2017 got off to a fantastic start. I ran 11 miles on January 1st. Then, on January 2nd, I headed down to catch part of the Rose Parade. With January 1st being on Sunday, they held the parade and the Rose Bowl on January 2nd. I was really happy because my beloved USC Trojans were back in the Rose Bowl.

We took Colton and met up with some friends. This picture pretty much captures how Colton felt about the parade. He LOVED it! I think we have a new family tradition…or at least a new tradition as long as we continue to live so close to the parade route. He loved all the floats and marching bands!

I can’t remember why, but I missed the run scheduled for Tuesday, January 3rd. However, I made up for it on January 4th. Since I had so many missed runs in December, it was an interesting run to go out on. The plan I came up with was to try to hold on with the run 20 seconds, walk 40 seconds intervals as long as I could (or at least to the end of mile 3). One thing that was pretty fun about this run is that I saw more Christmas lights!

 

As you can see from the splits above, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. My first mile wasn’t too much slower than usual. The big difference in this run was how miles 2 and 3 played out. In those miles, I usually am able to make up some time. Not so in this first mid-week run. That was okay. I was huffing and puffing away through the miles. For most of the first two miles, it felt pretty good just being out and running again. By the end of mile 2, I had to just focus on finishing all 4 miles. After all, my slow times were built on missed runs. During the run, I came up with a new mantra…Slow Runs are Better than Missed Runs because Missed Runs Lead to Slower Runs. It fit. The victory for this run was that I held on to the run 20, walk 40 second intervals until 3.5 miles. Then, I needed to switch to a run 20, walk 1 minute 40 seconds.

Since I missed the Tuesday run, I needed to get in back-to-back mid-week runs. So, on Thursday, I was back out and at it. This time, I wanted to keep the run 20 seconds, walk 40 seconds intervals going the whole 4 miles. I was tired from the night before and a busy work day. However, I needed to head out. In this Los Angeles Marathon training cycle, I’ve simply missed too many runs. So, out I went…

The cool thing is that this run was totally better than the night before. Every mile was faster than the night before! I also felt better throughout. There’s something pretty cool about running faster that motivates you to keep going. One thing that’s kind of cool is seeing the splits of miles 1 and 2. As I was running, I was very aware of the fact that I ran these two miles in nearly identical times. Even though I usually like to make up time in mile 2, there was just something that felt good about being consistent. Neither of these mid-week runs were stellar. I am capable of being faster. However, it was good to get out and get the miles in during the mid-week. That was the accomplishment of the week.

This past weekend was Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World. It was quite a memorable weekend for those that were there and those of us following along. You see, on Saturday, runDisney was forced to cancel the Walt Disney World Half Marathon. There were some crazy lightning storms in the forecast that couldn’t be overlooked. I’m very impressed with how runDisney handled the situation. They offered every runner who was signed up for the half the finishers medal and some rather generous choices…a full refund for the entry fee, 2 Day Park Hopper Tickets, free entry to a future half marathon in the next 24 months, or entry into the full marathon the next day. What made Saturday so memorable was how the runners responded. Many of them headed out for the “Rogue” Walt Disney World Half Marathon around their resorts. My Facebook feed was flooded with videos and pictures of runners who headed out to get their 13.1 miles in to earn that medal. Not only did the runners come out to get their miles in, but lots of folks went out to spectate and cheer on the runners. But, it doesn’t stop there, some Disney cast members and other resort guests brought out water and Power Aid to keep everyone hydrated. It was such a beautiful thing to watch unfold. I can only imagine how it must have been to be at Walt Disney World and watch in person. It was so inspiring!

You would think that I would be inspired to get out and finish the week strong. Wrong! I was completely worn out on Friday evening. So, I had decided to reschedule my 15 mile run to Sunday and go to the gym instead. Except, I had something for work that needed to be finished. So, the fee time I had on Saturday was dedicated to that. Skipped Workout Number 1.

On Saturday night, Colton was up a few times which messed with my sleep. So, I skipped my 15 mile run on Sunday.

 

Honestly, I’m at a loss for words to explain the failure of this weekend. The meme above says it all. You can have results or excuses…not both.

At this point, I’m seriously thinking about whether or not I’ll be running the Los Angeles Marathon. My training has been really bad. As I look at the calendar, I’m not completely out of the running yet. However, I simply can’t miss any more long runs. I’ve got the Star Wars Rebel Challenge this weekend. So, I’ll be running 13.1 miles on Sunday. That’s good! In ordinary circumstances, running 11 miles and then 13 miles two weeks later is just part of the plan. Since I had already thought of jumping from 11 miles to 15 miles in a week, I’m going to try to jump from the Star Wars Half Marathon to 17 miles a week later. If I can do that, I’ll be okay. However, that’s an “if.” The next few weeks will tell me a lot about whether or not I should run the Los Angeles Marathon. All I can do at this point is follow this Walt quote…stay with it, dog it, and work at it until it’s done and done right.

The Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m hoping that this coming weekend will be just the thing I need to propel me to getting myself ready for the Los Angeles Marathon. I can’t wait until Thursday! I can’t wait to get to the Expo and be around all my fellow runners. Bring it Week 2 of 2017! It’s going to be a better week!