Marathon Weekend 2020

My dopeybadger plan for Goofy started a few weeks ago. I ran in my comfort zone all summer, so I'm happy and surprised to see that my legs still remember how to hit all the various paces! The race is still far off though so mentally I'm not so into it. Fake it til you make it they say so I'll just keep following the plan!
 
SAFD: I’m training for Space Coast right now as an appetizer for Dopey and am mid-plan. Heat and humidity fatigue are really starting to wear on me, at this point. We had a cold front come through about a week and a half ago that let me run in some T+Ds in the 120s and it was heavenly. Then summer returned and the last week has been mostly in the 150s and 160s. Today’s long run was particularly bad. I thought I’d gotten out early enough, but a starting T+D of 137 steadily climbed into the 150s across 13 miles and my pacing fell apart on the back half. Days like today make me want to give up pushing for PRs. So if you’ve got any cooler weather, please send it along to NC, when you get a chance.
 

I’m doing pretty good on training. Way ahead of where I was last year and over a minute faster per mile with the Dallas heat, so I’m optimistic when it’s cooler I can do better. I’m focusing on the frequency of runs and will do the longer runs when it cools down some. My main struggle is getting up early to beat the heat, which won’t be an issue for me at Disney but makes it hotter for running right now.

I woke up and it was 82 already and I was going to blow the run off then I saw today’s question and made myself run 6 miles. Now it’s off to Six Flags to train for post race theme parks.
 
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Good morning, runDisney all-stars! Anyone free for a little Marathon Weekend action in about 100 days?

Given this milestone in our countdown, this week's Sundays are for Disney is a training check-in. How's everyone doing? How far along are you in your plan (if you've started)? Need some encouragement? Want to brag?

My official Goofy + Oswald (Long Ears Challenge?) training doesn't begin for about two weeks. I'm tapering for next Sunday's Lakefront Marathon. My training went well and I feel pretty good.

Wow! Getting down to the “2 digit-mark” milestone is big! It will fly by!
Training is about a week behind on long runs, but for me, like many Southerners, painfully hot weather really takes too much energy these days. Fall, where are you?
Also I’m having a little pain in my right leg and trying to “lay low” like Br’er Rabbit to be sure it’s not a stress fracture. Fewer miles, shorter steps, and slower pace are my friends for a week or two to see if I get improvement.

Best wishes for a great Lakeshore Marathon! We will all be waiting for a report.
 
SAFD: Training is going pretty good. Haven’t missed a run yet! Like @camaker said, NC temps are still not friendly. It was already 70 degrees at 4:50 this morning went I started my 14 miler. Still doing intervals for long runs just to help build my endurance back up but I’m increasing the length of time I’m running and it is feeling pretty good. I mentioned this on the running thread already but yesterday I did a 5k with my oldest (8 years old) and he ran a 9:25 mile. I was pumped for him and myself that I could hold that pace. Haven’t seen mile times like that since pre injury.
 
SAFD - I am following the Higdon Dopey Challenge plan. Four weeks in and all runs complete. I started a week early for 2 reasons: First, I added a buffer week in November when we will be in Disney for an extended Veterans Day weekend. I didn’t feel like dealing with a 17 mile run when we are on vacation. Second, I registered for the Hartford Half Marathon in October and I wanted that 13.1 to better line up with the plan which (oddly) has long runs on alternating weeks. This year, I am following the plan more closely where last year I ran a lot of extra miles when the plan called for shorter runs. I think I was a bit burned out toward the end. I am also doing more cross training as the plan also calls for.

For those of you that add a buffer, what do you do during the buffer weeks? I am planning on just doing a few “maintenance” runs that week and then pick up where I left off.
 
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SAFD - Only doing 60min @ 130 spm on elliptical while recovering from fracture. Follow up with spine doc on Wednesday to see if I can add any further activity. Most of my training for the last couple of months has been a mix of ~150 miles on the bike per week and running 30 miles per week. Still hoping to be able to do the two day bike ride in mid-Oct. Plan is to run my wife's Dopey training plan with her and add additional miles or biking if needed. I am tentatively adding in a 50 mile easy race in early December to keep the ultra monster at bay.

@huskies90 - for a recovery week during training, I usually drop to 50% of the average of the training block and run everything easy. My $.02.

Relating to all the southerners and ready for a bit of less hot weather to hit Houston. My seasonal affective disorder is in full swing :). At least we are now under 90 degrees heat index at midnight.

Good luck to all in their training!
 
SAFD - Very happy with the progress. Just wrapped up the 13 week Base phase of my High Volume Ironman training plan through TrainerRoad. Capped it off with the 3rd highest week of the plan two weeks ago at 17.25 hours. Then followed that up last weekend with a second fastest official HM of 1:34 on little to no taper. Now I'm finally moving into the Build phase that's focused on actual paced runs. The T+D has started to drop and we're nearly at 100, so my paces have been getting much much faster suddenly with no change in effort. Based on my Garmin VO2max, I'm about 6-7 weeks ahead of Dopey 2018 in order to have the fitness score I believe will put me in a position for a sub-3. So happy with the run+cycle+strength training to date. Also happy to be able to do some actual paced run training now and seeing what I'm truly capable of.
 
How's everyone doing? How far along are you in your plan (if you've started)? Need some encouragement? Want to brag?
100 days? 😯 I am three weeks into marathon training. I had to modify week 1 due to chiropractic treatment following a minor car accident, but I am almost back to normal now. This morning I even ran a new 10k PR! I even began training for Wine & Dine with a pizza and vino lunch (race recap to follow with the rest of the story...) Adulting at its best!
 
My training is going well. I have a local marathon on November 3, so I am very close to max mileage right now. I don't want to jinx anything but this week - second highest mileage week - went very well. I finished a 14.5 miler today (with 9 miles at marathon pace) with no issues or soreness really. I ran into a friend at the end who was going for a 3 mile run/walk with her kids and considered tagging along. But I had to go walk 5 miles around a theme park instead, haha. So i guess i am perfecting my Disney training too!
 
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SAFD - My last training plan by @DopeyBadger went really well - Couch to 55:44 10k in 5 months (had to brag, thanks for humouring me)!

I'm now in week 3 of my new Dopeybadger HM training plan for Marathon week. The Base phase is easy and enjoyable. The only slight problem I've encountered is a flasher was reported by school girls on my local running trail, on the same day I started the new plan. So instead of using the green scenic running path, I now have to dodge traffic running on the pedestrian footpath, or round and round a small oval. :(
 
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Training was going well until last week. Monday morning I sat up in bed as my alarm went off. When I got up, I felt a grab in my lower back and started having numbness and weakness in my right leg. It’s the first time I’ve ever experienced a pinched nerve. I haven’t been able to run since. It is getting better, but I don’t want to push it and set my recovery back. I’ve been doing core work trying to improve a weakness (and help with recovery) during the interim. Hopefully I’ll be back to the grind soon.

If anyone is interested I’ve finally gotten around to posting a trip report from my visit to WDW earlier this month. It’s the last couple posts in my training journal. Will be finishing it up tomorrow morning (hopefully).
 
SAFD: Been a while since I posted, but thought now was a good a time as any to pop out of lurkdom. I am tapering for Chicago in two weeks. I feel like this training cycle has gone well, but right now I am thoroughly exhausted. I don’t know if it is life and the end of marathon training in general, heat fatigue (which is a laugh since I rarely venture away from the treadmill these days), or if I am fighting off something. Anyhow, plan to take a week off after Chicago and will probably plan out marathon weekend training sometime during that week. Super hopeful for cooler temperatures and outdoor runs by then. Today we broke a 115 year record high by three degrees and it looks like we have several chances for a repeat performance over the next week.
 
SAFD: I had a two week vacation so my plan got thrown out of the window for a bit, but I'm back! I'm basically using my same DopeyBadger plan from last year. A non-runner friend of mine signed up for Dopey so I'm spending time helping her with the goal of finishing strong. No real time goals for us, just keeping the runs light and easy so we can walk around after the races every day. I felt SO GOOD after Dopey last year so I don't want to mess it up by doing anything differently this time!
 
Given this milestone in our countdown, this week's Sundays are for Disney is a training check-in. How's everyone doing? How far along are you in your plan (if you've started)? Need some encouragement? Want to brag?
SAFD: I just can't with the heat anymore!!! I'd brag about getting it done if only I didn't feel like death. This weekend was a b2b for me: 6 Sat and 13 Sun. Sat was okay: hot, still, and air full of smoke (no rain here in a while), but I was out before sunrise, so done before it got too brutal. Sun. was not fun at all: Feels Like over 80 to start, near 90 at the end, not a cloud in the sky to save me from the sun. I called it at 12 miles because I felt so awful and couldn't get my HR to stay out of zone 4, and did the final mile doing deep-water running in the pool. Spent the rest of the day dozing in the AC, nauseous and tired.

The good news is that this happens every. year. and every year I make it through and things feel better when it finally cools off. So I just keep telling myself to hang in there and try not to die before it gets better. :rotfl2:

For those of you that add a buffer, what do you do during the buffer weeks? I am planning on just doing a few “maintenance” runs that week and then pick up where I left off.
My marathon and Dopey plans always include 3 long-long runs: an 18, a 20, and a 22. I don't think I actually need all three, but putting them in there gives me a buffer in case a long run gets ditched due to a hurricane. If I don't need the buffer, I still do all three, but make that last 22 miler semi-optional: it can be anything from 17-22, depending on how I feel and how weather goes that day.
 












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