Racing Wrap-up – Disney vs. Rock and Roll

I’ve been bitten by the racing bug.  It started innocently enough.  A temp at work (Ann) heard about all the running I was doing and said, “Hina, you should totally run a race.”  I didn’t think too much of it at the time, this was late last year, November 2013.  I kept increasing my mileage and feeling fine and thought, I could handle a half marathon, after all, it is on my bucket list.  Without really training (big mistake, by the way), the week of the DC Rock and Roll race, I signed up for the half marathon.  A few grueling hours after it started, I was done, with a fancy medal and some calf strains for my trouble.  You would think after that I’d learn my lesson, and I did, instead of not training, I started training, like insane for someone who didn’t really do organised running before.  The night of that race, March 15, I remember it well, I signed up for the Tower of Terror run in Disney, to be held on October 4 of this year, this past Saturday.  Well, now I’ve done two different types of races and I’m here to give you my two cents, which in Hina currency is like three and a half.  Don’t try the math, it only makes sense to me.

TRAVEL

There are a few things to consider when debating doing a race.  The first thing I think about is, how accessible is it?  And what I mean by that is, is it hard or easy to get to or fly to?  The race I did over this weekend was in Orlando, the haven of a certain mouse, there are flights in and out of there from practically every single airline.  Yes, it does cost more to stay outside your house, but if you book a flight way out in advance, then you’re okay.

I have spoken to at least one other runner, Farrah, who has commented that she doesn’t like out-of-town races because it takes you out of your normal routine.  I’m all about structure, I admit it, and this race over the weekend had me completely discombobulated.  I had gotten up way early, earlier than usual, couldn’t get the requisite meals at the right times and didn’t get to bed until after 2 AM (and after the Nats immolated in that 18 inning marathon).  If you aren’t a fan of traveling, then your best bet is to do a race close to home.  I live in DC, so I’m lucky enough to have quite a few races going on in the area, and have yet only done one DC-based race.

DISTANCE

So you think you’re a runner?  As I ran at this last race, I can tell you, we come in all shapes and sizes, or as my father likes to say, extra small to quadruple extra-large.  It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, what colour you are, if you root for a terrible team that’s cursed with bad luck, anyone can run.  If you can put one foot in front of the other for several hours and make a slow plod through a course, you can run.

The larger question I think people need to tackle is how far can they run.  I overheard, far too many times this weekend, people commenting that they should have trained.  Yeah, you think?  Don’t be stupid, which might be a challenge for some.  Unless you’ve been running track since high school, you can’t roll out of bed and do a half marathon.  I mean, I was up to a high of eleven miles and ran a half marathon (13.1 miles) and was a hot mess afterwards, and I had trained.  Some people like to learn lessons the hard way, but not me, I’m good, learned and moved on from that lesson.  If you can’t find time to run a few times a week, then you can’t commit to a race.  I mean, at an average of $100 for a registration (on the low end for some races, Disney races are almost always at least $200, not counting their ‘challenges’ which can net you upwards of $500 for registration), you don’t want to register and waste that money, do you?  Or worse, and my fear also, register and not be able to keep the pace or finish and end up not getting a medal or have Goofy behind you in a golf cart laughing hysterically as he picks you up for not maintaining race pace.  I would be furious with myself if I dropped $500 and didn’t get the medals I should have earned because I was too foolish to train.

WHICH RACE?

And so, we’ve gotten the basics out of the way there, nutrition aside (I’m still trying to figure that one out myself – a steady diet of Cinnabon is not the answer, for those curious).  If you’ve passed my litmus test above, then let’s talk about races.  Now, if you’re new to racing, start small.  A 5K is only 3.1 miles.  Yes, only 3.1 miles.  Don’t jump in with a long race if you’ve never done a race, you won’t know what you’re getting into.  Now, you don’t have to heed my advice, but I know a little something about making bad decisions.  If you still think you’re the boss, then by all means, sign up for a marathon, but you’d best be ready to train.  The easiest training schedule is in excess of six months.  That means three days a week, for six months, you need to lace up your trainers and head outside, rain or snow, sleet or shine, dogs or butterflies (!).  

For me, the decision of which race came to availability.  What could I race in that was open?  The Rock and Roll series are pretty massive.  I’ve done two of their races and there are runners for miles and miles no matter where you are in the pack.  I just did a Disney race and while I might be able to say the same here, they cut off registration when they’ve reached a certain number.  I am curious what that number is, but I feel like people probably register and don’t show, so the numbers might not be totally right.  I do wish Disney had a way of letting people not just defer, but pull out and free spots up for others, like a wait list.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

With that in mind, a Rock and Roll series race is pretty much all over North America.  This year they expanded to Canada, into Vancouver no less, and the medal looks quite impressive.  The Disney races are limited to Orlando and Anaheim (Disney World and Disney Land respectively).  If you can’t get to either, then you really can’t race there.  The Rock and Roll series offers a variety of price points and registration options and gives you a lot of activities to do while there.  When I registered for the DC race, they gave us a discount code for Wizards tickets in addition to the race and hotel basics.  The options that Disney gave for other activities was spending practically full price on an admission ticket or going to a Mickey Halloween party, also not free.  One feeling I got throughout the Disney weekend was that it wasn’t enough for them that I had registered for a race, flown down, stayed in a Disney hotel and ate at Disney locations, they kept pushing more and more things in hopes that I would spend more and more money.  I don’t know if this is their normal practice, but I was pretty fed up with it early on and it didn’t get much better as the weekend went on.  I would think a place like Disney wouldn’t have to push the hard sell, but that was pretty much all I heard for about twenty four hours.

Despite that, there was nothing wrong with anything I did get or pay for.  With the Rock and Roll series, I was always able to bring my own things, food, water, whatever.  Since I had to travel to the Disney race, I was forced to purchase everything there and while paying over $2 for a bottle of water is obnoxious, it wasn’t bad and I didn’t get sick.  The interesting thing Disney had going for it, which I was fascinated by, was the Magic Band.  Yes, you read that right.  For those of you who have been to Disney in the last few years, this won’t seem new, but imagine my surprise and muted delight when I was given a box with a band with my name on it (example below):

The Magic Band is used to pretty much do anything and everything and was ‘free.’  I use the word free loosely here.  Free is relative in the sense that I was paying for everything.  They very happily offered to connect my credit card to my Magic Band.  I declined.  It was a very snazzy addition to what became a rather exhausting weekend.

COURSES

I’ve run two Rock and Roll races, one Disney race and without a doubt, if you’re a new runner, and you want to go on an easier route, Disney is the way to go.  The majority of the 10-mile course was on straightaways on Disney’s private highway in Buena Vista.  There were few hills and the openness of the track kept a very nice breeze blowing through.  The Rock and Roll races are tough.  The DC race had a hill that felt like a steep incline and the buildings blocked any breeze from coming in on an overcast morning.  The Virginia Beach race was like Chinese water torture.  The heat was unbearable, the humidity made it feel like you were plodding through walls.  How anyone completed that race in a ‘good’ time I’ll never know.  I was never happier to see the finish line then when I crossed there.  Hydration was a major issue in VA beach and an IV wouldn’t have helped.

If you’re a seasoned runner looking for something challenging, go with a Rock and Roll race.  If you want something fun and easy, a Disney race is for you.

CHEER SQUAD

The Rock and Roll series does an interesting thing at their races.  They invite local high schools or college cheer groups to compete to see who can motivate and cheer on the runners more.  The incentive for a reward, I think, makes them work a lot harder.

The Disney races have their employees out there.  Needless to say, I could tell they were getting paid and I don’t think it was enough.  People waving at you and saying you’re almost there at mile six isn’t helping me.  I couldn’t read a lot of the signs that were made because it was night and the characters that were promised came once every two miles and had a queue with each.  If you didn’t care about your finish time, by all means, stop and take a pic with Captain Hook or Jafar or whomever.  I was underwhelmed by the characters, but I do realise it is a Halloween race.  If you’re not a fan of the bad guys (pronounced bad giys), then this might not be a great place to showcase character interaction.

BLING

Let’s face it, we all want a trophy.  We all want something that says we’re fancy.  

The first medal I got was from the DC race, then three at VA Beach and one more this past weekend.  I stand to accumulate a whole slew more, but training is key.  On the ride to the airport (on the Disney Magical Express, which is not so much magical as slow and free), they had a short feature on creating medals.

The weight of each medal is pretty impressive and displaying them on your wall, or wherever, is pretty snazzy.  I am going to have a larger wardrobe of exercise shirts as well.  So far, I think I like the Tower of Terror shirt the best.  It has orange in it and is an interesting Buccaneers grey (Tampa football).

ANSWERS

I don’t have answers, the header lied.  I have signed up for a lot of races, all Disney, through the next year.  For me, I wanted to try something, and I’m a bit of a completion-ist.  What I failed to verify is if you get any extra bling for doing all the Disney races in one calendar year.  They award a coast-to-coast medal for doing a race in both Disney World and Disney Land in one calendar year, but so far, that’s all I’ve found.  Whereas Rock and Roll has a Heavy Medal section of their site.  Do two races, get an extra medal, and so it goes, up to eight, skips nine for some reason, and then ten, which is one big honking medal.

For me, I’ve signed up for races, I’m going.  But, I may want to do one year of straight-up Disney, then one year of straight-up Rock and Roll.  That might be a better assessment of who really is ‘better,’ if there is such a thing.  One thing that might be getting lost in my ramble, and boy what a ramble (!), is that you’re supposed to be enjoying yourself, having fun, competing against yourself and all that jazz.  When I did my race this past weekend, I wasn’t paying attention to the people around me (save for the extra-large that kept passing me in her walk-sprint-walk and it was starting to get annoying), I was trying to shuffle my little Hina legs and keep moving.  The key is, it is an accomplishment, despite anything your mother (or mine) might say.  Running a race doesn’t make you a failure, though I won’t go so far to say you’re a winner either.  You committed to something and saw it through.  Hats off, until the next race.



Currently signed up for the following races:
-Avengers Half Marathon November 14-16
-Walt Disney World Marathon Dopey Challenge January 7-11
-Star Wars Half Marathon Rebel Challenge January 15-18
-Disney Princess Half Marathon Glass Slipper Challenge February 19-22
-Tinker Bell Half Marathon Pixie Dust Challenge May 7-10

Can’t Put the Fun in Funeral

It seems to happen more often than not, but people are born, people get married and people die, the major events that litter all our lives.  While I could discuss the where and why I was at a funeral, I think it would be a disservice to the person who passed.  The tone of this blog is, hopefully, much more conversational.

Attendance: Just Show Up

One thing I noticed in the audience was how many people not in my age group were there.  I realise that most people who die are old, which is such a flawed statement I can hardly stand looking at it, but it has some truth to it.  If people are allowed to lead a rich, full life, then they die towards the end of said life.  It stands to reason that most people who would attend a funeral are the person’s peers.  In this case, the woman worked at a non-profit that had quite a few young people in it, myself included.  She sat next to me for several years, tolerated my silliness and lack of professionalism with grace.  She was well liked and well known.  But when I looked around the church, I could count on one hand who many young adults there were that weren’t related to the family.

I don’t know if this is an issue with all of my peers, but it needs to be fixed, rectified and acknowledged.  Just because you feel uncomfortable or don’t ‘like’ funerals isn’t a reason to be rude or disrespectful.  Swallow your pride, take a deep breath and pay your respects to someone, be kind and be giving.  Funerals aren’t fun for anyone, and I saw a great outpouring of support from the company I had been with, and it made me feel good.  It made me feel good that I’d taken the time that not one of my friends did and pay respects to someone who had been kind and comforting, a great contrast to the turmoil that still plagues the association.

Get over yourself and attend a funeral!

It Isn't Baseball, so Crying is OK

I realise that some people hire mourners to make appearances at these sorts of events, but that isn’t necessary, not really.  Funerals are sad, you’re celebrating the fact that you will never see someone ever again.  Funerals are permanent and forever, and it is sad.  We don’t go because we want to grab onto the casket and go under with them (though movies and TV would make you think so).  It is okay to cry, to be upset, to lament what you should have said or done that you can’t change now.

I foolishly only brought 2 tissues, and paid for it, but I think there really should be standing boxes strewn about, it isn’t like they won’t be needed.  It is totally reasonable to cry your eyes out and be fine as soon as you exit the church.

The only caveat I’d bring to this is there doesn’t need to be overly demonstrative crying going on.  It is distracting, I grant you, but it is probably not always appropriate.  I know this might be a touchy subject, but at least I’ll do my part to keep it to silent crying, and maybe we all can give it a try?

How Long Should a Service Be?

I sometimes wonder when I’m sitting in really long services if secretly the person who passed is chuckling at how silly we all are crying for hours on end.  This is more of – if you’re about to die or host a funeral, it doesn’t need to lag on.  People are already upset that are there, to make them sit through tearful speeches without ‘assistance’ is slightly unkind.  Being Muslim, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy that anyway.

I have only attended a few funerals, the Muslim ones I’ve gone to have been short and sweet, in and out and at someone’s house enjoying eats within an hour.  Christian funerals are much more orchestrated and requiring a lot of standing up and sitting down, and also singing.  I won’t lie, I didn’t sing, but I did get up and down countless times.

I can’t say that if a loved one has died you don’t have the right to make a speech, and I was treated to some great speeches today, but on the whole, they are usually depressing and involve a lot of crying by the speaker.  I was pleasantly surprised when the kids of the woman who passed had some hilarious stories that weren’t denigrating, but just were, and they made me smile.

All in all, a funeral shouldn’t be something to make people even sadder.  We all know what we are facing and we will cope in our own way, the key, to me, is to make the transition for everyone that much more bearable.  Tell a funny story, an anecdote, a quote, something embarrassing, but don’t make people cry even more than they already are!

The one thing I want to really highlight was how nice it was to see so many familiar faces supporting one another.  Family doesn’t just mean the people you’re genetically related to.  Family can be anything, as wide-reaching as a university experience and as tight-knit as a small department.  You spend more time at work than you do at home, to deny that you care about the people you work with might seem ‘cool,’ it is childish.  I’m glad I went and I wish more people my age would understand the importance of attending funerals.  Funerals aren’t about having fun, but paying your respects to someone who deserves it.

Hina's Bucket List

This is really just a first draft, but some of you asked about this, so here we go.  Some items on the list are not for the public.

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12.  
13. Be an expert at something
14. Be nice
15. Lose weight and keep it off
16. Meet more characters in costume
17. Be a character in a costume
18. Own an adult car (read boring or possibly a Volvo)
19. Meet someone nice
20. Meet someone who actually likes me for who I am and not what I can do for them
21. Be treated like I matter by people I care about
22. Have my wedding where I want it, not where everyone else wants it
23. Be the bigger person
24. Watch the Capitals and Nationals win a championship
25. Do something both dangerous and stupid and live to talk about it
26. Learn how to paint or draw
27. Re-learn Russian
28. Learn French or German
29. ‘Get’ religion
30. Run a half marathon and full marathon
31. Finish all the video games I own
32. Read all the books in my queue
33. Stop selling on ebay/online
34. Visit all the ballparks and hockey stadiums in one season
35. Attend a Superbowl
36. Attend a World Series game
37. Attend a Stanley Cup Finals game
38. Travel more (here and abroad)
39. Travel by train somewhere
40. Visit the official/original Planet Snoopy in Cedar Point
41. Visit Charles Schulz’ Museum
42. Live abroad for at least one year
43. Attend the San Diego Comic Con
44. Attend E3

You're So Vain; You Probably Think This Blog Is About You

I’m usually the internalising type.  I don’t like to talk about myself, mostly because I think no one cares.  But that word, ‘cares’ is really ambiguous.  People say they care about one another all the time, but it is just lip service.  You know it, I know it, my stuffed Charmander knows it.  But I have been struggling with those low moments, you know the ones, like that episode of Simpsons where Lisa feels depressed and is sad.  It’s a cute episode where Marge tries to get her to put a fake smile on and realises that it flies in the face of Lisa’s sadness.

I don’t have anything to be sad about.  Not really.  I mean, I could list all the things I have in my life, not least of which are a job, multiple degrees and a home, but I still feel unsatisfied, unappreciated, ignored and dismissed at times.  We all get that way, life gets overwhelming, stress mounts, things around you go in the opposite direction you’d like.

It seems petty, even as I type it, it seems petty, but that doesn’t make those feelings any less real, does it?  No, of course not.  And I want to look around and point fingers at everyone else who’s annoying me, or as I say when I’m driving, getting in my way. 

But it isn’t anyone else’s fault that they make me feel bad.  A great example that we can all latch onto is the general rudeness that pervades our society.  People will say and do things and won’t think about the effect those words have.  In the written form I’m much less careful then when I say things out loud.  I also have the wonderful knack of making everything sound like a joke, so there is a good chance I can side-step a major pitfall just by smiling.

Even on this site I see people being completely thoughtless and utterly self-involved.  And my response to that is a smile and a laugh.  I mean, come on now, this is a video gaming site: contemplate getting over yourself.  Or, try this one on for size, we all have a lot to deal with, so instead of wallowing in your own pity parade, look around you, you may notice something.

Today I had lunch with a friend of mine who was treated unfairly at work.  And when I say unfairly, I mean, she had to take a demotion, pay cut and transfer to keep her job basically because someone didn’t like the way she did things.  Was she violating any rules?  No.  Was she being inappropriate?  No.

She was handling the situation, a rather unfortunate situation, with a great deal of poise.  It is rare to see someone literally be given lemons and make lemonade.  I know, I think that saying is stupid too, because you literally can’t just convert lemons into lemonade, other ingredients are required.  Plus, I’m perpetually on a diet, so how would you make real lemons into a diet version of lemonade. 

I may have lost the point of this blog before it began, but the sad feelings I had dissipated ever so slightly when I saw someone else in greater distress.  This won’t replace how I feel when people are rude, arrogant or controlling, as most people are in my life, but it gives me a way to cope.  And what’s so odd about it is the person who needed the help, to me, wasn’t me at all, but someone else, but by being around someone who was in worse shape, and me being supportive of that person, that person was supportive of me, without realising it.

And isn’t that what being in the world is all about?  We can put blinders on and focus on ourselves, as most of my family seems to do, or you can stop and see everything around you, as it really is, and realise you’re a part of it, but not the central part.  Being self-involved can be easier at times, but I find it costly as well.  Instead of being melodramatic and narcissistic, why don’t we all try, just once, to shut up and help someone else instead of griping and complaining about your life and your psyche.  You may feel bad, but I am sure someone else feels worse.  Be the bigger person and support someone else and you may be rewarded for your efforts.

Better Late than Never

My sister pointed out that I hadn’t updated this blog in some time, which I haven’t, but not for lack of information, more for lack of time.  I’ve also been gaming my brains out, so that’s been enjoyably distracting.  I can’t believe it is already August.  I did see Cowboys and Aliens, but it was pretty terrible, so I’m not sure a review is required here, but if anyone wants to see one, I did post one for another site I blog on.

Ramadan started this month, and I have not had to take a break yet, though the unofficial rankings in the house have me tied for first with Mom and Dad, which I was hoping to have knocked one of them out by now, so I’m getting worried about my chances of winning the overall fasting contest.

Work has really been kicking my butt.  The employee issues I have had are still going on, but are slowly abating.  To talk about this online would be foolish, but needless to say, as a manager, I have been thoroughly tested with a myriad of situations and would like to say that despite obsessing, I’ve handled it all quite well.

I’m conflicted about the NFL lockout ending.  I know most people that read this blog aren’t die-hard sports-fans, so there isn’t much point to saying more, and what is there really to say?  I don’t know that I have the gumption to cancel my NFL ticket, but I still have time.  I am looking forward to the hockey season, will be glad to have something to see and a team to root for.

I’m trying to think what else has happened and for the most part, my focus of late has been work and fasting, with video games mixed in to keep it level.  I am glad that Ramadan is once again having that ‘untouchable’ feel to it.  It may sound silly, but in some senses, I feel like this is the time when I am closest to God and am open to hear what is being said.  I am not totally insane, but practicing something as strict as a fast isn’t for the faint of heart and it says something about conviction and belief.

I promise, the next update will be directed, as most previous entries were.