Back from the Disney Marathon!

This was an interesting race and this finish was amazing!  It was a VERY hot and VERY humid race... even for Florida.  Some of the later runners had the course shortened or they were even pulled off the course for safety reasons.   For me... I took it in stride and had a lot of fun.  This is my first Run Disney race and I learned somethings for any future races...

I didn’t realize I was in the last corral until the expo ended so I started out in the very back. Literally the back fence.  I sent in my qualifying time to put me in the proper coral for the proper runners, but apparently it didn't go through and there was no confirmation or rejection if it was acknowledged.  So I started from the very back and I was not going to let that get me down. I ended up passing more than 11,000 of the finishers, and there were a lot of people that didn’t finish. I made sure to pass respectfully on the edge, in the grass, and not cutting up through the middle. Made my move early while it was still cool, and cool being 70° at the start. It was very warm and very humid once the sun came up.

But I can say one thing I never could before:  I went to all of the Disney World parks in one day AND one of the water parks as well! 

I soaked in the entire experience and stopped 29 times for photos with the characters. My finishing time wasn’t even a goal. Just enjoy the race. Once I was in people my pace I just settled in and trudged through humidity. My shoes were sloshing in sweat by mile 10. My wife had the kids at mile 23 and that was motivation to keep going. By not acclimating to the heat it really took a tole on my heart rate. When I stopped to see my family it was 202! I rarely ever get that high. I had been hydrating religiously through the race, but this one was a fun, brutal race.

I highly recommend a Run Disney race if you are looking for a good time. It’s not where you go to try to PR. I may have bit the bug and be back in a couple years for the Dopey Challenge: 5k, 10k, Half Marathon, and Full Marathon. Run Disney knows how to put on a fun experience.
Up next: vertical mile race in a month. Time to work on some hills!

I was planning on zero running the rest of the trip, but a buddy happened to be staying at the exact same hotel.  So we did meet up for a morning run.  Great to catch up with Steve, plus he gave me some pointers on riding some of the Star Wars rides at Hollywood Studios.

The family had a great time visiting Disney.  Disney is not a cheap vacation and we saved up last year for this trip.  We did do some tricks to save some time and money while there and really enjoyed our time. The kids stayed healthy and it was just a joy to see Summer really in that perfect age to enjoy the "magic" of Disney.

I particularly geeked out in the Star Wars land: Galaxy's Edge.

I rode Smuggler's Run, which is a motion simulator game/ride where you "ride" in the Millennium Falcon.  The first time I tried to ride it the ride broke down.  Our motion simulator stopped working and it had to be reset.  I was stuck in there with 5 kids from Brazil for about 15-20 minutes.  We had some laughs and Disney gave us Fastpasses to ride again.

The second time I knew where to look or stop for photos.  

Dawn and I rode Rise of the Resistance.  My parents came down to stay at the resort, but not go into the parks.  So they met us to take the kids so we could go and ride this together.  It was more of an experience than a ride.  So cool.  So many visual and special effects to pull off the "magic" and I HIGHLY recommend getting to the park before it opens to try to ride it.

It was my mom's birthday while we were down there and she said it was going to be hard to top this birthday for her. 

Spending time with her grandkids and enjoying the warmth of Florida is a GREAT way to spend a birthday, in my opinion.  

Good morning!  This morning is our coldest morning on the extended forecast.  We are starting out in the mid teens again, so bundle up.  We have clear skies to start the day then more clouds moving in throughout the day.  We will warm into the upper 30s.  Mostly cloudy and chilly tonight with low temps in the mid 20s.  Mostly cloudy again on Thursday with highs in the mid 40s.  Rain moves in Thursday night.  Our temps should be JUST warm enough that we stay mostly rain on Friday.  We will have to monitor the temps Friday morning because if we happen to dip a little cooler then some wintry mix is possible in the morning.  Something to keep a close eye on, for sure!  On and off rain on Friday, moderate to heavy at times, and highs in the lower 40s.  Cooler temps move in Saturday and we will see scattered lighter rain changing to a rain/snow mix.  We then have some light snow and flurries Saturday night and Sunday.  Right not it looks like no significant accumulation expected.  Our high temps will be around 40 on Saturday then upper 30s on Sunday.  High pressure builds Monday into Tuesday and we start warming back into the 40s with clouds slowly clearing out for more sunshine. Have a good one!

 Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

New year, LOTS of rain coming

Started out 2020 with a 2 mile run with Summer.  We ran around the neighborhood and ran to the park.  I did laps while she played to get me up to the 2 miles. We also did a little on the trails too and had some fun in the woods.

I had a 12 mile taper run on Saturday.  The kids were going to go to Cleveland to visit their grandparents, but Evan was sick.  He is better now, but he did not get very much sleep at night.  So I slept in Saturday and did not wake up in time for the big group run.  Luckily I knew my buddy Jason runs a little later so I joined him for some trail miles.

Evan snapped back quickly with some extra rest.  So thankful that he is back to his normal ornery self.  We have to lower his crib a little more because he is starting to try to climb out of the crib.  Summer never did that.  She stayed in the crib for almost 3 years old, until she got a big bed with Evan needing her bed.

We have an area of low pressure passing by to our south, through Kentucky into West Virginia.  Southern/Southeastern Ohio will see some flurries and light snow showers near the Ohio River this morning.  By midday today we will see the clouds clearing some for partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies for the afternoon.  Highs in the lower 40s today.  Clouds move back in tonight with a weak cold front coming in from the northwest.  A few flurries possible late tonight and for the start of the day Wednesday.  Clouds clear out, again, for some afternoon sun on Wednesday, but colder with highs in the low-mid 30s.  Sunshine early Thursday then increasing clouds and highs back in the mid-upper 40s.  Rain moves in Thursday night and we are in for a wet stretch.  Rain showers on and off on Friday and heavy rain at times Friday into Saturday. 

Forecast models are still showing 1"-3" of rain for Friday and the weekend.  Temps also climb into the upper 50s on Friday and around 60 on Saturday.  Temps fall Saturday PM into Sunday with highs in the lower 40s.  A light wintry mix is possible on Sunday on the tail end of the rain, as temps cool down.  Mostly cloudy and cool on Monday.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Checking off a bucket list item, new fun graphics, weekend snow?

I have always thought it would be cool to run completely across Columbus.  But the problem is getting your car once you reach the other side.  I was planning my weekend run and a buddy of mine asked if we should see some other parts of town and since it was just the two of us we planned to drop off one car on one side of town then drive the other car to the other side of town.

We both live on the west side of Columbus, but took a photo of the Columbus Eastside Running Club's sign that was on our run.  We passed their group as well on the Alum Creek Trail.

 

We started in Westerville just on the north side of 270 and ran all the way down to Three Creeks Park in Groveport, which is about 1 miles beyond 270 on the south side.  Fun run!  Thankfully temps were in the mid 30s. So chilly, but I was just fine with minimal layering. 

This week has been windy with the running.  We had a 70MPH gust Monday morning in Madison County!  That is INSANE!  And it was with a weak line of showers, so no lightning or thunder as a warning.  Lots of power outages!

Running in the wind has been... well... Kinda fun actually!  You have to pay attention in case a wind gust catches you from the side, but running into the wind was fun and hill-work without the hills.

I know this is a running-heavy post, but I am pretty stoked with this graphic.  I talked to a handful of my running friends to get a threshold of criteria for weather conditions that impact outdoor runs.  Most runners say they will run 99% of the time, but they will dress differently for the conditions.  So I made this automated graphic to have the shoes change color depending on how cold, windy, or wet the run likely will be.  So far it has changed to the colors that I would agree with and I am excited to use this in the morning, especially the early morning newscasts.  The same conditions would apply to everyone heading out the door to help them prepare for the day as well. So you could change the graphics to a garden shovel or walking the dog as well.  But someone might not like seeing green dogs. LOL

Did have a little fun for New Year's and our augmented reality.  I made a few new graphics to drop the crystal ball in the studio.

Here is another graphic I cooked up this week showing the travel conditions for the coming days.  Speaking of the coming days...

Welcome to 2020! We are starting off this morning with temps in the lower 30s with a light breeze and we will warm to around 40 today with the morning clouds giving way to afternoon sunshine. Mostly clear and cold tonight with lows around 30. Thursday starts dry and sunny then more clouds through the day and some afternoon and evening rain showers with highs in the mid-upper 40s. Still a light breeze through the day today and tomorrow. More rain will move in for Thursday night and Friday. Most of the rain will be showers, but a few rumbles of thunder are possible Friday. Highs will climb into the lower 50s on Friday, especially Southern Ohio. Temps fall Friday night and Saturday so a light scattered wintry mix possible Saturday as the colder air moves back into the area. Highs in the mid 40s early Saturday then falling into the mid 30s by the afternoon and evening. A weak system will pass by to our north on Sunday, so flurries and light snow possible to the north. High stay in the lower 40s for Sunday and early next week. Monday is looking dry then a slight chance for some rain returning Tuesday. Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael