For those that do marathons...

[cobbler]

Do you run/jog the entire thing? Walk the entire thing? Do a combination of both?

If you do walk/run thing, how much time (% wise) do you spend walking and jogging?

How long does it take you to finish.

I'm debating on trying for the marathon in January, depending on how I feel after the wine & dine 1/2.

Just trying to get a guage of what goes on.

 

[cewait]

Yes to all the above….

It depends on you and how you have trained. As a beginning runner I would point you in the run/walk direction then let you play with the ratio. I coach the 5:1 Run/walk ratio but have seen everything from 1:3 run walk through 10:1 run/walk. Yes you can walk the entire race or run the entire race.

You will get the feel of a big race at the W&D and will feel more comfortable in your skin after the race. We are all different and there is no correct way. Other than being relaxed and enjoying (or dealing) what the day/race brings you.

I would counsel that even in the W&D you race the way you trained. If you run/walk in training then run/walk in the same ratio on race day. Do nothing new. Do not feel tempted to skip the first few walk breaks on race day. Do not feel tempted to run as far as you can then switch to a run walk… you will end up walking and not running much. Your body will not respond well to your desire to start running again. (i.e. run 15-17 miles then walk for a few moments – it is difficult to get back into a smooth and full run again.)

As far as finishing, other folk’s times do not matter. Be prepared to go at a pace that beats the max course time. Your goals in your first half or full are 1) to finish, 2) to finish up right and 3) finish with a smile.

As reference I run about a 9-10 minute pace so I finish a marathon in around 4 – 4.5 hours. I have both run the entire race and run/walked the race. Either way works equally well for me. I actually feel better post race on the full run race but that is because I have trained that way and am usually much better trained those races.

If you are thinking about running the full this January, look at a few training plans. The big three are Galloway, Bingham and Higdon. Look at where the W&D fits into the schedule and adjust miles to fit your race schedule.

 

[FireDancer]

As Charles said, there are people who do the whole thing walking, some that do the whole thing running, some that fluctuate.

I have only done one and my time was a bit disappointing but also not too bad for a first time, 3:44:55. I had to take a couple of walk breaks but I didn't want to. I am hoping to run the entire thing next time in January.

Unless you are in a position to win the race or your age group all that matters is you and the clock and no one else. Once you have one in the bag you can concentrate on bettering you time and then you are still racing you, just you from another race.

I would second finding a good plan and having realistic goals. If you haven't jogged more then a mile in the last 10 years you will probably not be able to qualify for Boston in January and to try would probably end in injury and disappointment.

The hard part of any marathon isn't the race, it is the training. You will be putting a lot of miles on your body and will learn how you react to different distances and situations and once you know that you will have an idea about what you can expect for the WDW marathon.

 

[JimB.]

From a purely anecdotal, non-expert point of view, I actually do both.

I usually run about 3 miles without stopping at the beginning. This helps get the gears lubed up & working easily, helps me relax after a usually hectic and crowded start & gets the crowd htinned out a bit.

After that I will drop into a run / walk plan. If it's a 1/2, I'll usually run 7-8/walk 1, & if it's a full, I'll run 4/walk 1.

By & large, it seems to work for me.