Marathon Weekend 2023

[HangWithMerida]

SAFD: Motivation is usually not an issue for me. It is easier to run in the morning than after work. I will procrastinate in the afternoons but ultimately, the habit of running will get me out the door. Also, a healthy dose of fear. I have always been well trained heading into races, at least partly helped along by not wanting to suffer on race days.

 

[BigEeyore]

SAFD: Those of us who have participated in MW at Disney before know how much fun and excitement awaits us, and those memories keep me going! For Disney, I never have a time goal, but I want to be trained well so that I can ENJOY the race as well as the after party walking around the parks celebrating!

 

[Herding_Cats]

SAFD:
When I’m unmotivated…

Fear is at the top of the list right now. Of not finishing. Of not being able to move on Sunday evening or Monday. Of getting injured on Saturday.

Today I was successful via putting all my stuff on, eating something with caffeine, and getting on the treadmill. When what I really wanted to do was crawl under a blanket and take a nap.

 

[GollyGadget]

SAFD: At some point in the last few years, I stopped thinking of my running as optional and that has really helped. I no longer ask myself if I want to, I just do it. This, plus a healthy dose of fear of how bad the race will suck if I don't train, keeps me on track.

There are still days when I don't feel like it and on those days I have to remind myself that something is better than nothing. That's usually enough to get me out the door. Sometimes I give myself permission to cut the run short but rarely do I actually do it. Once I get going, it's easy enough just to keep going.

 

[AJruns]

SAFD: I’m still relatively new to running (5 years, but a lot of time off for work travel and injury) so I think I’m still riding the wave of finding the community, myself, and my city in it. It helps that I have a set schedule (thanks, knees) of three runs/week with 1 of those being my neighborhood run club. Not going to that doesn’t feel like an option! The second weeknight was with the same group until they switched to track, which I’m not a fan of/isn’t convenient, so figuring out what time/where to do that run has taken more thought. But I love my weekend long run the most! Whether with friends or alone, I look forward to making time for it and getting the miles in- and sometimes enjoy bouts of bad weather even more because it changes things up/feels like more of an accomplishment to be out there. I also like signing up for half marathons as long runs- I don’t “race” them and can often double back on some course sections to finish with longer mileage if I need it.

 

[sandam1]

We’re only 6 weeks out from MW, and I am officially worried. Everything was going so well. Training was on track, I was feeling good and really feeling confident. I’m just feeling really nervous and sorry for myself right now.

Sending you lots of healing vibes!

My running coach always wants us to ask the medical folks three questions - 1) can I walk? If you can walk, you can train. It might be slow, but you can get the time on feet. 2) can I swim? Aqua jogging is a great way to keep your fitness. 3) can I bike? My PT has actually trained people for big events solely on a bike. It's not an ideal method, but it is possible.

 

[sandam1]

With the runs getting longer, and for some, Goofy and Dopey simulations it is getting tougher. How do you deal with motivation, especially on a day when maybe you would rather not run?

I have a strong accountability system since I do a group Zoom call with my running coach once a week. It's pretty hard to skip a run when you know that you're going to have to report how things are going.

That being said, when I need to get out the door, I ask myself how bad do I want this? Do I want to sit on the couch or do I want to cross that finish line? And the finish line always wins. I know what a DNF feels like and I want to do everything possible to make sure that doesn't happen again.

 

[PrincessV]

SAFD: Motivation is almost never lacking for me - my “motivation” is that running is something I genuinely enjoy and look forward to doing. I’m not even sure why I keep signing up for races, TBH, because I find the experience immediately leading up to them so stressful, as opposed to the calm and relaxation non-race running brings me.

What I am struggling with a bit now is this sense of fear that comes with long runs: I know some days are just going to be high pain days and I never really know if I’m going to do high mileage and feel pretty good, or a short distance that leaves me feeling like I ran an untrained marathon. I had a really good 16 miles last week, and barely got through 9 the other day - the uncertainty is… aggravating.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Another sign that this is getting real...made it to the last page of my DopeyBadger training plan (and yes I'm old school and print out hard copies of my training plans in addition to adding them to TrainingPeaks)! Exciting to look down the page and see the purple MW race days staring back at me.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Another sign that this is getting real...made it to the last page of my DopeyBadger training plan (and yes I'm old school and print out hard copies of my training plans in addition to adding them to TrainingPeaks)! Exciting to look down the page and see the purple MW race days staring back at me.

I'll be on my last page on Sunday and it's blowing my mind that we are that close to race weekend!

 

[Baloo in MI]

Another sign that this is getting real...made it to the last page of my DopeyBadger training plan (and yes I'm old school and print out hard copies of my training plans in addition to adding them to TrainingPeaks)! Exciting to look down the page and see the purple MW race days staring back at me.

I can appreciate paper!

 

[KSellers88]

SAFD: I am a week behind. I normally run on the Columbus (Georgia) Riverwalk which is around 40 miles total and connects to Fort Benning. It runs along the Chattahoochee River and is absolutely beautiful. If I don't run there, I will run on our road which is super boring or drive up to campus at Auburn and run. Training is not going the greatest. My two year old got super sick and was at home for two weeks in October so I could only really run on the treadmill, then we went on vacation and I just haven't done the long runs I needed to do. The good thing is I won't be running for time so I will probably be able to enjoy the marathon a little more (or as much as one can enjoy a marathon).


I have found doing a run streak is the best motivator for me. The thought of starting back over after 687 days is a bit scary, so it makes me stick with doing at least one mile per day.

 

[runningDisneygirl]

https://www.rundisneyexpo.run/ Anyone know the password to get in???

 

[PrincessV]

https://www.rundisneyexpo.run/ Anyone know the password to get in???

Nothing obvious I tried for W&D worked - I don’t think we ever did sleuth that one out! rD may have finally stumped us all lol

 

[FFigawi]

https://www.rundisneyexpo.run/ Anyone know the password to get in???

“Bob_is_back”

 

[sandam1]

What I am struggling with a bit now is this sense of fear that comes with long runs: I know some days are just going to be high pain days and I never really know if I’m going to do high mileage and feel pretty good, or a short distance that leaves me feeling like I ran an untrained marathon.

I totally understand this. Been there, done that! I spent the better part of a year dealing with plantar fasciitis and that experience was clouding everything.

One thing that I realized was that I was spending a lot of energy (both mental and physical) on that fear - energy that would be put to better use doing something like, oh, running. It wasn't helping me and therefore it needed to be dealt with. My mental couch suggested approaching runs as "I wonder how this is going to feel" or "let's see how this goes" rather than either a) prejudging how a run is going to go (i.e. "this is going to hurt because it has in the past") or b) making little discomforts out to be the start of a full-blown flare. I also started to practice assessing what my body was telling me without letting my brain get involved. This has helped me figure out what is pain, what is usual soreness, and what is just that little gremlin in my head trying to convince me to stop.

 

[sandam1]

https://www.rundisneyexpo.run/ Anyone know the password to get in???

Chapek_oh_never_mind

 

[PrincessV]

I totally understand this. Been there, done that! I spent the better part of a year dealing with plantar fasciitis and that experience was clouding everything.

One thing that I realized was that I was spending a lot of energy (both mental and physical) on that fear - energy that would be put to better use doing something like, oh, running. It wasn't helping me and therefore it needed to be dealt with. My mental couch suggested approaching runs as "I wonder how this is going to feel" or "let's see how this goes" rather than either a) prejudging how a run is going to go (i.e. "this is going to hurt because it has in the past") or b) making little discomforts out to be the start of a full-blown flare. I also started to practice assessing what my body was telling me without letting my brain get involved. This has helped me figure out what is pain, what is usual soreness, and what is just that little gremlin in my head trying to convince me to stop.

That makes a lot of sense in general - my issue right now is that I’m battling an autoimmune disease that’s causing way more than normal discomfort: I’m used to ignoring and pushing through pain, which is not a good thing now. My body is very clear that it needs to NOT RUN some days, and it’s a real mental struggle for me to accept that.

 

[pluto377]

SAFD- Motivation for me is usually something like "just go out and run a little and see what happens." That's usually enough to get me out the door and 9 times out of 10 I complete the run as scheduled. I really need to run first thing though. The later in the day it gets, the more my motivation wanes.

I can't believe I'll be on my to Orlando in just 5 short weeks! The countdown is also helping me get through the holidays because in 5 weeks the madness will be over!

 

[Cabius]

“Bob_is_back”

The_Bob_Is_Dead_Long_Live_The_Bob