Marathon Weekend 2023

[The Expert]

SAFD: I HATE HEAT and have managed to participate in two straight MWs in record temps. I AM SO OVER IT! I do run most of my training on a treadmill, which helps since I live in Salt Lake where it's plenty cold right now. But humidity sucks and I will just never get used to that. I take solace in the fact that I've FINISHED all my races in those rough conditions, and I can do it again if I have to.

Heat is my kryptonite!

Yep, this.

Also count me in on participating in the hot tub heat acclimation strategy!

I will also be trying this.

I will happily ditch every cute costume and t-shirt for cold weather gear if I could get a cold race! Below freezing would probably be a bit much. But, Could we get some 40’s?

YES!!!

I was going to start yesterday, but our weekend took an unexpected turn when we adopted a new dog on Friday afternoon. We lost our sweet boy of 14 years to cancer almost a year ago, and I haven’t been ready to adopt again. DH convinced me to go see this boy at the shelter Friday, and he couldn’t wait for me to feel ready; he needed a home now. He came home with us, and we’re all getting to know each other. Of course, that resulted in a bundle of emotions for me, but we’re all getting settled now. His name is Barney. He’s 8 1/2, his owner died, and he was sent to live with someone who already had pets. The cat there scratched his eye and punctured his backside, and he was surrendered to the shelter. He was not comfortable there, and the shelter director was keeping him in her office so he could relax more, but it had been almost three weeks, and he needed a home. Now, he has one. Obviously, you’ll need to see pictures:

OMG thank you for adopting and taking this sweet boy into your home! We lost our senior pup over the summer and it's never easy. We're ready any time, but not actively looking for our next senior adoption until after MW.

 

[camaker]

SAFD: I live in central NC and I'm the opposite of most who have posted on the topic so far. It's not so much that I love the heat as it is that I absolutely hate the cold. There's nothing more miserable to me than standing around the corrals trying to stay warm and even when the race starts I just don't enjoy cold air in my lungs. For reference, my run today was at about 46 degrees with a T+D of ~85. I was in full tights, thermal LS shirt and gloves and was quite comfortable. I'd be quite happy with a warm set of races as long as they don't tip over into the extremely hot and humid range.

 

[Herding_Cats]

SAFD: I live in central NC and I'm the opposite of most who have posted on the topic so far. It's not so much that I love the heat as it is that I absolutely hate the cold. There's nothing more miserable to me than standing around the corrals trying to stay warm and even when the race starts I just don't enjoy cold air in my lungs. For reference, my run today was at about 46 degrees with a T+D of ~85. I was in full tights, thermal LS shirt and gloves and was quite comfortable. I'd be quite happy with a warm set of races as long as they don't tip over into the extremely hot and humid range.

This is exactly me. I was running in leggings, cold gear pants, a long sleeve, cold gear top, running vest, headband, and gloves when it hit the mid-low 40s back in October/November.

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

SAFD: I live in central NC and I'm the opposite of most who have posted on the topic so far. It's not so much that I love the heat as it is that I absolutely hate the cold. There's nothing more miserable to me than standing around the corrals trying to stay warm and even when the race starts I just don't enjoy cold air in my lungs. For reference, my run today was at about 46 degrees with a T+D of ~85. I was in full tights, thermal LS shirt and gloves and was quite comfortable. I'd be quite happy with a warm set of races as long as they don't tip over into the extremely hot and humid range.

I agree. I can’t stand the cold. We’re in Georgia, and when DS moved to New England, I couldn’t believe it. He went to school in Rochester, NY, and is now in Boston. I would have to hibernate all winter!

 

[DisneyParrothead]

SAFD: I live in central NC and I'm the opposite of most who have posted on the topic so far. It's not so much that I love the heat as it is that I absolutely hate the cold. There's nothing more miserable to me than standing around the corrals trying to stay warm and even when the race starts I just don't enjoy cold air in my lungs. For reference, my run today was at about 46 degrees with a T+D of ~85. I was in full tights, thermal LS shirt and gloves and was quite comfortable. I'd be quite happy with a warm set of races as long as they don't tip over into the extremely hot and humid range.

I live in Colorado and I’m sure I froze my lungs yesterday in my 10k. It was 25 at the start, and I was coughing all day and even this morning.

 

[Ariel484]

@princesspirateandrunner congrats on your new family member! He looks like such a precious, good boy.

SAFD: right now I’m doing all of my training indoors in our “home gym,” which is small and sort of stuffy, so that’s my heat training prep. I also plan on buying a case of bottled water when arriving in wdw and just chugging a bunch of water in the days leading up to the marathon. The sun is really my kryptonite, though. I have a visor for the race and a plan to run in the shade as much as possible, but otherwise… I’d be a-ok running in colder weather!

 

[steph0808]

Heat prep - I usually do some indoor treadmill runs close to race day, usually out of necessity with too much snow on the ground and living somewhere with no sidewalks. But otherwise, I don't really do heat prep. With the exception of the polar vortex year, I have worn shorts and tank tops for every marathon weekend I've been to at Disney. And since I don't race for time at disney, I usually try to get as far as possible before the sun comes up and then take walk breaks as necessary and just hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

 

[GreatLakes]

SAFD: I'm from a place that is usually cold leading up to marathon weekend, less so the last few years, but I don't really do any acclimation for MW. It gets plenty hot here in the summer and I don't shy away from doing runs when it is 90+ and humidity is high.

I adjusted my goal down by 5:00 for this past weekend because of the forecasted temps. It never got as hot as I was expecting so it might have been unnecessary but I didn't want to blow up and risk a BQ.

The only "head adaption" I ever did was actually as a substitute for altitude since it is the best way to get ready to race at 7,000+ feet when you live at about 900 feet.

 

[jpeterson]

Good morning runDisney All-Stars!! It is time for SAFD.

Today we are going to talk about HEAT…. The last few MW’s have been pretty warm. Right now the temp is showing average temps of 49 -72. Do you do any heat training? For those living in the warmer climates is this even an issue for you? For those of us coming from colder climates how do you prepare for the warmer temps of Florida. Also if you have not yet shared your meet up plans but would still like to, please include that at the end of your response.

My answer: Heat is my kryptonite! And I have really struggled running MW after training in the cool/cold fall and early winter of Michigan. I have tried putting on several layers and run on the treadmill to try to simulate heat and I have placed a portable heater at the treadmill and cranked it to simulate heat. Not sure if these have actually helped. Mostly, I just head down to Florida hoping for the best and being ready to slow down as necessary.

Oh, this officially starts the temperature conversation!

I live in Texas. That's my heat training.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Lurker here, I have been crossing all my fingers and toes for moderate temps, being from MN anything over 70 is considered hot! I ran my first marathon in October and finished in 70-75 weather (but dry) and it definitely impacted me. Really hoping for clouds as the sun would do me in. The thought of temps in the 80s would make me miserable, so the current forecast is looking very good to me and I'm hoping it stays somewhat similar (no heat waves please!). I planned on overdressing a bit on my runs these next few weeks, of course tough to do when the real feel is 10 degrees.

The bad news...I tested positive for Covid on Friday night. I'm doing okay, mostly nasal congestion and a sore throat, but I'm resting to be careful. I did a 1.5 mile walk on the treadmill last night at 3mph and 2% and all I could think was I'd rather be laying down, and my HR was 120 (pretty sure it's more like 100 when I walk this slow). Reading lots of scary stuff about people getting long covid from going to back to exercise too fast, recommending at least a month off. But then I see lots of reports of people jumping back into running after maybe a week off. I'm already on the undertrained side using the Higdon plan, having missed a 19 miler. I did do one 18 miler a few weeks ago so I've at least done ONE long run since my October marathon. But next weekend is the mock Dopey, and I have no idea if I'll be in any shape to do that.

I run fast enough and should be in a POT corral so I'm really hoping finishing shouldn't be an issue (as long as I am uninjured) but I'm definitely concerned it'll be a mental fight to the finish with such a big hit to my training. Not to mention how sore I imagine I'll be without enough milage in the month leading up to the race. Agh. Not to be a downer, just disappointed with the timing. Better now than in January, I keep telling myself.

 

[jennysdcc]

Good morning! Did my 7 miles with a magic mile today and wore a ton of layers at DB’s recommendation. After completing my new magic mile (fallen off a bit at 11:30 vs my 11:26 end of summer MM) and running it through the Galloway calculator I finished the rest of my long run at an easy pace at 15/30 intervals and am feeling fresh. Slowing things down worked great today, we’ll see how I’m feeling in a week after my last Dopey simulation weekend.

SAFD: The extra layers sure did up my temperature and I pity the people who had to ride an elevator with me back up to my apartment after the run LOL Going to really push to be outside as much as possible the remainder of my training so my feet can get used to that pounding on pavement. Thank you @DopeyBadger for all of the advice!!!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

SAFD: heat & I also do not get along well. I have been practicing on my nutrition days with 2 salt chews every 30 min. I am v worried about heat.

 

[azrivest]

Lurker here, I have been crossing all my fingers and toes for moderate temps, being from MN anything over 70 is considered hot! I ran my first marathon in October and finished in 70-75 weather (but dry) and it definitely impacted me. Really hoping for clouds as the sun would do me in. The thought of temps in the 80s would make me miserable, so the current forecast is looking very good to me and I'm hoping it stays somewhat similar (no heat waves please!). I planned on overdressing a bit on my runs these next few weeks, of course tough to do when the real feel is 10 degrees.

The bad news...I tested positive for Covid on Friday night. I'm doing okay, mostly nasal congestion and a sore throat, but I'm resting to be careful. I did a 1.5 mile walk on the treadmill last night at 3mph and 2% and all I could think was I'd rather be laying down, and my HR was 120 (pretty sure it's more like 100 when I walk this slow). Reading lots of scary stuff about people getting long covid from going to back to exercise too fast, recommending at least a month off. But then I see lots of reports of people jumping back into running after maybe a week off. I'm already on the undertrained side using the Higdon plan, having missed a 19 miler. I did do one 18 miler a few weeks ago so I've at least done ONE long run since my October marathon. But next weekend is the mock Dopey, and I have no idea if I'll be in any shape to do that.

I run fast enough and should be in a POT corral so I'm really hoping finishing shouldn't be an issue (as long as I am uninjured) but I'm definitely concerned it'll be a mental fight to the finish with such a big hit to my training. Not to mention how sore I imagine I'll be without enough milage in the month leading up to the race. Agh. Not to be a downer, just disappointed with the timing. Better now than in January, I keep telling myself.

Hope you feel better soon.

@HangWithMerida can point you towards great post COVID articles. She did for me when I caught COVID this summer

 

[BigEeyore]

@princesspirateandrunner - congrats on the new family member, and thank you for rescuing this sweet boy!

@Disneyhanna - hope you feel better soon! I had Covid over the summer, with mild symptoms. Maybe not the smartest thing, but I did continue to do light exercise the entire time - mostly just easy spinning on the bike. I actually ran 10K the day I tested positive, and was wondering why it was so hard

SAFD: I live in GA, and did my 19 miler a few days ago with temps in the 60's and near 100% humidity - kept telling myself that it was good Florida training! I just slow it down and make sure I am taking in the hydration and electrolytes.

 

[opusone]

SAFD: so, even though I train in colder weather (Chicago and Syracuse), I really don’t have an issue with heat (i.e. the absolute temperature), although I do have to adjust my efforts a bit in higher humidity. That being said, the thing that seems to really sap my energy is direct sunlight. I’m sure it’s partly mental, but the sun beating down on me during a run is my Achilles heel.

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: I’m with @opusone —the sun is the worst thing, especially if I have to run on roads. The actual temp is not super important to me.

 

[accm]

SAFD: I hate running in the heat, and for me, anything above 20C (68f) is heat. If we could get wine and dine 2021 temps without the rain that would be great! My weekday runs are inside right now, so I'm hoping that'll help, as well as the fact that we're getting to Orlando a week before the races.

 

[Z-Knight]

I ran outside in Houston every month since June and all purposely in the heat. All of July and August were runs in 97+ degrees and at highest heat of the day. It was the toughest running I ever did and it trained me well. I've managed to get my VO2 max back upto 50 due to that...still below my max, but getting there. In August I had 267 miles in heat and the best I could run would be 3 miles before I had to walk ...some days I had 7 to 9 miles but only 3 to 5 were running. So I thought I got good experience in heat, but this doesn't stay with you. it has helped me go from 11/12 min miles down to 8:30 for 10k runs....my long miles are a little fast now at 10:20 average for my last 18 miler, but dang I know this is because the heat helped build my system.So while it suuccccccked, it helped improve my conditioning severely. At best I will have a 4:45 marathon, but considering my previous one was 5:55hrs due to getting fat, I will take that.

Come marathon maybe Houston will heat up a little like it has these past weeks where it was 80s. If not,then maybe I have to take @DopeyBadger advice and wear some layers to increase my local heat...but kind of hoping this happens after my 20 mile run next week.

 

[Z-Knight]

I ran outside in Houston every month since June and all purposely in the heat. All of July and August were runs in 97+ degrees and at highest heat of the day. It was the toughest running I ever did and it trained me well. I've managed to get my VO2 max back upto 50 due to that...still below my max, but getting there. In August I had 267 miles in heat and the best I could run would be 3 miles before I had to walk ...some days I had 7 to 9 miles but only 3 to 5 were running. So I thought I got good experience in heat, but this doesn't stay with you. it has helped me go from 11/12 min miles down to 8:30 for 10k runs....my long miles are a little fast now at 10:20 average for my last 18 miler, but dang I know this is because the heat helped build my system.So while it suuccccccked, it helped improve my conditioning severely. At best I will have a 4:45 marathon, but considering my previous one was 5:55hrs due to getting fat, I will take that.

Come marathon maybe Houston will heat up a little like it has these past weeks where it was 80s. If not,then maybe I have to take @DopeyBadger advice and wear some layers to increase my local heat...but kind of hoping this happens after my 20 mile run next week.

btw, @DopeyBadger ,let me ask even though it is late in the game...what should my long run paces and speed run paces be, using your spreadsheet?

Last long run I did was 18 miles @ 10:20 pace...took me about 3:05hrs and my last 5 miles were run at 9:30 pace during that 18 miler. I did the same last 5 miles pacing for my previous 16 and 15 mile runs weeks earlier.

I have a recent (2 months ago) 10 miler at 9:22 pace and last week had a 5 miler at 8:20 pace. I am able to a bit faster on these shorter runs and usually I start slow and speed up with each mile...not on purpose, it just feels easier to run faster later on. can't explain it but I think my first miles are just not warmed up because I go into them cold, not even stretch.

anyway, I am trying to figure out, at least for Princess weekend, how best to do my remaining training weeks...though Dopey will also be in there too.
anyway,thx

oh yeah, VO2 max now is 50
am able to do 13 Yasso 800s (could maybe do more) in 3:45 min each (7:30 pace) consistently. still overweight though, 6ft @220lbs, heart rate usually hits 155 max but average like 140 and resting heart rate is 45 to 50. I don't know what else you need...have not done any magic miles but probably could do 7:30 min from cold start

oh and I cant lose that weight because I drink to much Coke...no self control

 

[DopeyBadger]

I have a recent (2 months ago) 10 miler at 9:22 pace and last week had a 5 miler at 8:20 pace. I am able to a bit faster on these shorter runs and usually I start slow and speed up with each mile...not on purpose, it just feels easier to run faster later on. can't explain it but I think my first miles are just not warmed up because I go into them cold, not even stretch.

The 5 miler at 8:20 pace is quite a bit better than the 9:22 10 miler. So I used that.