2016 WDW Marathon Journey (Comments Welcome)

[LSUlakes]

I am finally getting over this cold, which of course came during the coolest week in August that I can ever remember. Went out yesterday for a few miles and could tell that the cold was making the run a little more difficult than it should have been. The miles are in though and I was happy to back out on the road. Finally retired a pair of my shoes. I ended up putting ~325 miles on them. They made the run very uncomfortable as the arched on my left foot hurt during the run and my shins did not feel great. Once I took off the shoes, my toes in my left foot where numb. Feeling fine this morning, but after a few days rest there is only one explanation for those aches and it was the shoes. I hope to get in a few more miles this weekend, but my goal of 150 miles this month is not going to happen.

 

[Z-Knight]

My half is the Disneyland Half Marathon - that will be my first "official" one. I've done training ones but most on the treadmill because I live in Houston. The problem is that I've been training on the treadmill in preparation for the Dopey (started training in January) using my own method. What I mean by training for Dopey is I wasn't worrying about pace but rather distance trying to build up to the full marathon distance and essentially trying to do a Dopey every week - sort of. Since January I've been averaging 54 miles per week: 6 tue, 6 wed, 6 thu, 6 fri, 12 sat, 12+ sun. I was planning on ramping up the sunday runs from 12 to 22 over the next 4 months. Over the past 4 months I have been trying to get my timing faster because I was doing run/walk intervals for this entire time for the 12 miles weekend runs - for the weekday runs I would usually run (no intervals) at around 6.7 to 7.0+ miles/hour on the treadmill (around a 9:00 min pace)...though I've been doing it at a 2% incline to try to make it tougher. So basically you can see that I've trained myself well for a 10K (6 miler) but didn't focus on improving timing for the half or beyond. My run walk was able to easily achieve a 10min/mile on the weekend runs and sometimes I would push it further to the point I got to 9:00min/mile. I can run the 10K in 7:50 min/mile but I would love to at least get the half pace to around 8:20/min to try to get under 1:50 hrs for the half...I'm not sure I'll be able to do it because even though I think I can with extra effort on the treadmill, I think outside will be harder in the heat/humidity. btw, I have run a few training runs outside (all 10K distances) and even in 93 degree heat so I'm not completely training in the comforts of a gym.

I'm planning on one more long run this saturday of around 12 miles at hopefully goal pace (treadmill of 7mph). I can't stop running too much before the actual race because if I stop for more than 1 day then my legs feel tired the day I do run - it's as if I need to keep them warmed up at all times. Right now I'm not feeling tired at all and I'm 40 years old and have been running daily for the past 5 years - only within the last year did I start running races and going beyond 4 miles per day of running. My VO2Max (based on my Garmin 620) is 48 after some outside runs and it predicts me finishing the half in like 1:37 - I think that thing must be crazy. Also I know that VO2Max is low since all my outside runs that it used were done in higher heat so I imagine in cooler weather this watch will think that I'm even more fit or something - which again I think is not true, but these are just predictions so you have to take them with a grain of salt. I think though it at least tells me I have a higher ceiling that I am achieving now so that's something to look forward to. My hope that for this coming half I can somehow run fast enough to reach that 1:50 - maybe the excitement will push me past any problems because I do want that higher corral for the Dopey in January.

Anyway, my plan is to definitely start an actual plan after this Half is complete - and not use my own madeup plan....so I'll check out the book and some other plans I hear people mentioning and follow that closely. Thanks for your suggestions.

Edit: Had to correct my run dates...I don't run on Mondays (had in there by accident)...that's my off day.

 

[LSUlakes]

I think we have discussed this before, but I wouldn't buy into the data off the Garmin VO2Max to much. For it to be accurate it needs a good amount of historical data and the HRM to be working flawlessly. Even then it's still not perfect. Mine suggest I can run some crazy times as well. Not saying you are not able to, just don't let the watch set the bar. You do a ton of running! I think some speed work thrown into the mix will help you out a lot with pace and I'm just amazed you don't have a rest day in there. I have no idea how you do it. Not to sure how well the AM book will help you towards Dopey and I really don't have much knowledge on how to train for it. I think you are fine on the TM for now, but your race in the heat next weekend my reflect the indoor training. Again, I wouldn't lose much sleep over it because the outside heat and RH in the south makes recovery from one run to the next difficult. Just out of curiosity, on your TM runs are you going by your Garmin or the TM? How do they compare for you?

 

[Z-Knight]

Yeah, I believe we touched on this in the Marathon thread. I agree that the watch is not fully calibrated yet but it has been steady on that number the last couple of times but I still am not totally trusting it yet. I do trust the HRM though, I am finding my heart rate is steady average over even my tougher runs of around 150-155...I hit maximums of 165 or more after long, long runs but I can see that I have a little gap there to give it some more effort but I'm trying to be careful with it.

Yes I do tons of running - it was mostly to lose weight and now to maintain it because of the "run-GER" that I have making me eat more. I do take one day off (mondays) and lately I've been taking another day off as well, or riding a bike instead...so technically I am tapering

On the treadmill runs I go by both - they are pretty close right now. I have the Garmin 620 (no footpod) and initially I was way off..like I'd be off my 1 mile after 1 hour of running and I could never figure out why. Well it was because I had the watch on one hand, and when I run on the treadmill I use one hand to always hold the front bar - actually more like touch it so I can always grab it if I miss a step or something. I don't have a death grip or anything, just need that assurance - it was because I ran on treadmill while on cruises and the sway of the boat would force you to hold on and so I got it stuck in my head. Usually I also just focus straight ahead or on a movie and I might tend to start leaning too far and could fall off so I use it for assurance....ok, long story, sorry. The main thing is that I realized that in doing that it was screwing up my distance readings - I thought the Garmin 620 was using the HRM accelerometers for pacing info but it turns out it is using those only for the cadence, ground contact time, vertical oscillations and the main watch for the pacing info when no GPS is available. So after a few outside runs it gets calibrated to your stride length and then on the treadmill the accuracy will be better compared with the treadmill. For me, it means I have to hold the watch in the one free hand that is not touching the front bar, but I've been able to match closely - usually off maybe 0.1 miles or worst case 0.2 - some of that is due to me switching hands occasionally.

Thanks for the suggestions, and good luck to both of us... I'll stop hijacking your thread now!

 

[LSUlakes]

I have the same watch and have learned the same thing as you while using it on the TM. It still impressive that the watch can perform that function without a footpod. Overall it's really a good watch that you can do a ton of stuff with. Not worries about hijacking the thread. It's meant to be a discussion with others. It looks better having other people post in it, than just my weekly post of stats.

 

[LSUlakes]

Running Week Recap 8/24 - 8/30
8/27 - 7 Mi @ 8:27 pace
8/28 - 2.47 Mi Walk
8/29 - 11.12 Mi @ 9:26 pace with stroller
Weekly Total = 20.59 Mi
August Total = 128.01 Mi

Looking back at this past weeks runs, I think I made the correct decision in taking a few days off to recover from the cold. I was feeling better, and went out for a few miles, but as my times reflect, I am not 100%. It's a shame because this week we had morning lows in the lower 60's with very low RH. I may never live to see another August with temps like that around here. One more week until marathon training start, and ~ 19 weeks to Disney Marathon! I hope this cold I have/had is the only one for the season. Hope to pick things back up this week.

 

[LSUlakes]

Final August total 136.06 miles. My goal was 150 but my little cold I was dealing with had other plans. For comparison, August of 2014 I had 95.48. Goal for this month is to hit 160 miles.

 

[SarahDisney]

Final August total 136.06 miles. My goal was 150 but my little cold I was dealing with had other plans. For comparison, August of 2014 I had 95.48. Goal for this month is to hit 160 miles.

Great job!
I think 160 miles is a great goal - you can do it!

 

[LSUlakes]

Great job!
I think 160 miles is a great goal - you can do it!

Thanks @SarahDisney ! This month wont be to bad. The longest run is 15 miles, the only real concern will be the 8-10 milers midweek with the heat. Staying hydrated will be the biggest challenge.

 

[LSUlakes]

Did something I haven't done in many months last night. After my run I took out my road bike and took a little 1.25 Mi stroll. I should ride it more often, but time is rarely on my side. I know, that's a sad excuse.

The bike came out because the greatest season of the year is here! Its football season and the Tigers play at home. So you ask, whats the bike have to do with that? Well I arrive on campus with all my tailgate stuff and running stuff around 6:00 AM. Take my tent out and a few other items and go for the prescribed amount of miles for my long run. Leaving my parking spot and going back home to shower isn't going to work. So after I run I take my bike to a place to shower and a short stop at the farmers market before heading back to campus for the game. So for every home game I should get 5-10 miles on the bike on top of whatever miles I ran.

 

[dancingtodisney]

Hi! I've read your posts on the marathon thread and just discovered your journal.

My heart was in my mouth reading your recap of Boston and again when you returned. Thank you for sharing.

Your times are amazing! I'be enjoyed reading so far and will keep following... I've just started my own journal now too, I'm training for my first marathon (Dublin Marathon end of October) and Dopey in January.

I've had some problems too with HOT weather I knew it would adversely affect my runs but I completely underestimated by how much! Hoping you get to enjoy some cooler temps.

 

[LSUlakes]

Hi! I've read your posts on the marathon thread and just discovered your journal.

My heart was in my mouth reading your recap of Boston and again when you returned. Thank you for sharing.

Your times are amazing! I'be enjoyed reading so far and will keep following... I've just started my own journal now too, I'm training for my first marathon (Dublin Marathon end of October) and Dopey in January.

I've had some problems too with HOT weather I knew it would adversely affect my runs but I completely underestimated by how much! Hoping you get to enjoy some cooler temps.

Thanks for reading as well as your kind words. The warm weather takes it out of you, but even as it is cooling down a bit, my times are still slower than average. It has to be still from this cold which isn't 100% gone yet. Dublin sounds like a awesome place to go. Good luck with your training, only 7-8 weeks till your first marathon! I look forward to reading your journal.

 

[dancingtodisney]

Thanks for reading as well as your kind words. The warm weather takes it out of you, but even as it is cooling down a bit, my times are still slower than average. It has to be still from this cold which isn't 100% gone yet. Dublin sounds like a awesome place to go. Good luck with your training, only 7-8 weeks till your first marathon! I look forward to reading your journal.

You're welcome! I laughed out loud at the person mistaking vaseline for GU! Ye I couldn't believe how much our pace dropped off in the hotter temps. Thank you! I'm so nervous for it but excited too! Yes please do and feel free to comment I'm still feeling like quite a newbie so all comments welcome!

 

[LSUlakes]

Running Week Recap 8/31 - 9/6
8/31 - 8.05 Mi @ 8:53 pace TM
9/1 - 4 Mi @ 7:53 pace & 1.25 Mi on the bike
9/2 - 8 Mi @ 8:25 pace
9/3 - 3 Mi @ 8:28 pace
9/5 - 10.25 Mi @ 8:45 pace & 9.31 Mi on the bike.
Weekly Total = 33.32 Mi
September Total = 25.25 Mi

It was warm on Saturday and I decided to cut the run short a few miles. Marathon training officially starts this week! Hopefully I can get through the next 18 weeks without injury or a cold! The marathon will be here before we know it!

 

[LSUlakes]

With my marathon training in week 1, I plan to grade each run with a +/- based on the goals for that workout. Below are the paces I need to achieve in training to reach my goals this winter and thus my runs will be judged on hitting those marks. Going faster than a prescribed pace may or may not receive a +.


Type of Run - Pace

Recovery - 8:30 - 8:45
General Aerobic - 8:10 - 8:30
Medium Long Run - 8:10 - 8:30
Long Run - 8:15 - 9:15
Lactate Threshold - 7:25 - 7:35
Half Marathon Race Pace - 7:30 - 7:40
Marathon Race Pace - 7:37 - 7:49
VO2Max / 5k - 6:30 - 6:40

According to my book, a MLR is 11-15 miles, and a long run is anything over 15. For the time being, Saturday runs will be considered long runs as far as pacing is concerned.

 

[girliea]

Wow, your goals are impressive! I'm pulling for you.

 

[LSUlakes]

Wow, your goals are impressive! I'm pulling for you.

Currently they are just goals, I have a good amount of work to put in to achieve them. Thanks for your support! Next week will have a few test to see how things are looking.

 

[LSUlakes]

Running Week Recap 9/7 - 9/13
9/7 - 8 Mi @ 8:23 pace on TM +
9/9 - 9.4 Mi @ 8:31 pace on TM -
9/11 - 4 Mi @ 8:04 pace +/-
9/12 - 12 Mi @ 8:34 pace pushing DD in the BOB +
Weekly Total = 33.41 miles
September Total = 58.68 miles

First week of the training plan completed. Had to run more runs than usual on the TM, which I am not 100% confident in the paces my watch gives. Data is data, and that's the numbers I will go with for now. Overall not a bad week. The 12 miler is the shortest run I will have until the weekend before the marathon, and hopefully not to many more of the LR will have to be done with the BOB. Although it is a nice running stroller, it makes the miles a little harder. DD is a champ during runs and I think she really enjoys them. Had some nice weather this weekend, but it is only for another day or so. Looking forward to Late October, early November for really nice weather!

 

[roxymama]

I had to laugh reading "pushing DD in the BOB" because it just sounds so funny.
But question about that: I have an almost 3 yr old who I have never ran with a jogging stroller. Do you think it would be too late to try to start her? Or is 3yrs going to be too heavy? She's well over 30 lbs. And with winter coming I'm not sure now is the best time to start. I'm concerned she'd get bored and that it would only be good for short runs. Maybe run to our local park and back which would only log me about 1.5 miles total I think. I know every child is different but any helpful tips or hints? I guess I'm just wanting to have more time in my day open to running and being with her.

I wish there was somewhere I could rent one to see before buying.

 

[LSUlakes]

I had to laugh reading "pushing DD in the BOB" because it just sounds so funny.
But question about that: I have an almost 3 yr old who I have never ran with a jogging stroller. Do you think it would be too late to try to start her? Or is 3yrs going to be too heavy? She's well over 30 lbs. And with winter coming I'm not sure now is the best time to start. I'm concerned she'd get bored and that it would only be good for short runs. Maybe run to our local park and back which would only log me about 1.5 miles total I think. I know every child is different but any helpful tips or hints? I guess I'm just wanting to have more time in my day open to running and being with her.

I wish there was somewhere I could rent one to see before buying.

It's a gamble I guess with starting her out at 3. She may think its great or be like one of the small children I see screaming. I started out with 3-4 mile runs as soon as she was big enough to do so. When I run longer runs with her I will stop ~ every 4 miles or so. Let her run around and look at the ducks, or mike the tiger.. or something she will find interesting. When we get going again, I give her a snack. So far, the plan has worked well. It could change any day I guess but I have been lucky to not have the screaming child and be 3 miles or more away from our vehicle. Depending on model you can put up to 70's lbs on the version we have. It does increase the difficulty of the run, but it makes the runs without out it much easier. It is also the stroller we are bringing to WDW for the marathon and park activities. a good amount of storage underneath and very easy to move around and folds up very easily. You could probably find one on the secondary market, as runners usually take could care of their stuff it should be in good shape. Hope some of this was helpful.