Getting nervous - last minute marathon questions...

[bunnyfoo]

Question about this. What is the etiquette for walkers or walk runners? When I ran the princess half I heard other runners commenting on why there were so many walking? Well a lot of people do walk runs and most I saw were trying to stay to the side of the course. Is this the appropriate place to take walk breaks? I don't want to be blasted, but I would like to start in the corral is best suited for my overall pace but I don't want to slow anyone down when I take my walk breaks. Thanks!

I try to stay on the right side of the road when I'm walking and I usually put my hand up when I'm getting ready to slow from a run to a walk. When a race is really big, there isn't much you can do about it sometimes. I've had a few comments about run/walking during a race from continuous runners but I can always catch up to them even with a walk break. So whatever

 

[RunRookie]

Well, at 51, I can appreciate being in the middle-aged "masters" category.

I do not understand the lack of acceptance of walkers or run/walkers. If I feel the need to take a walk break, I move to the right and walk. I don't really worry about what anyone else says because I do what my body requires and not what others do/expect. I think as long as you try to avoid blocking the progress of the other runners, you should be fine.

I like to walk when I grab water at a water station so I don't spill it all over myself, and, it gives the heart a chance to recover for 30 seconds or so.

 

[cewait]

Question about this. What is the etiquette for walkers or walk runners? When I ran the princess half I heard other runners commenting on why there were so many walking? Well a lot of people do walk runs and most I saw were trying to stay to the side of the course. Is this the appropriate place to take walk breaks? I don't want to be blasted, but I would like to start in the corral is best suited for my overall pace but I don't want to slow anyone down when I take my walk breaks. Thanks!

This is from the race instructions....

• Wear your bib number on the front of your shirt and SMILE! Brightroom photographers will be taking pictures of you throughout the race. (Pictures will be available at www2. brightroom.com 2-3 days following the race. You will need your race number to access your photos.)
• Please enter your correct start corral. This will ensure that you are running with people who have a similar pace.
• Run or walk no more than two abreast. Other runners will want to get by you. If you are walking in a group, please start in the last corral.
• If you want to run with a friend and they are in a different corral, the faster of the two can move back to the slower corral.
• If you are stopping at a water or food station, move all the way over to the table. Grab water and move away from the table so that others may get water, too.
• Move to the side if someone behind you says “Excuse Me” or “Coming Through”.
• Feel free to shout words of encouragement to other runners. You will hear words of encouragement in return.
• When you are approaching the finish line, you may see loved ones cheering you on. Please do not encourage anyone to join you in the finish line stretch. Your support team is very important, but please communicate that the race course and finish area is for registered participants and staff only.
• Enjoy the post-race refreshments, but remember that others will want to enjoy the goodies, too. Please be courteous to those finishing behind you and take only one of each item.
• Celebrate! Thank your volunteers and have a great race!

I would add that looking around or raising your hand before heading to the walk is a great idea in the first half of the race. The movement of your head or hand is enough to get the person on your tail's attention. Once the track spreads out it is not quite as important. I still look as a matter of habit as I do not want a tail hater to take a shoe off.

I agree with moving to the side when slowing.. Though do not go to the very edge, stay at least one person off the edge. Old school etiquette was for slower and slowing runners to take the center of the road and faster runners the edge. It's only recently that the opposite has been asked of folks. Getting back to the rule of thumb, you will see on race day that there is a faster train of folks on the very edge of the roadway in the first 5 miles as well as mile 11 though 13.

EXPECT to here 1000 alarms 3 minutes, 4 minutes and 5 minutes into the race. Look at your watch to see if it is yours before taking your first walk break.

One other rue of thumb, on your left means the runner behind is passing to the left... do not move left. (like wise with on ur right or hold you line).

Finally, have fun and run your race. If some one is having a bad day and your walk break sets them off, it would have set them off regardless.

ADDED - Moving to the right is not an absolute, left may be appropriate. iso, if you are running on World Dr and taking the shorter left hand side of the left bend and you watch says walk, moving course right is plain crazy. Just get to near the side

 

[ironz]

I'm a run/walker, or Gallowalker...however you like to call it.

I move to the side of the road...but which side depends on where I am in the course.
I do try to make some sort of hand signal to give others a heads up.
I DO glance over my shoulder to make sure I don't stop my run and start my walk right in front of another runner who is still running and moving faster than I am.
***an inconsiderate run/walker did this in front of a friend of mine at the NY marathon and caused my friend to fall on her face and get a black eye, not to mention throwing her off enough to miss her goal time by just over a minute (the minute she was on the ground picking herself up)***

I will not take kindly to people walking 3-5 abreast on the road, especially very narrow sections like some of the on/off ramps...can't run around you if we are on a bridge! So PLEASE, PLEASE be courteous!!!

I'll be slow this year....well, slower than normal. Still have a bit of a hip injury from my trapeze incident, and it also turns out that the shoulder pain since that day is a rotator cuff injury, so we'll see what the ortho says about that, once I (hopefully) collect my Goofy medal! The hip is getting better, at least!

 

[stitchfan18]

One more walker tip I learned at princess this year. If you are nearing a walk break going into MK try to either slow your running pace long enough to get you down main street, or take a walk break before you get to MK. There really isn't a good place to walk during that part of the race if you are with people who are mostly moving at a running pace. Same is true in other areas of the park, but that was the most memorable tight area that I remember.

 

[Cruz91]

Thank you all again for so much great advice! You're really making me feel more at ease.

And BTW, I don't mind at all being pre-middle-aged at 38!

 

[ironz]

One more walker tip I learned at princess this year. If you are nearing a walk break going into MK try to either slow your running pace long enough to get you down main street, or take a walk break before you get to MK. There really isn't a good place to walk during that part of the race if you are with people who are mostly moving at a running pace. Same is true in other areas of the park, but that was the most memorable tight area that I remember.

Good point. Besides, the crowd support is so awesome there, you pretty much HAVE to run it! Then you can take a little break.
Also, it gets narrow and a little sketchy going through the castle and down the ramps.

To the newbies, especially...be on one of the sides (as in, not the middle of the pathway) as you exit the castle...better to get a good pic from the photographers, which are on each side of the ramps.

 

[ironz]

I just ignored it as 38 is still a kid ... I am just now middle aged at 53



(OK No flaming)

LOL...well, I seem to be older than everyone else, except for you...at 48.

 

[ChrisRuns]

Thank you all again for so much great advice! You're really making me feel more at ease.

And BTW, I don't mind at all being pre-middle-aged at 38!

Keep on asking questions - here, at the expo, before the race, even during the race - runners are by far the friendliest and most helpful people I've ever met! Enjoy the race and have a safe time, there's nothing quite like your first marathon !

 

[cewait]

It just dawned on me that I have been running at Disney since I was 41. I was shooting for a marathon by 40 but was so dumpy that it took an extra attempt or two to get there. The really sad thing is that I knew about the race the fall of 93 from my brother who live in Clearwater at the time. But by the time everything clicked that this would be something fun, the race had closed.

 

[CaptHomer]

Coach, doing my first one at 44. You got me by a couple of years.

 

[JJ721]

I just ignored it as 38 is still a kid ... I am just now middle aged at 53



(OK No flaming)

I happen to believe that 1958 was a great year to be born!

Hey Coach, I think our Goofy bib numbers are fairly close (per the ROTE boards). Maybe I'll see you in coral B (I'll be with my daughter for the half, and alone for the full).

 

[Cruz91]

Since many have said keep asking questions if I have them... let me preface this by saying I'm headed to my Dr on Tuesday. For my last couple of runs (longer ones), I start to get a bit of pain in my lower back and right thigh. From my crack on-line research, looks like it may be sciatica. I don't notice it much when I keep running, but if I stop and re-start, it takes me a bit to get running in a groove and get it to go away. It always stops when I stop (no persistent pain or aching when not exercising). Is next weeks' run in jeopardy? I know nobody can give medical advice, just curious if others have experience with sciatic at it's early stages...

 

[cewait]

I happen to believe that 1958 was a great year to be born!

Hey Coach, I think our Goofy bib numbers are fairly close (per the ROTE boards). Maybe I'll see you in coral B (I'll be with my daughter for the half, and alone for the full).

I'll be the gray haired one there...

 

[cewait]

Since many have said keep asking questions if I have them... let me preface this by saying I'm headed to my Dr on Tuesday. For my last couple of runs (longer ones), I start to get a bit of pain in my lower back and right thigh. From my crack on-line research, looks like it may be sciatica. I don't notice it much when I keep running, but if I stop and re-start, it takes me a bit to get running in a groove and get it to go away. It always stops when I stop (no persistent pain or aching when not exercising). Is next weeks' run in jeopardy? I know nobody can give medical advice, just curious if others have experience with sciatic at it's early stages...

Crack and groove throw my mind in directions that are well, better left unsaid. Keep your doc appointment but I would say inflamed something or other in the hip girdle complex. (the hip girdle being the group of muscles from the mid ab through the upper thigh.) You will meet mr x-ray machine (I would think) to rule out hard tissue issue. Piriformis comes to mind but there are so many little muscles and nerves that could be the issue.

If the doc offers a cortisone injection make sure he knows you are running this weekend. Usually large muscular areas are not an issue but ankles where is it all tendon and little muscle many doctors ask you to wait for a week before running again.

Obviously, the doc knows best and as long as you are not suffering from a hard tissue injury you should be able to run. You may find the going tough at points and Sunday afternoon may make you regret running for a while, You will get through it.

 

[Cruz91]

I actually am lucky that I have a friend who can help me get into an OSU sports med doctor instead of my family doctor, so that should be even better. He said that his business is actually 80% weekend warrior injuries and only 20% college athletes. Pretty funny.

 

[Sandy321]

I'll be the gray haired one there...

and you wont be the only one!

 

[jrigney515]

FYI.... I did my first ever marathon at Disney last year, at the ripe old age of 36. My time last year was a blistering 5 hrs 30 min.

You won't be "alone" on the course as there was still plenty of people around me at that time. You also won't be the youngest out there at that pace.

My advice, is don't worry about anyone else. Focus on your goal of completing the race, and have fun out there. It really is a blast out on the course.

Also, make sure you wear your medal proudly after the race around Disney and even to the airport. You will get lots of "congratulations" from total strangers. It's an awesome experience (that's why I'm headed back for Goofy this year)

John

 

[Cruz91]

FYI.... I did my first ever marathon at Disney last year, at the ripe old age of 36. My time last year was a blistering 5 hrs 30 min.

You won't be "alone" on the course as there was still plenty of people around me at that time. You also won't be the youngest out there at that pace.

My advice, is don't worry about anyone else. Focus on your goal of completing the race, and have fun out there. It really is a blast out on the course.

Also, make sure you wear your medal proudly after the race around Disney and even to the airport. You will get lots of "congratulations" from total strangers. It's an awesome experience (that's why I'm headed back for Goofy this year)

John

You're kinda' freaking me out... I swore when I started this mess that this was a once-in-a-lifetime endeavor, and I'd NEVER get "hooked" on running. While I'm still not "hooked", I will say that I have given thought to the possibility if I can successfully do the full this year, I may get goofy next year too...

 

[Bonnie36]

I know they have regular full on running pace groups set up, but are there any unofficial galloway pace groups or meetup locations to find some folks to run with during the half? I am running by myself and typically run galloway method (3:1 intervals at 11-12 min pace), but would love to find a few folks to run with to pass the time. This is my first half and all I care about is finishing...


Thanks!
-Bonnie