Yes, you CAN walk the Goofy!

[goofyinohio]

Dave,

Just remember the only numbers that matter are 1 Donald + 1 Mickey = Goofy. Congrats to you!

 

[goofeygirl]

Amen to the fellow posters and Goofy regulars on here who gave great advice!

Congrats on your Goofy!

 

[jyssilly]

WOW, congratulations!!
What an inspiring story!!

 

[debbieandroo]

Dave, thank you for your post and your careful description of your strategy in finishing the Goofy. I especially loved your talking about 'slow and steady wins the race.'

While training to walk the PHM, I have been more discouraged than I would like to admit. My endurance is growing but my pace - not so much.

Your wonderful story has reminded me of why I wanted to do all of this in the first place. Thank you - I can conquer this!!!

P.S. And I cried too, reading your story.

 

[Freight Train]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words! Debbieandroo and others, trust me, if I can do this, you definitely can too! I mean, would you call this clown an athlete???

Yes, I really did wear that during the half. If you saw the weird guy with the propeller beanie, that was me. I figured I'd wear something funny for my kiddo, who ate it up. You can't see the neon green knee-high socks in that photo. That's probably for the best.

Congratulations!!!! I think you did wonderful, and i want to follow in your footsteps. I am a repeat-injured runner and will likely have to walk in a couple of my upcoming races.

may i ask, what training program did you use for the Goofy? Did you a traditional marathon training program or a special "walking" program?

I started out doing 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and then 10 miles on consecutive weekends. Then I added a mile every other weekend and did lesser amounts on the "off" weekends. During the weeks I tried to do at least two miles three times a week, but honestly with a 5 yo and a newborn (during training!) it didn't always happen. A few times, evenly spaced, I did half of my long distance the night before (in other words, walks on consecutive nights) to get used to going on tired legs. I deviated from the training when I did the full Goofy distances that weekend I mentioned in my original post.

That all sounds pretty tedious, and it was, but I tried to keep my mind occupied by focusing on technique and, later, by sort of daydreaming about the course, the finish line, how I would tell doubters I had done it, what I would tell my kiddo about it, and so on. The music, once I got it right, helped too.

I discovered during training that the loop I live on is exactly .25 miles per lap. That made the math easy and, after a safety scare in a neighborhood during a late night session, I decided to just do laps. I figured if I could endure the monotony of the endless laps around the same quarter mile, then Disney would be a pleasant change. Sort of like swinging a bat with a donut on it in the on deck circle. Turns out that strategy did work, but it sure was brutal to train in and my neighbors probably think I'm crazy for doing as many as 105 laps around the neighborhood in one night.

My last session was a second full 26.2 two weeks before the races. I had the bona fide flu over Christmas and it messed with my schedule a little. I did 6.5 the weekend before the race.

Don't know if any of that helps. As Coach says, we are all an experiment of one, but at least I can say that this worked for me at least once!

 

[minniebeth]

Congratulations!! As someone who walked the 1/2 for the first time, I can only imagine how hard walking the Goofy would be!! A true test of endurance and determination for sure. Much of it truly is a mental challenge and it sounds like you were well prepared physically and mentally.
You should be sooo proud if yourself, you are an inspiration!

 

[megny]

Congrats! You are my hero! I've only walked halfs at the point, and I'm totally intimidated by the idea of the full distance... and to do Goofy... You are amazing!!

 

[WaDiWo]

As Coach says, we are all an experiment of one, but at least I can say that this worked for me at least once!

Thanks Freight Train, for outlining your training plan for us. I can't wait to try it out. May I ask, who is Coach?

 

[bmbmd]

Would you mind telling me how tall you are? That seems like an awfully fast walking pace. Oh-and congratulations on a job very well done.

 

[John VN]

Thanks Freight Train, for outlining your training plan for us. I can't wait to try it out. May I ask, who is Coach?

Coach Charles is one of the mentors here on the DISboards. His vast knowledge and experience has helped many achieve success. Look back for many outstanding pieces of advice.

 

[John VN]

Would you mind telling me how tall you are? That seems like an awfully fast walking pace. Oh-and congratulations on a job very well done.

Height is not really the major determining factor in how fast one moves. Stride length plus foot turn-over or cadence will set your pace. A shorter length in the stride with a faster foot turn-over, again cadence, will be physically better than a long stride and slower cadence. Too long of a stride will create a very harsh heel plant that can lead to problems with the foot, heel, ankles, shins and on up.

 

[DOOM1001]

This thread really has me thinking I should try doing the Goofy next year,I think if I run the first half of the half marathon and the first half of the marathon at my normal 12-13 minute pace it would give me 18-20 minutes per mile to do the rest of both races walking which I know I can pull off.I'm not the fastest walker in the world but I believe I was doing sub 16 minute miles walking the last few miles of the marathon this year.

 

[John VN]

This thread really has me thinking I should try doing the Goofy next year,I think if I run the first half of the half marathon and the first half of the marathon at my normal 12-13 minute pace it would give me 18-20 minutes per mile to do the rest of both races walking which I know I can pull off.I'm not the fastest walker in the world but I believe I was doing sub 16 minute miles walking the last few miles of the marathon this year.

I had a thread some time ago with lots of additional input from other walkers. You might give it a read to see if there is anything that might be helpful.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3011389

 

[WaDiWo]

I had a thread some time ago with lots of additional input from other walkers. You might give it a read to see if there is anything that might be helpful.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3011389

John VN,

Thank you for this ... I read through the thread, a you're incredible! 2:11 for half and 28 for 5k?? that's faster than some runners! you have given me hope. I am a runner, but due to injury and osteoporosis I may have to walk in upcoming races. Thanks for being an inspiration.

 

[stasijane]

What an awesome accomplishment! I would have never thought waking the Goofy was possible until I read your story. I almost feel this is something I could do. Thank you so much for sharing!

 

[John VN]

What an awesome accomplishment! I would have never thought waking the Goofy was possible until I read your story. I almost feel this is something I could do. Thank you so much for sharing!

My bolding.

If you FEEL that you can do it, you are already on your way to accomplishing it.

Set a goal, find a training schedule that works for you, be truthful to yourself during the training, then go out and accomplish the goal. Life's issues will wind up getting in the way but continuing the training during these times will make you MUCH stronger and self confident.

To ALL, good luck and always have FUN in what you do.

 

[WaDiWo]

If you FEEL that you can do it, you are already on your way to accomplishing it.

...

To ALL, good luck and always have FUN in what you do.

Thanks for this John VN,

I strongly believe this. You can feel your way to anything you want ... feel as if you already have it, and it will come to you! And really, the purpose of it all is fun.

 

[Freight Train]

Thanks for this John VN,

I strongly believe this. You can feel your way to anything you want ... feel as if you already have it, and it will come to you! And really, the purpose of it all is fun.

Believe it or not, for my music mix for the marathon itself I found the song from the old Horizons ride at Epcot. "If we can dream it, then we can do it, yes we can, yes we can." I timed that to play at around mile 23 or so. It hit the spot!

 

[Freight Train]

Height is not really the major determining factor in how fast one moves. Stride length plus foot turn-over or cadence will set your pace. A shorter length in the stride with a faster foot turn-over, again cadence, will be physically better than a long stride and slower cadence. Too long of a stride will create a very harsh heel plant that can lead to problems with the foot, heel, ankles, shins and on up.

Amen! And bmbmd, I'm 5'11" but he's right--in training I focused on my getting my cadence as quick as I could. To do that, I chose music with a fast beat and during training sessions I sought to match that beat, which forced me into a quicker foot turn-over. Songs that I thought would work but didn't were a little too slow, and matching the cadence meant a longer stride. I was much slower with those songs, and when I found them I rejected them.

For me the songs were a great help not only in maintaining cadence but also in passing the time. A 5 or 6 hour training session in the middle of the night can be boooooooring!!!

 

[John VN]

Amen! And bmbmd, I'm 5'11" but he's right--in training I focused on my getting my cadence as quick as I could. To do that, I chose music with a fast beat and during training sessions I sought to match that beat, which forced me into a quicker foot turn-over. Songs that I thought would work but didn't were a little too slow, and matching the cadence meant a longer stride. I was much slower with those songs, and when I found them I rejected them.

For me the songs were a great help not only in maintaining cadence but also in passing the time. A 5 or 6 hour training session in the middle of the night can be boooooooring!!!

my bolding,

Dang, did you ever hit the nail square on the head. Just realized why I don't need music when training or racing or driving or biking.....I am a boooooooooring person and thus can keep myself happy simply by talking to myself.