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

[DisneyParrothead]

I'm not a shoe expert, but I think if you've been in stability shoes happily and the ITBS thing has just come up, it's probably not your shoes. I have complicated feet - highly flexible arches that can appear flat if I'm just standing, a fore-to-midfoot strike and a tendency to pronate while walking but suppinate while running. I'm a shoe-fitter's worst nightmare, lol!

I'll second that. I've been in stability shoes for so long and my ITBS flared up in March. A running store here switched my shoes and my feet started hurting. I returned the shoes and went back to the ones I was already wearing, also 2170s, or whatever the next in line is called.

I'm pretty sure my ITBS is due to muscle imbalance. My last race I was dealing with ITBS, a strained hip flexor and a painful piriformis. I've been resting since then, and that was April. Let me tell y'all, I'm suffering from some pretty bad cabin fever. I'm slowly trying to build up strength in my hip flexors and glutes, and stretching 3 times a day, rolling twice a day, and icing at least once if not twice. Oof!

 

[nfouey]

Yikes. The full marathon is at 75% capacity already. I don't recall it filling up this fast in years past. Matter of fact a few years back I think it did not sell out at all.

Trying to wait until September before we sign up. Long story short, my company offers spots on their race team but not until all the important people get to sign up first! That leaves me signing up on my own now, or waiting it out till Sept and hoping spots still exist on the corporate team. At this rate the public spots could be sold out by then. Anyone think otherwise?

 

[PrincessV]

Hey v- I completely remember your feet from last year! We have nearly identical feet issues (and we're both dancers, right?) running shoe shopping just stinks! Hope you're doing well. Looks like lots if Disney miles this year!

Hiya - good to see you again! Yep, darned dancer feet. Running shoe people haven't a clue what to do with us! I'm finally in the right shoes... and it's a whole new world!

Sounds complicated!! I will add that I just started back to running in the middle if February after taking about 6 months off...had shoulder surgery in September and couldn't run during that time. So maybe I advanced to quickly also? 3 months to go from 0 miles to 6 miles

That's a possibility, too - I've definitely seen that upping the mileage too quickly can cause ITBS. Even if you're not into the whole barefoot concept, I highly recommend checking out the Sock Doc website. His concepts on ITBS recovery and prevention were invaluable to me!

I'm pretty sure my ITBS is due to muscle imbalance. My last race I was dealing with ITBS, a strained hip flexor and a painful piriformis. I've been resting since then, and that was April. Let me tell y'all, I'm suffering from some pretty bad cabin fever. I'm slowly trying to build up strength in my hip flexors and glutes, and stretching 3 times a day, rolling twice a day, and icing at least once if not twice. Oof!

Ugh, hang in there! I still foam roll 2x daily, as prevention. It's a PITA... but a lot less painful than ITBS!

At this rate the public spots could be sold out by then. Anyone think otherwise?

Nope - at the rate things have been going, I think it'll be full by then. Sorry!

 

[Dagna]

Yep, darned dancer feet. Running shoe people haven't a clue what to do with us! I'm finally in the right shoes... and it's a whole new world!

I'm just terribly curious--which shoes worked out for you?

 

[Figment1990]

I'm just terribly curious--which shoes worked out for you?

I know you didn't ask me but I ended up in mizuno nexus 6's. I still get some inner calf pain if I up my mileage or pace too quickly but even tho these are technically "stability" shoes, they are less intrusive to my arches than many stability shoes. The main moral of the story is that everyone feet and gait are SO different and you really need to listen to your body and the feel of the shoe as well as the "specs" (I used runners world shoe finder for the data) and shoe store people.

Amazingly tho, these shoes left me with ZERO pain after walking wdw for 9 days. Something I had never experienced in 20 years of wdw visits.

 

[Dagna]

I know you didn't ask me but I ended up in mizuno nexus 6's. I still get some inner calf pain if I up my mileage or pace too quickly but even tho these are technically "stability" shoes, they are less intrusive to my arches than many stability shoes. The main moral of the story is that everyone feet and gait are SO different and you really need to listen to your body and the feel of the shoe as well as the "specs" (I used runners world shoe finder for the data) and shoe store people.

Amazingly tho, these shoes left me with ZERO pain after walking wdw for 9 days. Something I had never experienced in 20 years of wdw visits.

Thanks! I was interested in both your answers, just didn't word my question properly.

 

[PrincessV]

I'm just terribly curious--which shoes worked out for you?

Brooks PureFlow! They made changes to the upper in the PureFlow 2 that I don't love, though. I also really like Mizuno Wave Evo Cursoris, but that's a short distance day shoe for me; I need a bit more cushion in the forefoot for long runs.

The main moral of the story is that everyone feet and gait are SO different and you really need to listen to your body and the feel of the shoe as well as the "specs" (I used runners world shoe finder for the data) and shoe store people.

ITA!

 

[WhereInFlorida]

Yikes. The full marathon is at 75% capacity already. I don't recall it filling up this fast in years past. Matter of fact a few years back I think it did not sell out at all.

Trying to wait until September before we sign up. Long story short, my company offers spots on their race team but not until all the important people get to sign up first! That leaves me signing up on my own now, or waiting it out till Sept and hoping spots still exist on the corporate team. At this rate the public spots could be sold out by then. Anyone think otherwise?

Yep, I think it probably will not make it to the next rate increase on 13-Aug. 2 years ago I waited until November to register and it was nearly full at that point. Don't remember last year but it was certainly earlier than November when it reached 100%.

 

[annmarieda]

Brooks PureFlow! They made changes to the upper in the PureFlow 2 that I don't love, though. I also really like Mizuno Wave Evo Cursoris, but that's a short distance day shoe for me; I need a bit more cushion in the forefoot for long runs.

ITA!

I agree with you on not loving the changes to the upper. The pure flow 2 works well enough for me so I am sticking with it and hoping they change back in the next version

 

[cobbler]

Joining in a little late. I am currently signed up for the 10K and haven't decided if I want to do the marathon along with it or do the Goofy Challenge again. Leaning more towards Goofy but not sure yet. I have time to decide yet.

I am recovering from IT band issues (just as a PP is dealing with) and have had 3 runs without pain. Foam rolling, stretching, and taking 3 weeks off has really helped. I took 1 week off and did nothing but roll and stretch. Weeks 2 & 3 I added strength training (continued to roll and stretch) and started running over the weekend. Building back slowly and continuing the weights, stretch and roll. Did a session of yoga in there and these things are really helping me.

 

[swimfly]

Yikes. The full marathon is at 75% capacity already. I don't recall it filling up this fast in years past. Matter of fact a few years back I think it did not sell out at all.

Trying to wait until September before we sign up. Long story short, my company offers spots on their race team but not until all the important people get to sign up first! That leaves me signing up on my own now, or waiting it out till Sept and hoping spots still exist on the corporate team. At this rate the public spots could be sold out by then. Anyone think otherwise?

I agree with the other poster. It'll be sold out before the next rate increase in August.

Joining in a little late. I am currently signed up for the 10K and haven't decided if I want to do the marathon along with it or do the Goofy Challenge again. Leaning more towards Goofy but not sure yet. I have time to decide yet.

Tough decision. Not sure I could go to the January weekend and not run both Sat/Sun. Don't wait too long as both are already 75%.

 

[PlutoBaby]

Have I ever. My ITBS was so bad by the TOT last year, I couldn't run more than a mile without excruciating pain. My advice? 1. Start looking for the root cause; no point in fixing the issue until you've ID'd and fixed the cause. For me, it was always running the same side of our very steeply canted roads coupled with stability shoes. But there are many, many things that can bring on ITBS; Google and experiment. 2. Get yourself a foam roller and look up foam rolling techniques for ITBS. 3. Find a PT or chiropractor that does targeted massage, Active Release Therapy and electrical stimulation. My chiro is an absolute miracle worker; I'm running now because of her! 4. No running until the pain is gone. The knee pain stems from the tightened ITB rubbing against the knee joint, causing inflammation. You must wait until that inflammation is gone. When you do start running, keep it short and very slowly start rebuilding mileage. Stop immediately any time you start feeling the tell-tale ITB pain.

I didn't do any of that until I was in really bad shape... don't be me.

And welcome to my nightmare! I just started back running after taking off 2 months, and not a stinking bit of difference in my ITBS (only doing 2-3 miles)! I definitely need to get better about doing my PT exercises. And boy does that foam roller hurt! But I will do whatever I need to to get back to it again, including weekly visits to the chiro. Hoping for a miracle here!

I ran last year's W&D in some Nike stability shoes, and promptly donated them a few days later. I definitely need the more cushioned type shoes for these dancer's feet. I actually tend to run on the outside edge of both feet and use an arch support thanks to these sky high babies. I've logged in 206 miles with my Sauconys (forget which model). It doesn't seem like a lot of mileage but maybe I should try another new pair???

 

[PrincessV]

And welcome to my nightmare!

I am so sorry - my heart breaks for anyone battling ITBS! It just plain SUCKS. I got to the point where the foam roller didn't hurt anymore, but I was still getting the knee pain. It wasn't until I started seeing my chiro and she found THE SPOT of tightness and worked on it for weeks that it got better. My SPOT wound up being way up into the outside of my gluteus minimus; I would never have gotten that worked out on my own. I wish you great luck for a speedy recovery!

I've logged in 206 miles with my Sauconys (forget which model). It doesn't seem like a lot of mileage but maybe I should try another new pair???

I've been playing with a theory and I wonder if you're not adding weight to it here... I've never been able to get much more than around 250ish miles out of my shoes - and that was mostly walking with some sprinting thrown in. I'm little and light; supposedly, I should be able to get a whole lot more mileage, right? My theory, though, is that dancer feet kill running shoes. I don't just land mid- or forefoot, I toe-ball-heel as if I'm dance-running across the stage in pointe shoes, lol! I suspect I absorb a huge amount of impact in my feet, which maybe breaks down shoes faster?

 

[PlutoBaby]

I am so sorry - my heart breaks for anyone battling ITBS! It just plain SUCKS. I got to the point where the foam roller didn't hurt anymore, but I was still getting the knee pain. It wasn't until I started seeing my chiro and she found THE SPOT of tightness and worked on it for weeks that it got better. My SPOT wound up being way up into the outside of my gluteus minimus; I would never have gotten that worked out on my own. I wish you great luck for a speedy recovery!

Thanks for the tip! I'm going to mention that to her when I see her tomorrow. I'm also considering getting a home TENS unit. Anybody have one and how do you like it??


I've been playing with a theory and I wonder if you're not adding weight to it here... I've never been able to get much more than around 250ish miles out of my shoes - and that was mostly walking with some sprinting thrown in. I'm little and light; supposedly, I should be able to get a whole lot more mileage, right? My theory, though, is that dancer feet kill running shoes. I don't just land mid- or forefoot, I toe-ball-heel as if I'm dance-running across the stage in pointe shoes, lol! I suspect I absorb a huge amount of impact in my feet, which maybe breaks down shoes faster?

Interesting thought. I try to make a conscious effort at some point during my run to land on the ball of my foot to change things up. It doesn't seem to make any difference though. The only thing that does is to stop and walk. No offense to the walkers out there, but UGH! That's not going to help me get rid of these stubborn last pounds! I think if I went all-out dancer, my DH would start laughing his head off!

 

[cobbler]

Tough decision. Not sure I could go to the January weekend and not run both Sat/Sun. Don't wait too long as both are already 75%.

Yeah, I know. I figure I will make that decision once the 85-90% mark hits on either of them. I don't mind missing out on the half and going with the marathon and not Goofy though. My biggest issue is deciding if I really want to put in the time for the Goofy training.

 

[FFigawi]

Yeah, I know. I figure I will make that decision once the 85-90% mark hits on either of them. I don't mind missing out on the half and going with the marathon and not Goofy though. My biggest issue is deciding if I really want to put in the time for the Goofy training.

You don't really need to do any more training for Goofy than you do for the full. As long as you treat the half as a training run, you'll be fine for the full the next day.

 

[PrincessV]

I'm also considering getting a home TENS unit. Anybody have one and how do you like it??

Not a TENS, but an electro-stim machine they sell at the drugstore. It's great! Not quite as effective as the fancy one my chiro uses, but enough to work preventatively if things start getting tight.

I think if I went all-out dancer, my DH would start laughing his head off!

 

[rachlovestv]

You don't really need to do any more training for Goofy than you do for the full. As long as you treat the half as a training run, you'll be fine for the full the next day.

I don't know about that, I've been training for my first marathon (9 days away!!) and I'm fairly certain I would have problems if you asked me to run a half the day before, even in training mode. Sure, I might be able to finish both races, but I'd probably be miserable for the full, more so than usual.

I think it probably depends on your fitness level, and if you've run a marathon before.

 

[sdchickie]

Just signed up today, this is my first full marathon and right after pushing the submit button I thought to myself what the heck am I doing!!! I've run the Princess half and the Disneyland half to get my coast to coast last year, but a marathon is a whole different ball game. I hope I can finish!

 

[creativeamanda]

Just signed up today, this is my first full marathon and right after pushing the submit button I thought to myself what the heck am I doing!!! I've run the Princess half and the Disneyland half to get my coast to coast last year, but a marathon is a whole different ball game. I hope I can finish!

I'm nervous about running my first full as well, so you'll be in great company!