The Goals and Preparations

Okay so let me be clear in that this is my first long distance race that I am training for and this blog will serve as my record of my trials and tribulations as I work through my physical and potentially emotional barriers. I intend to run on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 Miler at Walt Disney World and you must keep a pace time of at least 16 minutes per mile. Bearing in mind that I'm still new to running my only goal it 15 minutes per mile and to finish this race with my sanity (mostly) intact and bonus if I happen to lose 10 pounds in the process. I have printed off and transcribed into my calendar the suggested training right from the Run Disney website.

They suggest training with running alone 3 days - Tuesday, Thursday, and long runs on Saturday. I have other light fitness classes that I enjoy so mine will be slightly altered to accommodate those at my local LA Fitness. The guide clearly states that you won't get much benefit from cross-training but my other classes give me enjoyment and peace so if I am not to sore or worn down I intend to keep to that schedule. My fitness schedule will look something like this most days.

Monday - Running Training - 30 minutes
Tuesday - Water Aerobics - 1 hour
Wednesday - Running Training - 30 minutes
Thursday - Water Aerobics - 1 hour
Friday - Belly dancing - 1 hour
Saturday - Long Running Training up to 3 hours & Water Aerobics 1 hour
Sunday - Yoga - 1 hour

I am most fortunate that I have access to a runner's trail that is relatively well lit and well mile marked so I can keep track of my progress.

There are a few items I will need to invest it in to make this a viable hobby

1. Additional sports bras -  I have 2 that I really love from Old Navy already but if I'm going to be running this often I might need to get a few more or look into the Adidas or Nike ones that are sold at Marshalls.
2. Additional tech shirts - I have one already from our schools running club which is super cute that says You Got Schooled on the back but in practice I will probably need at least two more so I have enough for the whole week for running days.
3. Running Socks - I don't own anything but circulation and trouser socks!

Diet Changes?

Thankfully I won't need to make many if any at all diet changes since I already relatively eat a runners diet courtesy of my heart patient diet :) The only change I might make is on long run days and the race day itself adjust my carbs just fractionally higher to make sure I'm not all the way depleted.

Other Resources

I have a Windows Phone right now so my source of applications to log my running are few and imperfect and my poor pedometer from Christmas bit the dust - a very sad day indeed. I am going to be using MapMyRUN to log the location, time, and distance as this is pretty much the only app of this kind currently available on a Windows Phone.