Goofy Support Group (AKA Goofy Challenge 2010)

[cewait]

I haven't posted much on here cuz I don't have internet at my house so most of you probably don't know me. I had a really hard time today. I had stomach issues, TOM came to visit and I was supposed to do 18 miles. I am training for the Goofy. Last year I did a modification of John Binghams MFM walk run program. I did the half fine and then the full ( I got to mile 23 and then got swept due to my pace). This year I decided to just do the MFM walk/run program without the modification to do back to back long runs. Anyways, I started today's and only did 3 miles. Nothing was right. I was wearing a tank top and a long sleeve tech shirt. I was getting really hot and then the wind blow and it would get really cold. It was uncomfortable. I really am not looking forward to 20 miles. A few weeks ago I did 16 miles and it was terrible. My pace has been between 15:30 and 16 minutes per mile most of my long runs. At this point, I know my pace is not going to increase any. I find myself being disgusted with the thought of running and scared and anxious at the same time. Can I get some opinions about these last few weeks. I was thinking that I might just taper these last several weeks and do 12miles instead of 20 which is my longest run still on the schedule. I think I have 8, 20, 10, and 6 left on my long distance saturdays. At this point I hate running and I wonder what possessed me to do this race again. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

This seems to be the year of bad training funks. You don't say what you long run this training season have been to date. Plus I would hate to see you bail from training on a bad run. That could be setting yourself up for another bad Sunday.

First its really late to add speed so we really need to make sure you have endurance. If you have not had a successful 16 mile run yet you should really get one or more of these under your belt. I would target 16 this weekend coming up or tomorrow if you read this soon enough. Then follow that with a 12 another 16 and finally a 6-10 the weekend before the Goofy. Also, for the remainder of training drop the back to back stuff. That may be an issue with your long runs - fatigue can make the mind do crazy things like say stop after a half mile.

I understand that I have cut a week off the taper but I think its more important to create a positive traning experience out of the last few weeks than just walk into a taper period without completing the schedule. Another way of saying this is that if you start your taper now you will have today as your last run weighing on your mind as you work across the stretch of Osceola Parkway leaving AK. You want the memories of the last runs to help get your through these tough miles rather than reenforcing the negative feelings

Hang in there, we all seem to be having tough runs this year.

Also, on cold windy days a wind shell works wonders. It allows you to zip up when the wind gusts and open up the zipper when it's not.

 

[cewait]

We are in a state of mourning at the household……

The treadmill doctor said it’s time to pull the plug and move on. The PaceMaster Pro was a good friend. I actually trained for the 01 Disney marathon almost exclusively on it. Of course that was also one of the primary causes for a huge blistering issue but that’s a different story. She had 10 years under her belt and had traveled around 5,000 miles. She fought hard till the very end allowing for a 14% incline interval run last Tuesday.

The doctor said we could perform heroic measures but he was not 100% sure of what was happening. It started spewing out a series of 6-7 error codes as well as knocking a house circuit off line. I could attempt a transplant operation but at a minimum it would need to be a double organ transplant. Either the motor was failing or the bottom circuit board was gone…either could cause failure of the other if only one is replaced. Both together would cost about half the value of a new one…but the belt and deck are nearing the end of their lives, also - making the expenditure run up to 80% of a new mill.

Wow, the costs of mills are higher than I thought they would be. Of course I started out on a Life Fitness something 7 and then worked to a more affordable model. The store offered a decent discount but I really wanted more off....so the waiting game begins.

So instead of dropping the $$ on a treadmill that I can purchase second hand in six month I purchased a nice multiposition weight bench instead. Funny the store gave a deeper percentage discount for the bench.

 

[Zela]

I have completed all of my long distances including 16miles two weekend ago(it was just terrible...even though I did finish with a 15:30 pace). I did not do back to backs this year during my training. I did last year, but I knew I wouldn't have enought time to do them this year.

 

[Duanerice]

Zela,
hang in there, most of us are having issues this year. Listen to Charles and try to get soma positive runs in there.

Charles,
so sorry to hear about the passing of your treadmill. I know how it must hurt. Did the tech say it was because it was sent to the garage? Did it finally pass on because it felt neglected? I hope Mary feels terrible about this! Will she let you put the weight bench in the house?

enjoy all,
Duane

 

[Lexxiefern]

Finished my 20 miles today! Unfortunately it was raining, not too bad, but I was wet. Finished in 3:55. Wish I could actually keep that pace on marathon day. I swear my neighbors must think I am crazy when they see me get in my pool for an ice bath after my runs. The weather was only 52 here today and boy was my pool cold! It was really hard to stay in it. Feeling really good now though - some soreness in my left knee. I don't think I had my brace on right. And a few new blisters but they are little so hopefully they go away soon.

Hope everyone has great LRs this weekend! Five weeks from today we will have our donald medals!!

Becky

 

[MouseDogMom]

Charles - Sorry about the TM. Good luck waiting it out. Hope you don't have to wait too long. At least you got a weight bench!

Zela - I ran the Richmond marathon last month, and at mile 12 had a complete meltdown and told my buddies there was NO WAY I was doing the Goofy after that. If I was that miserable at mile 12 of 26 I couldn't conceive of doing 39 in January. Now I'm back on track, mostly, and excited about doing something so stupid! Remember that there will be lots of adrenaline on those 2 days, and LOTS of WISHers to help you through, so even if your best pace is only 15:30, you should be fine. Just keep training, and like Duane said, we're all struggling with you.

Did 10 miles this morning. That in itself is not remarkable, but the fact that I got out of bed when it was already raining and the forecast was for 46 and falling temps and continuous rain is remarkable. We ran through mud, mud, puddles, mud, and more puddles. Definitely the most adventurous run of our Galloway season, and the last of the season as well. At the turnaround 3 of us decided to go off the front and leave the rest of the group behind and set our own pace, so we finished with a very strong negative split for the 10. Felt REALLY good when we were done. If only I felt that good when the runs went 16 or 18, or 26...

Jackie

 

[cewait]

Zela,
hang in there, most of us are having issues this year. Listen to Charles and try to get soma positive runs in there.

Charles,
so sorry to hear about the passing of your treadmill. I know how it must hurt. Did the tech say it was because it was sent to the garage? Did it finally pass on because it felt neglected? I hope Mary feels terrible about this! Will she let you put the weight bench in the house?

enjoy all,
Duane

Yes, he was all over the treadmill protective services call when I offered a bribe of $102.48 to keep him quiet. Mary is still going through the five steps of mourning. I think she is in the anger stage when I came home with the cost of the new Life Fitness for adoption.

Shhh don't tell her the box in the bedroom is not an artificial Christmas Tree.

Hope every one is have great weekend runs.

 

[cewait]

I have completed all of my long distances including 16miles two weekend ago(it was just terrible...even though I did finish with a 15:30 pace). I did not do back to backs this year during my training. I did last year, but I knew I wouldn't have enought time to do them this year.

Sorry - misread your first post. I think I would stick with your training schedule as is. Give yourself a little room for an approved failure - make your planned distances ranges. Try making the runs 8 - 10, 16-18, 10-12, and 6-8. That way if you only get the minimum you will still have a sense of success. Note that I backed the 20 off to 16-18 based on your post. The reason most plans call for 20 - 20+ miles is due entirely to the mental game. As you experienced the race starts out on Osceola and you need to KNOW that you have successfully distanced that at some point in your training. A 20 mile long run gets you to the point just over the World Drive overpass where we cross from the eastbound lanes to the westbound lanes and begin the out and back section. Saying that, you can successfully get through a marathon with as few of 15-16 miles.

Try a few tricks next long run....
Print a map of the course and post it on your fridge. Memorize the mile points. i.e. mile 1 is where we leave Epcot Dr and head into the parking lot, mile six is the overpass over World Drive where we get the remarkable view of everyone down on World Dr., Mile 10 is the u-turn timing mat just outside MK and at Space Mountain, mile 13 is where we turn right onto Bear Island Rd and of course mile 10.5 is the castle.

A few years back I pulled together a mile by mile description of the marathon. Here is a link
http://disneyrunning.com/fullreportcw.html

Dedicate mile points to friends who are supportive, or maybe not supportive on the tough miles

Break up the distance by running to the next point on the road. See the next phone pole, run to it and then once there run to the next. On tough miles it may be running from one crack in the rod to the next.

Get a new race day running outfit and try it out on you training run.

Think happy thoughts as you prep for the training run. Think about how great it is that you are out making changes in your life. As you run pull your shoulder back, pull your chest up and look about 15-20 feet in front of you. Relax your face. Every 5-10 minutes shake your shoulders arms and hands out to remove any pent up stress. Have a pint of your favorite ice cream in the freezer waiting for a SUCCESSFUL long run.

I hope all this helps. You are so close to running a successful Goofy its crazy. We just need you to get a couple good feeling longer runs under your belt before the race. Trust me coming into a race with a bad mental outlook from a crummy last 2-3 runs will add unneeded stress to the race. Now smile, tell yourself a few jokes, find a happy place between the ears and get out the door next weekend.

 

[Kirsty-Leigh]

Hey guys, guess what???

I just completed my longest run ever and I am still alive I did an 8/17 back to back this weekend (it was supposed to be 16 but I got a tad lost!) It all went very well, my shin who disagrees with this whole running lark played nice the whole way and I was very proud of it for not protesting the whole time like it has been doing recently my hip was a little angry today but I stopped every couple of miles and stretched it out and it kept going and I took it slow and did it in 3.51. So I got back stretched, had an ice bath (or a kinda cool bath because we were out of ice and water in FL isnt really that cold ) put some laundry in and then commenced to eat everything in sight, my garmin tells me I burned 1600 cals, so I dont feel bad but I really can't stop! In fact I couldnt even stop eating to write this post

I tried twizzlers while I was running for the first time today and I am unsure how I feel about it, they went down fine and stayed down but they seemed to have a strange texture, I am not sure if I was just getting fluff from my gloves in my mouth or my taste buds were just repelling hard food What do you all eat while running?

I also tried some new long spandex pants while running today (I know sexy right ) they felt good while I was running but I got some interesting chaffing that I could really do without so I am not sure if they are long distance pant for me

I am trying desperately not to sit down (and not just because of the chaffing) because I know I will crash the second I sit down and be asleep on the couch within minutes!

Wow not long now, is anybody else excited? I am

Ok I ran out of food going to find some more

Kirsty

 

[Zela]

Thanks for all the help! I feel a little better now.

 

[cewait]

Kirsty,

Great job on the finish! Note that I find the Garmie Kcal calse a little low so you may have burned even more...

As far as eating on the run you may want to look at something really oriented to sports rather than straight up candy. Not saying candy is bad but you can put better stuff in the tank.

Many folks simply cannot stand gels and I understand that fact. You must be able to tolerate the texture when standing still if you have any chance of taking it in at mile 20. Gels offer an advantage since they are semi liquid that do not use much of a precious resource to process - water. I always encourage my runners to try gels first then move to solids next just for that reason.

If you are not a gel person you can always go with something like Cliff Blocks or Sport Beans.

Sport porducts carry a real sugar into the gut not HFCS (though twizzlers do not have HFCS they are based on corn suryp) nor trans fats (Twizzlers do contain). Most sport products carry a mix of complex and simple carbs into the product giving you an instant jolt that will carry forward for a longer period of time than candy's simple carbs. Sport products also carry an electorlytic mix of at least sodium and potassium that will help keep your electorlytes in balance later in the day.

Now before anyone flames me about not supporting candy I do think candy has a place in a marathon. There will be a time during the event past mile 20 for most, but can occur much earlier for Goofy folks where a jolt of pure simple sugar will help get you past the "I just want to quit NOW!" feeling. Save the simple carb jolt for then.

Hope this helps some

 

[Kirsty-Leigh]

Wow no wonder I am so hungry! thats more calories than I eat in a day!

I actually love the strawberry/banana gu (the only one that is caffiene free since I am highly allergic ) and i have it during my run but I start to feel hungry about mile 9 and the gu just doesnt seem to get rid of it, today I honestly contemplated running through the Mc Donalds drive through (but that gives me a belly ache when I am standing still never mind at mile 15!) I also find that the gu makes me crazy thirsty, I take it with lots of water like they say but I feel like I am still thirsty for several miles after I take it, is that normal or am I doing something wrong?

Somebody said to me that they took bananas with them but I have no idea how I would carry them without them turning to mush

Thanks for your help Charles

Kirsty

 

[Lexxiefern]

Kirsty - WTG on the back to backs!! Great job! I know the last 2 years after my long runs I was starving and would eat everything in sight. For some reason this year I am not as hungry after. Maybe my body is finally getting used to running and the calories I am burning? I do notice if I eat a protein as soon as I get home I feel not as hungry.

As far as pants go I wear the toughgirl from skirtsports dot com. They are great, I have not had any chafing at all in them. They are expensive, but I love them. They actually have some on sierratradingpost dot com right now for like 40% off but not very many. I couldn't help it and ordered myself another one!

27 days until I leave so excited!!!!


Becky

 

[cewait]

Try this with gels….

This will be written as a race guide but it works the same on a training run… Open the gel and then take a sip of water. You want the gel to hit the stomach with some liquid in it. Then take half the gel and follow it with at least two swallows of water. Roll the top of the gel over so it won’t leak then head to the next water stop. In training about a mile to 1.5 miles later take the remaining gel following the sip gel two swallows method. That may help the feeling of thirst from taking one gel all at once.

You may also want to play with brands. The GU is a mid level sodium product but Hammer products have a lower dose of sodium and no potassium. There are many others out there but you need to play with them over the next couple weeks.

As far as nanas go they are not really portable unless they are a touch green. I used to run with someone who swore by bananas and dried dates. They put them in a zip lock in a fanny pack. I seem to recall a mess by the end of a long run. You may want to practice one of your next runs with bananas or oranges. You will get the opportunity to have these at Disney at miles 13 (and was 17). I usually loop long runs from shorter routes and will have a banana and sport drink ready to go at the start/finish of the loops. It does place a quick stop in the middle of runs but since it is training it really is not different than stopping for a porta potty or photo.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Woohoo to everyone on their weekend long runs!

Kirsty: I'm totally feeling you on the eating everything in sight right now! I get so hungry during my runs and Gu can only go so far!

Thanks for the advice on the food while running, Charles. I might have to go the candy route.... possibly mini chocolate bars. I am a dedicated Gu fan (I love the holiday vanilla-gingerbread flavor!), but I'm finding that it's just not cutting it anymore. I am training for the Goofy while in my first trimester of pregnancy (will be in my 11th week during Marathon Weekend) and I find that I'm hungry all the time when I'm not running, so as soon as I go out for a run, I'm ravenous!

Speaking of long runs.... I did my 20 miler today! It was.... awful. It was the coldest day of the year, yet.... hovering around and just below freezing all day. I dressed to RUN 20 miles (tights, base layer, long-sleeved thermal layer), but since I'm supposed to be keeping my heart rate down because I am pregnant, I now have to do run 3 minutes/walk 2 minutes intervals. That meant that I was FREEZING the entire way, and especially the last 4 miles after the sun went down. To make things more fun, I got hit with my low blood sugar dizziness at mile 16 (despite taking 5 packets of Gu during my run!) and had to walk the last 3.5 miles. I felt weak, faint, and had to fight to stay upright a few times. I'm sure that the cold temperatures (meaning that my body had to work harder to keep itself warm) didn't help matters at all. If I hadn't have been so cold, I would have sat down on the curb and cried. When I finally did get home, I was shivering, had no feeling in my hands, and couldn't even unlock the door, I was so cold and stiff. Ugh. I've been home for almost 3 hours, and I'm just now starting to feel human again.

But, my 20 miler is done. Today was only supposed to be 19 miles (and then 20 miles in two weeks) but I think I'm just going to call it a month and taper until Marathon Weekend.

 

[TnTsParty]

UGGHHHH - I had a whole post typed out about my 18 miler and I hit the wrong button and it went away. Don't feel like typing it all out again right now so I will try and report in tomorrow.

Kirsty - glad you were able to get your back to backs in this weekend.

Charles - thanks for your expertise.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

Good to hear everyone is hanging in there with their training, some better then others--way to go, Kristy!! Sarah Rose...you worry me! Have your OB read your post and see if you need to modify your plan.

Got my 18 miler in yesterday. After 4 weeks of averaging under 13 minutes I was at an average of 13:14. The first 12 miles I was under 13, but the last 6 averaged 13:55--basically since I just couldn't find it in me to do much running for the last 2 miles. I think I did too many hills and my legs staged a protest! I will have to find a flatter course for my 20 miler--my last truly long run.

The timing of this marathon is a bit tricky with training and holiday festivities. I'll be traveling again Dec.23-29. Even though I modified my schedule that week to only have to do an 8 miler while I am away, the reality is that it just might not happen. How bad would that be? My plan for the next 4 weeks is 10,20,8,6. So, how bad would it be to skip the 8 and do my best to at least keep up on my cousin's TM again?

 

[zakismom]

Kristy, awesome about your run! I had a hard time finding a combo that would work well on my long runs. Cherry Blossom Stingers are awesome, they are not as sticky as some of the other brands and taste yummy. I find these a good alternative when I can't imagine looking at another gu or gel (I switch between gu and Hammer cuz I can't do an entire marathon on gu - too much something, but switching out to Hammer works for me). I also carry a small baggy of pretzels, I find they take the edge off and give back some of the salt I need. Another good thing are Cliff MoJo bars, they are a combo of sweet/salty so with the different flavors you might find one you really like. During the Marine Corp Marathon I was lucky enough to have support on the course and around mile 21 they passed me a baggie with frozen orange slices - I find these to be the BEST pick-me-up ever.

As far as long pants go, not sure how cold it gets where you are but I am totally addicted to skirts by skirtgoddess.com. The re-determination skirt has capris and they are wonderful. The way the seams are finished is really smooth and I have yet to chafe from one of their products.

This is the 1st year that I am going Goofy, I have done the marathon the past 2 years, and am nervous and excited go Goofy. Good luck with your continued training!

 

[cewait]

This is the 1st year that I am going Goofy, I have done the marathon the past 2 years, and am nervous and excited go Goofy. Good luck with your continued training!

Zack's Mom....You will do great! This is really jsut a marathon, but one started on legs that are just a little sore. Remember to eat after the half and keep moving Saturday afternoon. Don't need to go far but movement will help Sunday morning. I find that walking Epcot is a great remedial activity. If it's hot just walk from park bench to park bench.

Train hard

 

[Kirsty-Leigh]

Thanks everyone for your awesome advice, thats why I love coming here, you guys keep me sane when everyone else around me just says "you ran a total of 25 miles this weekend? you must be crazy I could never do that!" and then they go on explain to my why they couldn't do it... "my knees are really bad" "I just wasn't build for running" etc etc ......

Anyway, Charles, you mentioned about eating after the 1/2 on Sat, what is the best thing you have found to help sustain you through the next day, do you carb it up like for a regular marathon or get some protein in you to help repair the muscles from the 1/2? Do you find it helps to eat little and often or just when you are hungry?

Arghh so many questions so little time! only 33 days to go now