Lessons learned and applied...what are you doing differently this year?

[MightyDuck001]

1) The thing I would change the most is the weather and long stretches of unshaded Florida highway. But since that's not happening, this year I'm bringing my favorite sunscreen (I'm just mailing it to the hotel ahead of me) and I'm wearing a visor for the half and full.

2) No one's inconveniencing themselves to cheer for me. I don't need to hear the whining--see them at the Boardwalk where we're staying and then that's it.

3) Never do Dopey again. Never.

 

[goofeygirl]

1) The thing I would change the most is the weather and long stretches of unshaded Florida highway. But since that's not happening, this year I'm bringing my favorite sunscreen (I'm just mailing it to the hotel ahead of me) and I'm wearing a visor for the half and full.

2) No one's inconveniencing themselves to cheer for me. I don't need to hear the whining--see them at the Boardwalk where we're staying and then that's it.

3) Never do Dopey again. Never.

Never say never.

Pretty soon we will have a generic idea of what the weather will be like...the visor is a good idea.

 

[emilyindisney]

3. No contingency plans for a bad race; no 'B' goal.

Last year: I was so sure I was in a position for a big PR (I was shooting for 25 minutes or so) that I didn't really have a B goal. When the wheels started getting wobbly around mile 16 and coming completely off by mile 20 (I was left with ITB issues that stuck with me for 6 months or so afterward) I was completely unprepared for it. I think I dug in pretty well to eke out a PR by 3 minutes but it was miserable.
This year: Have 'A', 'B', and maybe even 'C' goals. Prepare mentally for physical issues and how I'll respond to them. I had a pretty terrible run at Augusta 70.3 this year as well, but I managed to reset my expectations after a couple of miles, found a new running buddy, and mostly enjoyed the run at a much slower pace than I'd anticipated.​

So, hopefully with the tweaks that I've made and the mental tools that I've added, this can be a successful race no matter my time.

That is great advice- sometimes I think I psych myself up way too much to PTR and then have trouble dealing with the thought of not beating the clock when things start to go south mid-race.

 

[smallsy]

Don't eat the bananas!

No, seriously, though... I'm a sports dietitian and broke the cardinal rule of sports nutrition: I used fuel during the race I didn't try in training. wah wah wah.

 

[Dug720]

Don't eat the bananas! No, seriously, though... I'm a sports dietitian and broke the cardinal rule of sports nutrition: I used fuel during the race I didn't try in training. wah wah wah.

Those bananas saved me during my first full. I'd never had one in training, but my stomach was already messed up.

 

[RnbwSktles]

Those bananas saved me during my first full. I'd never had one in training, but my stomach was already messed up.

How did it save you? I'd be afraid to try one, but would be willing to risk it if I'm already feeling bad.

 

[smallsy]

The "don't eat the bananas" part was specific to me. It's what I would go back and shout at myself 2 years ago.

If bananas work for you, awesome! I just hadn't/haven't used them during training. I knew better. But sometimes you don't think clearly during a race-- "What do those volunteers have? Oooh bananas! They look delicious. I think I'll get one!" It only took two bites before the light bulb went off, and I realized I'd made a mistake.

 

[Dug720]

The "don't eat the bananas" part was specific to me. It's what I would go back and shout at myself 2 years ago. If bananas work for you, awesome! I just hadn't/haven't used them during training. I knew better. But sometimes you don't think clearly during a race-- "What do those volunteers have? Oooh bananas! They look delicious. I think I'll get one!" It only took two bites before the light bulb went off, and I realized I'd made a mistake.

Gotcha.

I was already feeling sick and figured the worst they would do was make me throw up which at that point would have been a relief (I could never be bulimic). As it turns out, they helped. Haha!

Sorry they didn't work for you!

 

[Dug720]

How did it save you? I'd be afraid to try one, but would be willing to risk it if I'm already feeling bad.

My body picked that day to decide it didn't like the GU I had used without issue all through training. I managed one packet, but could get nothing else down. So I literally ran the entire first half of the marathon on one GU pack and water. I tried to make myself throw up to no avail (I can clearly never be bulimic). When I saw them, I figured worst-case it would make me throw up which would have been a relief. But for some reason it calmed everything down and made me feel stronger and better.

 

[goofeygirl]

This

 

[Dug720]

This

What?

 

[WalkingintheFog]

This is great info.

(Fuelbelt: I wear one w/ 2 bottles in back, I like to wear it low, not on my waist, but find it often rides up, especially if I'm wearing compression pants or other "shiny" tights.
............Another runner suggested turning it so one bottle was in front of the hip & the other bottle behind: Amazing, it works! No more slipping, and surprisingly, I don't knock them w/ my elbow!)

 

[MightyDuck001]

Never say never.

Pretty soon we will have a generic idea of what the weather will be like...the visor is a good idea.

I almost forgot the thing I loved the most!

THE SPONGE. If you're doing the full, don't toss the sponge they give you at wwos until you're close to the finish line. Refill it with water at the water stops and if they offer to dump water on your dead DO IT.

I actually started the race with a sponge that I brought from home and dampened with the extra water from my cup at each water stop. It was so humid and then so hot,I loved that sponge and I was actually sad to toss in Hollywood Studios.

 

[DisneyRunnerGirl]

I almost forgot the thing I loved the most! THE SPONGE. If you're doing the full, don't toss the sponge they give you at wwos until you're close to the finish line. Refill it with water at the water stops and if they offer to dump water on your dead DO IT. I actually started the race with a sponge that I brought from home and dampened with the extra water from my cup at each water stop. It was so humid and then so hot,I loved that sponge and I was actually sad to toss in Hollywood Studios.

I kept my sponge under my baseball cap and re-wet it at every water stop. Wiped down my face,neck and arms then wet it down again for my head and tucked under the cap. A real lifesaver in the heat!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[goofeygirl]

In addition to drinking the water at the water stations...dump it on your head to cool off. I never did that before until I did a 7 mile race in August...it was blistering hot so at every water station I dumped a cup of water over my head and it felt great!

Last year in Disney it was very hot...I was okay for it but the full was a bit hard...really hot that day.

From what the weather forecasts predict right now (I know this can and probably will change) its showing a high of 71F for most days. Which is about 15F lower than last year...but we will get a better idea next week.


Oh yeah...I am wearing SHORTS under my sparkle skirt no matter the weather! I am not wearing long running pants...no.