OFFICIAL 2014 WDW Marathon Countdown: WE DID IT! Congrats everyone!

[cewait]

Holy Smokes...

The 620 has the coaching bells and whistles on the HR side that can help folks attempting to maximize performance over a 3-6 month period. I may 'need' one to play with. Hello Santa....

 

[RnbwSktles]

Holy Smokes...

The 620 has the coaching bells and whistles on the HR side that can help folks attempting to maximize performance over a 3-6 month period. I may 'need' one to play with. Hello Santa....

Wow that is an expensive watch!

I have the 110 and I thought it was working pretty well, but I wonder how big the margin of error is allowed to be? I've noticed during my last few races that I am always off by about a quarter of a mile, but not always consistently. Sometimes I am ahead, sometimes behind. Is that normal?

 

[cewait]

Wow that is an expensive watch!

I have the 110 and I thought it was working pretty well, but I wonder how big the margin of error is allowed to be? I've noticed during my last few races that I am always off by about a quarter of a mile, but not always consistently. Sometimes I am ahead, sometimes behind. Is that normal?

It is not uncommon for a GPS unit to report a course is longer than the stated distance. This is due to the fact that a course is measured along the tangents or shortest path from start to stop. Most runners miss the tangents of the course mostly due to running in a crowd and not being able to reach the inner radii of corners. Other error comes from stopping at potties, veering to the edge of a course for a water hand up and other small non straight line issues.

As far as general GPS error, the GPS receiver measures position on predefined time intervals. The error for most units is +/- 3 meters. The higher end units tend to have antenna and processors that are closer to state of the art making them just a little quicker in triangulating a position. Once you start moving , the receiver will use algorithms to try to estimate the distance covered from the last measured position as well as predict the next position. Also by predicting location the unit will actually work better by needing less processing power in most cases. The most obvious case where a GPS unit fails is running laps on a high school track. Only half the track is straight and the other half a corner. In the corners the receiver is constantly trying to locate the runner in a straight line, adding a considerable distance through each loop. Take you unit to the track and run 2-4 miles then upload the data to Garmin Connect. Look at the plot of the path run and you will see what is happening.

As far as a race course coming up short... That only seems to happen in a race where the course is not certified, not measured well or the user does not start or stop the unit at the lines. It is possible that if the unit was not allowed time to grab enough satellites, the course was in a heavily treed area or downtown, or the day was heavily overcast that the unit just never calibrated or only had marginal reception. There is a little functionality between generations of Garmin units, less between current generation series.

 

[belle2211]

What are you guys thoughts on KT tape?Since the ToT 10 miler the inner tip of my left knee cap has gotten a bit swollen on runs over 5 miles,it's basically been the ToT race,a couple of runs on the treadmill and a half marathon Oct.26th.After that race I tried using this ice gel therapy that's really more for muscles but amazingly it worked very well in easing the swelling.I've never tried the tape but if it helps prevent it from hurting and getting swollen in the first place I'll be using it in all my longer runs and in the marathon.

I'll be honest--I've had knee and heel problems recently. I tried taping my knee 3 times--twice using different methods from online instructions and once by someone who does KT taping. And all three times, my knee still hurt during the race. And then when I ran without it, it didn't hurt as bad. So I wasn't a fan of the tape then.

But then for my heel, this past weekend, I went to KT tape booth at the expo and they taped my heel (not in a way that I've seen on their site) but however they did it, it worked fabulously! I finally took it off today but it stayed since Friday with no peeling whatsoever! I'll be trying to recreate that method on my next run!

So I'd say its definitely worth a try to see if it works!

 

[cherrybomb11]

This is a super bad idea. In the past few years, runDisney has had their own people pretend to be selling/buying bibs. If you get caught, you get banned.

I believe that getting banned is pure rumor. There is simply no proof to this claim that you'd get banned for life. First, Disney has never put this in writing. Second, weigh the facts. There are hundreds of postings for people selling their bibs or interested buyers. There are zero google hits to support the fact that anyone has been caught or banned.

The official policy is no transfers, and I'm not saying any judgement on whether or not someone finds other ways. I'm just stating what can be confirmed.

 

[cewait]

I'll be honest--I've had knee and heel problems recently. I tried taping my knee 3 times--twice using different methods from online instructions and once by someone who does KT taping. And all three times, my knee still hurt during the race. And then when I ran without it, it didn't hurt as bad. So I wasn't a fan of the tape then.

But then for my heel, this past weekend, I went to KT tape booth at the expo and they taped my heel (not in a way that I've seen on their site) but however they did it, it worked fabulously! I finally took it off today but it stayed since Friday with no peeling whatsoever! I'll be trying to recreate that method on my next run!

So I'd say its definitely worth a try to see if it works!

I the a PT from Lake City tape my knee up at the expo for the 2013 Goofy. It worked well for the two runs. Though, it did loosen up in the last 4-5 miles of the marathon. By that time, it really didn't matter.

 

[Keogh1876]

Hi Everyone! I am a longtime lurker and decided it was time to actually try posting for a change. First let me introduce myself... I am a long time runner and currently training for the 2014 Goofy. This will be my third Marathon and second Disney Marathon. I live in central FL and have competed in all the long disney races except for the Donald Half Marathon. I just PR'd in the Wine and Dine half this last weekend even though the heat and the traffic about did me in. I am far from a coach in any sense of the word but if anyone has any questions about running in FL and/or running at Disney please do not hesitate to ask! ( In my real life I am a librarian ... if that last sentence didn't give me away.)

 

[cewait]

Hi Everyone! I am a longtime lurker and decided it was time to actually try posting for a change. First let me introduce myself... I am a long time runner and currently training for the 2014 Goofy. This will be my third Marathon and second Disney Marathon. I live in central FL and have competed in all the long disney races except for the Donald Half Marathon. I just PR'd in the Wine and Dine half this last weekend even though the heat and the traffic about did me in. I am far from a coach in any sense of the word but if anyone has any questions about running in FL and/or running at Disney please do not hesitate to ask! ( In my real life I am a librarian ... if that last sentence didn't give me away.)

Hey neighbor.... welcome to the party

 

[DrMomof3]

I might need a pep talk. I seem to be going through an existential crisis about my running...
In January I'm running the 10k (with my husband who will be doing his 1st 10k and is quite a bit slower than I am so it'll be a fun run for me) and then the full marathon. This will be my 3rd Disney Marathon and my 4th Marathon overall (I just ran NYC Marathon on November 3rd).
I am slow by non-Disney standards - I finished NYC with a PR of 5:26:58. I had done e-coaching with Jeff Galloway, ran all of the speed work-outs including 14 x 1 mile repeats at around 10:30 pace, and ran my longest run of 27.3 miles about 3 weeks before the race. I was hoping for at least a 5:15 finish (my fantasy was sub-5 hours) but Jeff had (correctly) predicted between 5:15 and 5:30. His reasoning was that NYC is a difficult course and obviously he was right.
I was a child athlete (starting competing in gymnastics at age 7 and quit at age 19) and graduated high school with 9 varsity letters. And although I didn't start running until 4 years ago, I consider myself to be an active person. I'm about 10 lbs over my "ideal" weight but I don't think anyone would call me overweight (I wear a size 6 petite). And I'm frustrated that I'm not faster at running!!!
At this point I don't know if I want to go "all out" in my training for Disney and try to PR or if I should just cut back my training and do enough to finish comfortably in 6 hours or less and stop worrying about how fast I run.
(I am working with a sports nutritionist to lose the last 10 lbs and I've started to incorporate more core fitness into my routine.)
Thoughts?

Amanda

PS Sorry if I sound super whiny. I'm lucky that I'm able to run marathons at all and I am proud of finishing 3 full marathons including 1 Goofy.

 

[cewait]

I might need a pep talk. I seem to be going through an existential crisis about my running...
In January I'm running the 10k (with my husband who will be doing his 1st 10k and is quite a bit slower than I am so it'll be a fun run for me) and then the full marathon. This will be my 3rd Disney Marathon and my 4th Marathon overall (I just ran NYC Marathon on November 3rd).
I am slow by non-Disney standards - I finished NYC with a PR of 5:26:58. I had done e-coaching with Jeff Galloway, ran all of the speed work-outs including 14 x 1 mile repeats at around 10:30 pace, and ran my longest run of 27.3 miles about 3 weeks before the race. I was hoping for at least a 5:15 finish (my fantasy was sub-5 hours) but Jeff had (correctly) predicted between 5:15 and 5:30. His reasoning was that NYC is a difficult course and obviously he was right.
I was a child athlete (starting competing in gymnastics at age 7 and quit at age 19) and graduated high school with 9 varsity letters. And although I didn't start running until 4 years ago, I consider myself to be an active person. I'm about 10 lbs over my "ideal" weight but I don't think anyone would call me overweight (I wear a size 6 petite). And I'm frustrated that I'm not faster at running!!!
At this point I don't know if I want to go "all out" in my training for Disney and try to PR or if I should just cut back my training and do enough to finish comfortably in 6 hours or less and stop worrying about how fast I run.
(I am working with a sports nutritionist to lose the last 10 lbs and I've started to incorporate more core fitness into my routine.)
Thoughts?

Amanda

PS Sorry if I sound super whiny. I'm lucky that I'm able to run marathons at all and I am proud of finishing 3 full marathons including 1 Goofy.

I vote for the have fun - it's Disney route. The alternative is a seriously hard workout schedule that may produce a 5 possibly 10 minute bump in finish time - maybe. It is possible to improve, but with the holidays and some time for recovery from NYC, I would say run a conservative I know I can finish schedule from here to the race. It would be a killer to push uber hard over the next 7 weeks and then spoils some of the results with photo ops and the like.

If you want to push time down, start in January and let's work on a plan to increase speed through the year. It is not out of the question to seriously spank your 5 hour goal next marathon season. It just takes a few months of hard work.

Hang in there. Some of what you are feeling is very normal, almost like a loss in your personal life with the marathon being complete. It's a case of the post race blues.

 

[DrMomof3]

Thanks Coach! I totally have the post-marathon blues. No doubt!!!
Here's a question... Is there any future benefit to doing some speed work in prep for Disney even if I decide to just have fun on race day? Will it help me in my spring half marathon or is it too far away?

Amanda

 

[TCB in FLA]

Thanks Coach! I totally have the post-marathon blues. No doubt!!!
Here's a question... Is there any future benefit to doing some speed work in prep for Disney even if I decide to just have fun on race day? Will it help me in my spring half marathon or is it too far away?

Amanda

Amanda- you didn't mention your age in your post. Not sure if this applies, but once I hit 35 or so, I slowed down despite my best efforts -- but my endurance improved. No way I could have run a marathon earlier without major life changes.

Is the January marathon part of your vacation? If so, I would suggest enjoying the race so you can enjoy the overall trip with your family. Save PRing for another race when you can just recover post-effort. IMHO

 

[DrMomof3]

Amanda- you didn't mention your age in your post. Not sure if this applies, but once I hit 35 or so, I slowed down despite my best efforts -- but my endurance improved. No way I could have run a marathon earlier without major life changes.

Is the January marathon part of your vacation? If so, I would suggest enjoying the race so you can enjoy the overall trip with your family. Save PRing for another race when you can just recover post-effort. IMHO

I just turned 42 but didn't start running until age 38 so I haven't yet been running for 4 years.
We are going to Disney in January only to run. The children are staying home with the nanny so they don't miss school.
I guess I don't care so much about my actual finish time at Disney as I do about the overall process of trying to improve. (Does that even make sense?)

Amanda

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Thanks Coach! I totally have the post-marathon blues. No doubt!!!
Here's a question... Is there any future benefit to doing some speed work in prep for Disney even if I decide to just have fun on race day? Will it help me in my spring half marathon or is it too far away?

Amanda

Less than 9 weeks from a marathon, I would wait on the speed work. The risk of injury is too high when you mix speed work and mileage with a race so near. Coach's idea is sound - have fun prepping for and running the WDW Marathon, then take a few weeks off and start a lower mileage speed work routine.

If you want to race fast, you have to train fast - but it takes a long time to really see results. You can get down to a 4:30 marathon in a year, but drops after that will be smaller and smaller and take even more effort. Sadly, running in your 40s is just not as easy unless you are genetically gifted.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Holy Smokes...

The 620 has the coaching bells and whistles on the HR side that can help folks attempting to maximize performance over a 3-6 month period. I may 'need' one to play with. Hello Santa....

Yeah, I have the 610 and want to upgrade. Love the idea of having cadence and ground contact measurements available during a run.

 

[cewait]

I agree with the let's hold off on serious speed work. You could throw in a few speed play days, but nothing like running a serious set of long and hard intervals.


BTW folks.... All my PRs; 1 mile, 5k, 5 mile 10k, 10 mile, 15k, 20k, half and full were all set at 50 or older. Age really does not kick in at distance for a while. It's really all about using the gray matter to lay out a work plan and then working through that plan. I was lucky to be one of 5 folks in my last club who were in the early half of the 6th decade. We were literally the rats in our own lab.

 

[DrMomof3]

I agree with the let's hold off on serious speed work. You could throw in a few speed play days, but nothing like running a serious set of long and hard intervals.


BTW folks.... All my PRs; 1 mile, 5k, 5 mile 10k, 10 mile, 15k, 20k, half and full were all set at 50 or older. Age really does not kick in at distance for a while. It's really all about using the gray matter to lay out a work plan and then working through that plan. I was lucky to be one of 5 folks in my last club who were in the early half of the 6th decade. We were literally the rats in our own lab.

That's reassuring!!!

Thanks for all the insight!

Amanda

 

[dragitoff]

I agree with the let's hold off on serious speed work. You could throw in a few speed play days, but nothing like running a serious set of long and hard intervals. BTW folks.... All my PRs; 1 mile, 5k, 5 mile 10k, 10 mile, 15k, 20k, half and full were all set at 50 or older. Age really does not kick in at distance for a while. It's really all about using the gray matter to lay out a work plan and then working through that plan. I was lucky to be one of 5 folks in my last club who were in the early half of the 6th decade. We were literally the rats in our own lab.

Hey coach. Check your pm when you get a sec. I sent you something yesterday that kinda relates to that.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I agree with the let's hold off on serious speed work. You could throw in a few speed play days, but nothing like running a serious set of long and hard intervals.


BTW folks.... All my PRs; 1 mile, 5k, 5 mile 10k, 10 mile, 15k, 20k, half and full were all set at 50 or older. Age really does not kick in at distance for a while. It's really all about using the gray matter to lay out a work plan and then working through that plan. I was lucky to be one of 5 folks in my last club who were in the early half of the 6th decade. We were literally the rats in our own lab.

I ran a 4:34 mile at age 20 - I don't care how much I train, I will never hit that again.

 

[DEA]

I might need a pep talk. I seem to be going through an existential crisis about my running...
In January I'm running the 10k (with my husband who will be doing his 1st 10k and is quite a bit slower than I am so it'll be a fun run for me) and then the full marathon. This will be my 3rd Disney Marathon and my 4th Marathon overall (I just ran NYC Marathon on November 3rd).
I am slow by non-Disney standards - I finished NYC with a PR of 5:26:58. I had done e-coaching with Jeff Galloway, ran all of the speed work-outs including 14 x 1 mile repeats at around 10:30 pace, and ran my longest run of 27.3 miles about 3 weeks before the race. I was hoping for at least a 5:15 finish (my fantasy was sub-5 hours) but Jeff had (correctly) predicted between 5:15 and 5:30. His reasoning was that NYC is a difficult course and obviously he was right.
I was a child athlete (starting competing in gymnastics at age 7 and quit at age 19) and graduated high school with 9 varsity letters. And although I didn't start running until 4 years ago, I consider myself to be an active person. I'm about 10 lbs over my "ideal" weight but I don't think anyone would call me overweight (I wear a size 6 petite). And I'm frustrated that I'm not faster at running!!!
At this point I don't know if I want to go "all out" in my training for Disney and try to PR or if I should just cut back my training and do enough to finish comfortably in 6 hours or less and stop worrying about how fast I run.
(I am working with a sports nutritionist to lose the last 10 lbs and I've started to incorporate more core fitness into my routine.)
Thoughts?

Amanda

PS Sorry if I sound super whiny. I'm lucky that I'm able to run marathons at all and I am proud of finishing 3 full marathons including 1 Goofy.

Hey Amanda,

OK, so Jeff let you know that the NYC course was a tough one, and you still got a PR on it. If the WDW Marathon course is an easier one than NYC (and I expect it is), then putting forth the same effort should get you another PR/faster run, even without additional speed work. Perhaps working against that is the 6.2 miles you're going to do a couple of days before the marathon, which might take away the benefits you would get if you rested for a couple of days, but working through a good recovery plan will help with that.

Given your NYC Marathon pace (which, by the application of some math, gives me about a 12.5 minutes/mile pace), you'd need to run each mile about 30 seconds faster to come in around 5:15. It looks like you ran the repeats much faster than 12 minutes/mile, so you certainly have the infrastructure to run faster, but the unknown is still maintaining that over the total distance. I think it may all come down to adjusting run/walk ratios, perhaps. I've been doing 90/30 run/walk splits on my long runs, but I discovered that I need to take it slower when I get up around 18 miles, and drop the run portion down to a more manageable number, lest my body rebel. Maybe a look at your ratio and a consultation with your e-coach might be in order.

So, short answer: I think if you want to go faster, you can go faster. The course will likely be less difficult, your muscles can propel you at least 2 minutes/mile faster than your NYC marathon pace, and you may get a good adrenaline boost at the race. All those point toward you being able to continue a reasonable training program, don't try to kill yourself with speed work, and still come in with a PR in January. Then again, I have yet to recover from a marathon, so I may be underestimating the impact. Good luck, though, whatever path you take. i think the Disney races are always fun, regardless of finish time