I love this thread. It has had quite a bit of info and support. I will be doing it on our cruise next year. I do know it is quite a while away but I am a bit of a big girl and am using the run as a big goal. My big question at the moment is that I reside in a cold climate. Like it still snows in may type deal. Is there a way to train so my body dose not go into shock? The run is at the end of the cruise. I was hoping to run the ship the week before to get use to the heat.
Congratulations on using this run as a goal!
My climate is nothing as extreme as yours, but even I have a hard time getting myself used to the tropics. I think that first, you've just got the conditioning you have to do. Just get used to running/jogging (I personally do Galloway walk/jog), get your muscles, your heart, your lungs, and your blood vessels used to running. That's the biggest step; if you have any lung issues, take your time as you work yourself into running. I did a walk/jog Couch to 5K program, and had to repeat weeks simply because my lungs were NOT ready to go an extra amount of time/distance.
After you've started down the road to that sort of conditioning, you can look towards keeping yourself OK in the heat. Is it EVER hot in your area? The last couple days I've been keeping my running jacket on, even while hot. I'm not really doing it on purpose, but I'm running in a windy area that involves a bridge over a highway, and I don't really want to lose my running jacket by carrying it. I figure it might help me get used to being hot.
And don't forget to pay attention to hydration. See what works for you. For me, those first few 5Ks still required solid hydration, which made sure I was ready to run on Castaway.
Obviously, all I have are thoughts for you, not solid "do this" notes. But hopefully it can help a little bit.
Sorry if this has been answered but do yiu have to complete the race within a certain anount of time?
Some have said that if you finish beyond an hour, you have to find the CMs for the medals or have them delivered to your room. I haven't quite taken an hour (not far off, though...I'm slow!) but the CMs have been out still for me both times. So I can't speak to if it was that way on my two cruises.
It's run more by rundisney now, and their "rules" for other, more official, 5ks say a 16 minute mile, for what it's worth.