Roller Coaster Ride-Along While Running

This morning, as I was watching the local early morning news while running on the treadmill, they did a special segment on the new Texas Giant at Six Flags over Texas. The roller coaster, which has been closed for over a year for "enhancements," is re-opening this week. For anyone unfamiliar with the ride, here's a quick blurb about it:

"This new super hybrid will have a state-of-the-art track of steel fabrication, with the steepest drop of any wooden coaster in the world at 79 degrees. The lift hill will be 10 feet taller than the original Texas Giant. The new ride will also have a record-breaking bank of 95 degrees, steeper than any other wooden coaster on the planet."

The coolest part was that they did a LIVE "ride-along."  You can see it here.

I'm a huge roller coaster fan, so this was very exciting for me! I was also nearing the end of my run, so it made for a fun two minutes when I'd normally be trudging along! I'm thinking there's definitely a trip to Six Flags in our future sometime soon so we can experience the new ride in person!

Today's run:

• 10 min warm-up walk
• 2.31 mi run; 0:30:00; 12:59 min/mi avg. pace

California, Here I Come!

Cue the music...We're headed back to the Golden State at the end of July!  But instead of sunny Los Angeles, foggy San Francisco is our destination this trip.  Why, you ask?  Because it's one of the only places you'd feel comfortable running a half marathon on July 31st, even if there are hills involved!!!

That's right, my San Francisco 1st Half Marathon training begins this week.  The course time limit for the 1st Half is 3 hours - that's a 13:45 pace - something I should be able to handle pretty easily, and wouldn't normally be worried about.  However, I'm slightly concerned about the hills, and I'm definitely going to want to be able to enjoy the incredible scenery, so I'm trying a different training plan this time around.  I'm going with a Time Goal Training Schedule, hoping to pick up a little speed so I'll have a decent cushion in July.  This will be my first ever experience with speed work, so any advice you all can offer will be greatly appreciated!

I've added my training schedule (which will probably be modified due to starting Galloway Group Training at the end of Week 5), the Course Map, and a quick Course Video of the First Half route at the bottom of the page.  If you're interested in seeing what I've gotten myself into - or perhaps in joining us for what promises to be a great race - check them out!

Today's stats:

• 10 minute warm-up walk
• 2.24 mi run; 0:30:00 min; 13:24 min/mi avg
• I accidentally selected the old 1:1 intervals on my Garmin and didn't realize it until after I'd warmed up and was a minute into running and I didn't feel like starting over, so I just went with it.

Decidedly Dopey

"This loveable, slightly-balmy, child-like fellow gets a great kick out of life.  Imbued with a sense of fun, he is a bit like Harpo-Marx, in that Dopey doesn’t speak, but his sly grin seems to ‘tell all.’  Dopey’s garments are at least 5 sizes too big for him, but that only adds to his charm.  Somewhat mischievous, Dopey somehow manages to capture the hearts of everyone." - http://crushable.com

No doubt about it, I have definitely been Dopey recently.  Not really in the way of the characteristics ascribed to Dopey the dwarf above, but in the common vernacular kind of "dopey."  And mostly in regards to my running training and nutrition lately.  Neither of which are good things.

So, how to turn it around?  New race, new goals, new motivation and inspiration.  Stay tuned for the next post for details on what's up next...

***This is the end of the dwarf-themed posts.  I managed to get all 7 of them in, and it's amazing how each dwarf's "theme" really did fit into my life...with maybe just a little tweaking...  Are you ready to test your Seven Dwarfs knowledge?

1.  Whose shoulders does Dopey stand on to dance with Snow White?
          a.  Happy     b.  Sneezy     c.  Bashful     d.  Doc

2. Who has the biggest nose?
          a.  Dopey     b.   Doc     c.  Grumpy     d.  Sneezy

3. Who is in charge of locking the door to the diamond mine at the end of the day?
          a.  Doc     b.  Bashful      c.   Sleepy     d.  Dopey

4. What dwarf has the biggest belly?
        a.  Sneezy     b.  Bashful     c.  Happy     d.  Dopey

5. At the end of the movie, Snow White kisses each dwarf on the head except one.  Who does she miss?
         a.  Sleepy     b.  Dopey     c.  Bashful     d.  Grumpy



Scroll down for answers...









ANSWERS:  How'd you do?

1. Sneezy (b)
2. Grumpy (c)
3. Dopey (d)
4. Happy (c)
5. Sleepy (a)

Today's stats:

• 40 min Yoga for Runners DVD