Dopey challenge programe

[UK_Disney_Dopey_Hopeful]

Hi all,

Just downloaded the runDisney dopey challenge training program for experienced runners and I have a question im hoping someone can answer for me.

Under most of the longer runs its say run/walk (For example, week 19 is a 20 mile Run/Walk)

However, under Week 14 (15 miles) and Week 22 (23 miles) it doesn't say anything underneath. Are we expected to run the whole distance? Week 14 doesn't worry me so much as im a regular Half Marathon participant and I think I could cover 15 miles ok, but ive NEVER trained over 18 miles before and I honestly just don't believe I could run 23 miles straight.

Should these 2 weeks say walk/run under them and its just a mistake, or are we being told we should be able to stretch to this distance and run the entire lot

Thanks for any help guys

 

[DopeyBadger]

Hi all,

Just downloaded the runDisney dopey challenge training program for experienced runners and I have a question im hoping someone can answer for me.

Under most of the longer runs its say run/walk (For example, week 19 is a 20 mile Run/Walk)

However, under Week 14 (15 miles) and Week 22 (23 miles) it doesn't say anything underneath. Are we expected to run the whole distance? Week 14 doesn't worry me so much as im a regular Half Marathon participant and I think I could cover 15 miles ok, but ive NEVER trained over 18 miles before and I honestly just don't believe I could run 23 miles straight.

Should these 2 weeks say walk/run under them and its just a mistake, or are we being told we should be able to stretch to this distance and run the entire lot

Thanks for any help guys

I'd say with relatively high certainty that those two runs (Week 14 and Week 22) should be run/walks as well. The entire training plan is run/walk except where it is denoted to be "walk" or "magic mile". I think the big key is to make sure you're running those longer runs about 2 min/mile slower than your current fitness marathon pace is. So if you were a 10 min/mile marathon current fitness runner, then you'd want to make sure your long runs (and most every run on the Galloway plan) are done at a 12 min/mile or slower. The instructions have lots of good suggestions on tiny edits that you can do to the Tues/Thurs runs as well (increasing run portion duration or running a few minutes/miles at current fitness marathon pace) along the way.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Run Walk Run is the method taught by Jeff Galloway and he is the official training consultant for runDisney, so this could just be language resulting from that relationship. I haven't seen what their schedule looks like, but I don't believe the differences were intentional. Knowing what I do of his methods there certainly wouldn't be any intentional over-exertion in his plan.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Knowing what I do of his methods there certainly wouldn't be any intentional over-exertion in his plan.

I used the Galloway plans for many years. One thing he says in the plan itself and often mentioned in interviews, at the fitness Expo, et all was that "you cannot run the long runs slow enough." The concept is to use the long run to build up your endurance. The shorter runs are used to work on speed, et all.

I think the big key is to make sure you're running those longer runs about 2 min/mile slower than your current fitness marathon pace is. So if you were a 10 min/mile marathon current fitness runner, then you'd want to make sure your long runs (and most every run on the Galloway plan) are done at a 12 min/mile or slower.

It sounds counter intuitive, but train slow to run fast really works. Taking the long runs slowly builds up your endurance similarly to what running them for speed would do. The difference is that taking them slowly helps preserve your body, thus allowing you to give greater effort on race day.

I recently trained at a 16 minute per mile pace. That would have equated to 3 hours and 30 minutes on race day. I finished the race in 2 hours and 59 minutes because I saved my all out effort for race day.