cewait
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2000
- Messages
- 5,695
Sounds like everyone is getting through their long runs, most healthy but some not so healthy. Hopefully all aches and pains heal themselves and everyone can have the race they want.
Thinking ahead to race day it is often a frightful, scary thought. Typical questions focus on, Have I trained well enough? Will I make the end? Will I stay well? Am I going to trip?
First, a little bit of anxiety is normal and very human. It WILL hold you to your plan and force you to focus on the task at hand. Trust me that even with 19 fulls under my belt (Yes, Goofy will be 20) I still have a tough time sleeping the night before the race and my heart rate is up 10-15% on race day morning. Without this anxiety we would not appreciate the magic of race day. Make sure to take in and live the day. If this is your first event, make mental notes of everything you see. Write a race report after the race. You do not have to share the report but by writing it down, you will remember many of those smaller events much longer. If you do share it, you allow folks like me to live through a marathon in a first timers eyes again. I really love reading race reports.
One of the issues that make a long race seem so insurmountable is the fact that 13, 26 or 39 miles IS a long way. One of the easiest ways to keep your mental game on race day is to chunk the event; or break the event up into smaller little events. Think of it as a project management activity. For many endurance races the race organizer will have mile marks and 5 k markers, also. I love the races that give you the 5k split as that creates 8 little chunks that I know I can run day in and day out. It becomes a game (at least at a 4:15 pace) trying to see how close to 30 minutes I can hit each 5k marker.
In the late stages of the marathon mile markers may be your chunks or even light poles. I have had a marathon where stripes in the roadway were all I could focus on.
Back to Disney
For me the Disney half chunks are from the start through the TTC. About 4 miles and a nice warm up run. From the TTC its all MK. You get the Seven Seas viaduct, a glimpse of Space Mountain as we pass the Contemporary, the MK railway underpass and of course Main, Tomorrow Land and Cinderella Castle. Then its back stage past the floats and over the steel bridge onto Floridian Way. The second chunk is about 2 miles. The third chunk is from the exit of MK to the cloverleaf exit from World Drive to Epcot Drive. These 4 miles are all about cruising. The fun of the race is over and you are just trying to keep the energy bleed controlled. You have the GF and Poly crowds and the soldiers from Shades of Green. Following the resort a high school band is near the parking lot of the Hess station. The next chunk is the two miles into the parking lot of Epcot. This is the most technically challenging section of the race with the 270 degree cloverleaf turn that includes funny footing and a climb. After that we have two more climbs. Nothing to sweat as the climbs are small in terms of a real hill but they are placed near the end of the half. The last half chunk is the last 1.1 miles through the Epcot parking lot. You final time check is at the 12 mile post so you KNOW where you really stand. Its all about making your goal from this point on. Once in the park a small incline and wind tunnel await as you pass under Spaceship Earth twice. The u-turn at the far end is always a little troubling as it can be tough to set up a good apex in the middle if crowded so slowing and speeding back up are always required.
For the Full the chunks are similar early. The first chunk is the 4 mile loop from the start through Epcot then back to the start. It is always neat from the right side to loop around the small lake/wetland area on the Epcot exit the micro weather is always a cooling jolt. This year the loop will be a little easier without the 3.3 mile merge point. The next chunks remain pretty much the same except on the trip out of MK. The Floridian chunk stops at the right hand turn to Bear Island Road. From that turn to AK the chunk is long, narrow and quiet. In my early years Disney placed The Snow White witch at the corner offering runners the poison apple. This chunk is all about staying on task. For many, especially Goofy runners this chunk can bring on the first chick in the armor. I put the end of this chuck at the point of entry into the AK park proper. We actually enter the backstage area of AK at Western Way but still have a mile and a quarter to go before the excitement of the park. My smallest chunk is the AK from the entrance into the park to the park exit and to the point where we hit the parking lot after crossing the entrance plaza. By far the AK has the most energetic cast members. It is also our first park open to the public (for most of us) and the look on guests faces is funny. AK does take a little focus as the paving is cast to look like a dried muddy trail. It is smoother than it looks.
After leaving AK the next chunk starts with AK parking lot and encompasses all of Osceola. It looks directly into the sun for 3+ miles so sun screen should have been applied as you dressed. This chunk has two over pass hills and the out and back mile. Finally a right hand turn onto World Drive again and one mile left in the chunk up to Buena Vista Dr and into the backstage area of DHS. The second to the last chunk is all about knowing that you did it. Once in DHS you are virtually assured of a finish as long as you are moving. DHS seems to go forvever backstage but once in the park it is hard not to run. From the DHS front gate area its a slight downhill onto a side walk and the the BWV, the first bridge, the Yacht Club, The Beach Club and the second hill. My final chunk is Epcot. For me this is the last time I see Mary on course. As a coach I will typically try to get a group of folks who look to be suffering back up and running and pushing for the end.
Oops went long, I really just wanted to talk about the chunking strategy and challenge folks who have not grasped it to think about in on the final runs.
Thinking ahead to race day it is often a frightful, scary thought. Typical questions focus on, Have I trained well enough? Will I make the end? Will I stay well? Am I going to trip?
First, a little bit of anxiety is normal and very human. It WILL hold you to your plan and force you to focus on the task at hand. Trust me that even with 19 fulls under my belt (Yes, Goofy will be 20) I still have a tough time sleeping the night before the race and my heart rate is up 10-15% on race day morning. Without this anxiety we would not appreciate the magic of race day. Make sure to take in and live the day. If this is your first event, make mental notes of everything you see. Write a race report after the race. You do not have to share the report but by writing it down, you will remember many of those smaller events much longer. If you do share it, you allow folks like me to live through a marathon in a first timers eyes again. I really love reading race reports.
One of the issues that make a long race seem so insurmountable is the fact that 13, 26 or 39 miles IS a long way. One of the easiest ways to keep your mental game on race day is to chunk the event; or break the event up into smaller little events. Think of it as a project management activity. For many endurance races the race organizer will have mile marks and 5 k markers, also. I love the races that give you the 5k split as that creates 8 little chunks that I know I can run day in and day out. It becomes a game (at least at a 4:15 pace) trying to see how close to 30 minutes I can hit each 5k marker.
In the late stages of the marathon mile markers may be your chunks or even light poles. I have had a marathon where stripes in the roadway were all I could focus on.
Back to Disney
For me the Disney half chunks are from the start through the TTC. About 4 miles and a nice warm up run. From the TTC its all MK. You get the Seven Seas viaduct, a glimpse of Space Mountain as we pass the Contemporary, the MK railway underpass and of course Main, Tomorrow Land and Cinderella Castle. Then its back stage past the floats and over the steel bridge onto Floridian Way. The second chunk is about 2 miles. The third chunk is from the exit of MK to the cloverleaf exit from World Drive to Epcot Drive. These 4 miles are all about cruising. The fun of the race is over and you are just trying to keep the energy bleed controlled. You have the GF and Poly crowds and the soldiers from Shades of Green. Following the resort a high school band is near the parking lot of the Hess station. The next chunk is the two miles into the parking lot of Epcot. This is the most technically challenging section of the race with the 270 degree cloverleaf turn that includes funny footing and a climb. After that we have two more climbs. Nothing to sweat as the climbs are small in terms of a real hill but they are placed near the end of the half. The last half chunk is the last 1.1 miles through the Epcot parking lot. You final time check is at the 12 mile post so you KNOW where you really stand. Its all about making your goal from this point on. Once in the park a small incline and wind tunnel await as you pass under Spaceship Earth twice. The u-turn at the far end is always a little troubling as it can be tough to set up a good apex in the middle if crowded so slowing and speeding back up are always required.
For the Full the chunks are similar early. The first chunk is the 4 mile loop from the start through Epcot then back to the start. It is always neat from the right side to loop around the small lake/wetland area on the Epcot exit the micro weather is always a cooling jolt. This year the loop will be a little easier without the 3.3 mile merge point. The next chunks remain pretty much the same except on the trip out of MK. The Floridian chunk stops at the right hand turn to Bear Island Road. From that turn to AK the chunk is long, narrow and quiet. In my early years Disney placed The Snow White witch at the corner offering runners the poison apple. This chunk is all about staying on task. For many, especially Goofy runners this chunk can bring on the first chick in the armor. I put the end of this chuck at the point of entry into the AK park proper. We actually enter the backstage area of AK at Western Way but still have a mile and a quarter to go before the excitement of the park. My smallest chunk is the AK from the entrance into the park to the park exit and to the point where we hit the parking lot after crossing the entrance plaza. By far the AK has the most energetic cast members. It is also our first park open to the public (for most of us) and the look on guests faces is funny. AK does take a little focus as the paving is cast to look like a dried muddy trail. It is smoother than it looks.
After leaving AK the next chunk starts with AK parking lot and encompasses all of Osceola. It looks directly into the sun for 3+ miles so sun screen should have been applied as you dressed. This chunk has two over pass hills and the out and back mile. Finally a right hand turn onto World Drive again and one mile left in the chunk up to Buena Vista Dr and into the backstage area of DHS. The second to the last chunk is all about knowing that you did it. Once in DHS you are virtually assured of a finish as long as you are moving. DHS seems to go forvever backstage but once in the park it is hard not to run. From the DHS front gate area its a slight downhill onto a side walk and the the BWV, the first bridge, the Yacht Club, The Beach Club and the second hill. My final chunk is Epcot. For me this is the last time I see Mary on course. As a coach I will typically try to get a group of folks who look to be suffering back up and running and pushing for the end.
Oops went long, I really just wanted to talk about the chunking strategy and challenge folks who have not grasped it to think about in on the final runs.
As a first time runner doing the Princess half I definately appreciate all these kinds of tips and strategies.
