I was alone.

At mile 5 I stopped and stood for about 10 minutes in line for a potty.

Between 5-6 there was a family who'd set up a shrine to Michael Jackson and were blasting his music. Nice. :)

After mile 6, we hit Lake Washington. BEAUTIFUL. Total payoff. A gorgeous day. Even saw a GIANT BALD EAGLE about oh....20 yards up in a tree. Came out to see the race.

As we passed mile 8, my feet were still really hurting. But I knew I had to keep going.

Mile 9 is where we had problems. After mile 9 there was a VERY short VERY steep hill (20-30% grade over maybe 50 yards) - and as we finished it we ended up in a highway tunnel that was over a mile long.

Inside the tunnel it was HOT. I was panting. Head was spinning. Needed water. Legs were burning. And I started to feel very claustrophobic. My feet were screaming after the hill. I seriously considered sitting down and waiting for a medical bike. But I found a water station and powered through to mile 10.5.

Now I'm in Seattle. I can see where we're finishing. I'm wincing with every other step. Occasionally hear myself moaning slightly in pain. I decide before we hit mile 11 that before Disneyland, I'm getting new shoes. These New Balance shoes are the wrong ones.

I see the finish line, and realize we've only passed mile 11. We now have to go INTO downtown Seattle, and turn AROUND to get back to the finish. I pass mile 12.

Around mile 12.5, my cellphone rings. It's Amber. She asks how I'm doing and tells me she's downtown ready to pick me up. I tell her I'm close, but that I hurt. She tells me she's so proud of me and that I'm doing it. I hang up and start to sob on the course as I move. All throughout the race, I've heard DING in my ear as texts popped up. I haven't read any of them - but every one pushed me further. I see mile 13. I'm a little calmer. I hear screaming my name - and I look over and see Dana and Kevin. The cheer for me, and snap this picture.

I begin sobbing again as I see the finish and cross it. I wave again at John Bingham who gives me my second Team Voice shoutout of the day. He shouted when I crossed the start.

This is my reward.

That and knowing I can do it. Alone. Without Disney. Without Team Voice.

Don't get me wrong - you guys were with me - but on the course - it was all me.

I prefer it with you guys! LOL But now I know I can do it alone.

I went to the family greeting area to find Dana and Kevin. Apparently it took them longer to get there than me. I looked for them for awhile, and couldn't really stand comfortably any longer. Amber was nearby, so I headed to the car, feeling AWFUL. Apparently they waited there after I left for an hour longer. I am SO sorry about that Dana. Forgive me!

Regardless, I got in the car and had another sobbing fit. Just emotion. I'd completed it. I was in pain. But I'd succeeded. We drove home. I showered. I was sore. We had a nice dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I was sore. We came home. I was sore. I slept all night. I'm still sore.

But I did it. And the soreness is welcome.

Now - as for what's next? Yes. I'm going to Disneyland!

And I have a plan for that. I think that my difficulties yesterday can be summed up in a few areas - and here's how I intend to combat them:

1. Hills. Easy. Anaheim is a MUCH flatter course.

2. Shoes. Easy. New shoes are on the budget at the end of July.

3. Motivation on course. Easy. Disney races ooze magic and Team Voice will be there.

4. Extra weight. I think the extra 20 pounds I had made life harder. So here's the plan:

July is a difficult month for me - including dealing with my parents and a large scale trial at work. Lots to do. Plus my normal responsibilities.

So for July the goal is simple. LOSE WEIGHT. Amend my diet. Watch my food intake. Ramp up my training at home with EA Active (i'm restarting my 30 day challenge on Medium difficulty) - and prepare for August by losing as much weight as I can.

August is running month. I have five weekends in August. Long runs of 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 are on the menu. Plus weekly maintenance runs during the week obviously.

And there it is guys - the plan.

Your thoughts on the plan? The race? Anything? Just tell me. :) I LOVE getting comments!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Let's ROCK N ROLL!

It's 3:10am.

I'm up.

I'm getting ready.

LET'S ROCK THIS THING!!!!!

MAIN STREET....er....the ROCK N' ROLL HALF MARATHON AWAITS!

1:06pm - Hi everyone! Runny Bunny here!

I didn't get to go to the race, but I'm proud to tell you that Jonathan FINISHED the race! It took him longer than he'd have liked (3:51:33) - but he finished. There were some hills that he said really threw him - and something about a tunnel. He says he'll update everyone tomorrow fully.

He did have one VERY important message he wanted to put here. He's pretty sure Dana and her Husband saw him cross the finish line with tears in his eyes. They cheered and he saw them with red micky-ish shirts on. After the race, he went to the meeting place to try to find them - and looked for about 10 minutes, but couldn't find them - and feels awful. Amber had arrived to pick him up and he had to leave. It meant the world to him that they came out to see him finish. He'll tell you more tomorrow I'm sure.

Meanwhile - he's showering and then he's earned a pasta dinner. :)

Fear

Okay - I'll admit it - I'm afraid of Saturday.

Not afraid of the race, per se, but afraid that I can't do it. That I'll let everyone down.

I know - I've done it before - so what's the difference?

None. I was afraid before WDW too.

But nevertheless, I am indeed afraid.

I'm afraid of realizing that I'm not cut out for this - that I'm not meant to be healthy or fit - that I can't do it.

But as I sit here in my fear, I realize that I am healthy. I'm fit (somewhat). And that I can, and HAVE done it. Just by being here.

I hear cheering in my head. Cheering from Main Street - cheering from the finish line. I see Rae and Eric waiting for me. I see Amber and Runny Bunny.

I remember how my heart swelled and my spirit soared as I crossed.

And I know in my soul that I will feel it all again as I cross both here, on Saturday, and in September in Disneyland.

And when I am in Disneyland, I know in my heart that I will be thinner, fitter, and faster.

I know I have work to do to get there - but I'm not afraid of the work.

And suddenly, after realizing that just being here is a triumph...

I'm not afraid of Saturday that much anymore.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Soreness

Today I realize just how much work I have to do before Disneyland. I don't need the RnR to confirm it. LOL

See - this morning - I ache. A lot. My weight has fluctuated up and down, but hovers around where it is today - 318.4. My measurements have gone down a bit, but not my waist size. But - as the stressful part of things with my parents closes, and I see the end in sight, I know that I have the time to make the changes I need to make. And the strength. And the will.

What I won't do is beat myself up about where I currently am. It's useless. Besides, it often leads me to overeating to satisfy. And that doesn't work. So what I choose to do is delight that I'm still here - still pushing - still succeeding.

This Saturday I complete my second half-marathon. I know already how painful Sunday is going to be. But I will earn every ounce of that pain with every step. And I will smile and be proud as I cross the finish line!

Speaking of which - Dana - the race ends downtown - near QWEST field. You can find details for spectators at www.rnrseattle.com - the race starts at 7am - I'd expect me through the finish line between 10:30 and 11am. I'll be in a bright highlighter yellow shirt that says "Team Voice" on it. :)

I have big plans for my Disneyland trip - and I intend to earn every one of the rewards by working hard between now and then. I'll even go easy at the 4th of July BBQ. :) I'm taking exercise equipment to Oklahoma with me so I can keep up the cross training while I'm gone.

I'm going to put this all together folks. For me. For you. For Amber. And for the Bean (who's name I'm STILL not sharing yet).

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Happy Father's Day

Okay - so far today has been AWESOME - and it's only 8:45am.

I woke up and went out and did 8.1 miles! It reconfirmed for me that I CAN and WILL be able to complete the RnR next Saturday. That feels great. I'm not as fast as I want (see the sidebar) - but I'll get faster before DLR.

I got home, showered, and came to update my blog, and found two cards for me! One from Amber - and one from our baby! Plus a beautiful "Daddy's little girl" onesie. :)

Oh yeah - and we've decided on a name for her! We're not 100% yet, so I'm not announcing it - plus we need a middle name, but we think we have a winner. :)

How's YOUR father's day?

Make sure if your father is available, you tell him you love him today. And if you ARE a dad - then ENJOY IT. If your father isn't available - then just love him in your heart.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

The Traveling Bunny

Hey guys! I've taken over again to answer some questions!

First of all - Amanda - thanks for the suggestion! I woke Jonathan up this morning and he did a great EA Active workout - lots of lunges. Apparently his knees hurt. I don't have knees, as you can see - so I can't relate.

I also told him that as of today he has 80 days before the Disneyland race - and if he's able to lose just one pound every 3 days (2 pounds a week) - he'll have lost over 25 more pounds before the race! Totally doable if he works as hard as he has the last few days. He'll have to work extra hard dealing with a party or two that are coming up - as well as a break in July to go get his parents - but I know he can do it! And no matter what, he'll strive to reach his goals!

As for Disneyland - you KNOW I'll be there! The RnR on the other hand is a little more difficult....

Maybe if I rode in Jonathan's fanny pack.

Hmmmm....

Anyhow - hope you guys are doing great! Keep saying hi! I love stealing the computer! Although I must admit - it's hard to type without fingers!! :)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

A Message from Runny Bunny

Hi everyone out there in Bloggerland! It's me! Runny Bunny!

I know - you haven't seen me in awhile, or even heard my name - but I wanted to come say hi this morning. Jonathan did great today - he got up early - no excuses - and out he went for a 3 mile wog in 48 minutes.

I wanted to personally thank all of you for sticking with him - things have been rough for him, but I really feel like he's getting back on track - between the race next week - and the EA Active he's been doing - I really see a change in him. He's finding the FUN in exercising again.

I just know he's going to accomplish his goals of finishing Disneyland fitter, faster, and thinner. He says that he'll update all his numbers this coming Monday so we know where we're at on the track - measurements and all.

In the meantime - keep commenting - keep texting - keep e-mailing. It means the world to him to see the support of people he looks up to and calls friends and teammates!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Questions and Memories

Okay - today I have a few questions for you guys - and then I need your help!!

But first - rest assured - the exercise is still going strong. Tomorrow is a 3 mile wog, then EA Active Thursday, a 3 mile wog Friday, EA Active Saturday, and an 8 mile wog on Sunday. Next weekend is the RnR. The weight is coming and going, and I'm not sure why, but we'll focus on that after finishing the RnR. 80+ days to Disneyland.

And there's my first question.

HOW MANY OF YOU ARE GOING TO BE IN DISNEYLAND FOR THE RACE? This includes running, not running, supporting, or whatever. I want to plan a bunch of fun activities - breakfasts - lunches - whatever! I want to get groups together! I want to include AATMousekateers! Are you guys interested?

And now - my request for help.

As I mentioned this week on AATM, I'm doing a talk in August at the PNW MouseMeet about Magical Moments. And I need YOUR stories and pictures. (Don't worry if you don't have a picture - send me your story anyhow). PLEASE! It'll really help make my talk that much better! E-mail them to me at jonathan@allaboutthemouse.com so that I can start working on this - I only have 2 months to get my topic together!!!

In the meantime, teammates, everyone go over and see Rae's blog - and congratulate her for being...well SUPERwoman!! And check the Team Voice page to see a great bio and message from Jeff, our TV Member of the month!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Precious

Okay - first a quick update. I just did a long wog - and feel great about it - however, (talk about dopey) my mileage counter on my iPhone conked out midway through. So I know it was over 4 miles in about an hour. LOL That's about as good as it's gonna get. Next Sunday I have an 8 miler picked out - and the following Saturday is the RnR!

So - how cool were those ultrasound photos?

Well I get MORE of them. Yup. See - she wouldn't roll to her other side, and so they have great measurements of PART of the baby. But they need to check the other side. So we get to go back for another ultrasound in about 2 weeks or so. We were told we'd only get one! I get another chance to see my daughter! YAY!

Speaking of which - do you have ANY idea how much STUFF a baby needs? Yeah. I know! We spent a good 3 hours at Babies R Us yesterday filling out more items on our registry. Holy cats!!! (FYI - if you're interested (some of you have asked) - feel free to go to www.babiesrus.com and search for Amber Dichter in the registry - you can see the awesome stuff we've registered for! Although a lot of the clothing and things are "in store" only - so you'd have to go look at cute outfits.) :)

How weird is it that I'm about to celebrate my very first father's day? Wow.

Unreal.

How's your Juneathon going?

I've been terrible at emailing Jeff to get my stuff on the site - but I'm keeping up with the pledge!!! Keep it going!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

First Pictures

Okay - today I'm not going to talk about exercise or diet. Rest assured, those are coming fine.

Today - well today I want to introduce you to my daughter.

Now it's not 100% confirmed, but the sonographer said she's 70+% sure - from what she saw, and she didn't see - that we're having a little girl. So that's what we're operating on. We'll have a a backup name, just in case, but when it comes to the registry - it's girl stuff! :) And can I say? We're totally excited about this! So instead of "it" we now call her "her".

And how totally photogenic is she? You can see in this ultrasound that she was lying on her left side. The white line above the word "Body" is her spinal cord! How cool is this?

Another profile view. Same orientation - and you can see the spine again. We just couldn't get her to roll towards us to get a good look. Plus her butt was right around Amber's belly button, so we couldn't get that PERFECT shot.
A closeup profile - looks like she's got her hand in her face. Maybe even sucking her thumb.
Our last picture of her was of her HAND! She was moving all around, and I think finally either waived at us, or was waving us off! LOL "Go away! I'm napping!"

Can I just say that this was the coolest thing?! We could actually see her moving inside. Her legs and arms were flailing like crazy! The sonographer says it all looks good - and we're about at the 70-80th percentile for growth and size - so nice and normal.

Although the computer puts us due a week earlier than we thought. So who knows?

But seriously - do you have ANY idea how jazzed I am?!?! I'll admit it - the first time I saw her on screen - I cried.

HOLY CATS. I had to share this with you guys! I have to share it with EVERYONE!

How is it possible that I already love her so much???

I guess that's what being a daddy really is, huh?

Alright now - everyone comment - gush - pour out your hearts. :) I'll save them for her to read someday so she can see how many people were waiting for her!! :)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Beauty (Amber) and the Beast (Me)

Can you believe it?!? THREE DAYS of exercise in a row. Holy cats! I'm so proud of myself right now!!! I really feel like I'm finding speed again - and getting back on track. I've been talking the talk, but stumbling the walk - now I'm walkin' it folks!!!

Last night Amber and I decided to put in some work on a sorely unfinished project. Our Honeymoon scrapbook. Yes. I realize our Honeymoon was over three years ago.

And Amber looked at this picture of me. At Epcot.

Around 340 or 350 pounds.

And then she looked over at me at our table and said.

"I'm so proud of you."

I was shocked. What on Earth would she have to be proud of?

"I look at this picture, and see you now, and I really see a difference. Your weight. Your body. The whole thing."

So I looked. I looked at a picture from the Henson exhibit.

You know? I do see a difference. My face. My chin. My shoulders. My stomach.

My whole body, although not as LIGHT as I want it to be - has made changes for the positive. It's gone from fat and lumpy to more toned, more efficient.

More, dare I say it, athletic?

And here's the funny part - I didn't see it. For over three years.

Until yesterday. When Amber pointed it out to me.

I guess there was something there that wasn't there before.

Tomorrow - THE BEAN'S FIRST PICTURE!!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

The Magic Feather!

Wow - two days of blog updates in a row - and two full days of exercise in a row! Can it be he's finally finding the traction he's sorely missed for MONTHS?!?!?

So - this is Dumbo. You all know him. And he's my inspiration today. Why? Because he did something nobody thought was possible. You remember?

"I dun seen bout everythang....when I've seen an elephant fly."

Well we've all done that too! I mean - those of us who've finished a half marathon - committed to getting in shape and being healthier? How many of us are people who believed, or had others tell them that it would never happen? That their life was predetermined by "genetics" or by "the past"?

Yeah - me too.

But every day I choose to workout and eat healthy foods, my heart rate declines overall. My muscle tone improves. My waistline shrinks. My weight decreases. And I start to live LONGER, and FULLER.

It occurs to me today that this isn't about "races" per se. I mean we're all racing with ourselves, right? But I mean - the RnR, for instance - isn't some lofty goal. It's training. This is about HEALTH, FITNESS, and DISNEY. And running, walking, crawling, wogging, or whatever we do - IN DISNEY PARKS. Everything else is training to look better in the Disney pictures. :)

Or more importantly - training to feel better with our families in the parks - at home - and for life.

And just like life - we have stumbles - ups and downs - but as long as we keep moving in a forward direction - we can't possibly fail.

Oh yeah - and the ultrasound is TOMORROW. :) You'll see a picture here FRIDAY morning! Who's excited?!?!?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

An inspirational vision

Ahhhh...my castle.

I wonder how this RnR race will compare to running up Main Street. Or how the DLR will compare, for that matter. Nah - that'll be great - I'll be in Disneyland - my folks will be here and settled. I'll be a month or two away from meeting the Bean. It'll be great!

The RnR might not be great - but I'm going to MAKE it great! I'm going to get all I can out of it - as a training experience, and just as a life experience! It's a time set aside just for me. And I'm determined to make the most of out it. As I am with my training.

This week I'm pushing myself to actually complete 6 workouts. Same with next week, and the week after, until the race. And then to carry that momentum through the Disneyland Race.

I do want to say thanks again to you guys - as I continue to struggle, you're not giving up on me - you're staying with me - and cheering me on. It means the world to me. I know I can do it - and you guys know it too!

I'm so excited about seeing some of you in Disneyland - some of you in August at the PNW meet - some of you whereever I see you! I feel pretty good in general today. And so I'm hopeful and optimistic.

Oh yeah - and you've asked about the EA challenge - it's still going! In fact, I'm off to the living room to do today's workout! :) YAY!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Candle on the Water

I'm going to start featuring some of my own personal art collection here on the blog. Elliot is one of my prized pieces. LOVE him.

So - how am I doing? The heat has broken, but it took a few days.

I'm training - and just got back from a wog. A little shorter than I'd like because I think I twisted my back or something in my sleep a few days ago - it's a little achy. And let me say - it sucks that it's achy. It's a reminder of what I felt like all the time at 370+ pounds.

We ate out a lot this week. Which also sucks. But I did my best to make good choices in terms of what I was eating, and have maintained my weight fairly well this week. No loss, but no gain.

Now that the weather has normalized though - and with only 3 weeks until RnR - it's time to really buckle down. No more excuses. No more bad days. No more laziness. I need to use the RnR as a beacon to guide me to what I need to do to get to Anaheim. I'm still going to get there thinner, fitter, and faster!

Let's get dangerous! (Okay - I'm not darkwing - but I've always wanted to say it!)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Heatwave

Yesterday was a recordbreaking heat day here in the Pacific Northwest. And man oh man was it hot.

I sincerely hope this heat breaks soon - because none of us have a/c. We did get a new window put in, so at least we can ventilate the living room.

Poor Amber is SO uncomfortable right now.

And yet - what did I do this morning?

Went out for my wog.

And sweated.

A lot.

Ew.

Shower time.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Penguins

Few thrills on the WDW Half Marathon course for me were bigger than finding, meeting, walking with, and telling my story to John "The Penguin" Bingham, and his wife, Coach Jenny. John's books were a huge inspiration to me as I got started, and continue to be inspirational in my training.

Last night, as Bryan and I recorded All About the Mouse, I was thrilled to have John Bingham as our special guest to discuss running in Disney Parks.

I must say that he hits the nail squarely on the head. There's something magical about these races that brings us back. There's something about them that drives us specifically to run them. He also indicated that sometimes using them as a bar to measure other races can be too big a bar to set. I think that it's more accurate to say that the Disney races just stand out.

John told me he'll be here in Seattle for the RnR - and will be at the finisher's announcer's table. I told him to look for my neon yellow Team Voice shirt - and he promised me a shout out.

I'm not as physically ready for the RnR as I'd like to be. And that's entirely my fault. It's come to my attention, recently, that I've been slacking in many areas of my life. I've been tired. Cranky. Lazy. Sure there are reasons - but none of them are "good enough" for me.

And so I continue to refocus my energy. I continue to forgive myself. I continue to do what's important. I push along in the Juneathon. I eat right. I sweat. I hope. I dream. I move forward. I succeed.

It's all I know how to do.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Trial

Okay - first of all - HAPPY JUNE!

Secondly - happy Juneathon! My goals, which I've e-mailed to Jeff are 3 days of mileage a week plus 3 days of EA Active a week. In the last week, I've taken 0ff 2 pounds, and am feeling good about it. Next Monday we'll be even lower, and have good measurements to go with it! I'm only about 26 days away from RnR, which I've resigned myself to walking most of, but it'll be a great gauge to figure out exactly what I need to do before Anaheim.

So today starts a new month, and how better to start it than with a Jury Trial today. I love trial. I believe it's one of the times I'm truly at my best - in a courtroom making arguments. I just adore the feeling. And today will be no exception. I get to forget about weight, and parents, and training, and everything else, and just tear into my case full speed ahead.

Speaking of parents - we've decided on an assisted living community. Now the real work begins. Ugh.

How's YOUR June shaping up? What are you going to do this month?

Oh yeah - and hey Justin! I'm back on the right track in Challenge35 - I haven't forgotten, nor given up. I'm not letting this stuff get the better of me!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!