OFFICIAL January 2012 5K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Goofy or Dopey Challenge Thread

[KippWade]

Magical Express information came in the mail today! This is getting real!!

I've been trying to find out information about Expos that are held at these marathon events. I've heard there are some pretty good deals to be had, but can never seem to find any information as to what these deals are?

This is my first go around with ANYTHING like this ever. I started C25K back in March of this year and part of my motivation on sticking with running was signing up for the 1/2 in January. I basically ended up doing C25K twice, as I learned running outside on the road was much different than running on the treadmill! I then went into the B210K. I'm now working on the Hal Higdon 1/2 Marathon Novice program.

I'm 40 pounds down from what I weighed in at the Dr.'s office back in January, but I was hoping to be at or around 60 pounds lost by the time the 1/2 Marathon was hear. It looks like I'm going to miss that mark.

I've watched a lot of videos and read a lot of blogs about what to expect in the half. I THINK I'm about as prepared for this as I can be! I have a 7 mile run in the training queue for tomorrow and I think it's time that I need to experiment with on the road fuel. I'm going to hit the local running store and grab some of the Cliff products, as that looks to be what gets handed out at the Disney events.

 

[stitchfan18]

Magical Express information came in the mail today! This is getting real!!

I've been trying to find out information about Expos that are held at these marathon events. I've heard there are some pretty good deals to be had, but can never seem to find any information as to what these deals are?

This is my first go around with ANYTHING like this ever. I started C25K back in March of this year and part of my motivation on sticking with running was signing up for the 1/2 in January. I basically ended up doing C25K twice, as I learned running outside on the road was much different than running on the treadmill! I then went into the B210K. I'm now working on the Hal Higdon 1/2 Marathon Novice program.

I'm 40 pounds down from what I weighed in at the Dr.'s office back in January, but I was hoping to be at or around 60 pounds lost by the time the 1/2 Marathon was hear. It looks like I'm going to miss that mark.

I've watched a lot of videos and read a lot of blogs about what to expect in the half. I THINK I'm about as prepared for this as I can be! I have a 7 mile run in the training queue for tomorrow and I think it's time that I need to experiment with on the road fuel. I'm going to hit the local running store and grab some of the Cliff products, as that looks to be what gets handed out at the Disney events.

Congrats on the weight loss and your training! You are definitely smart in getting some fuel now to experiment instead of eating something during the race that you haven't tried before.

As far as the expo goes, specific deals aren't really posted in one place. Sometimes you can find out about deals on different facebook or twitter pages of companies that will be at the expo, but a lot of the deals you find out about as you walk around. I recommend walking around a little before you buy anything. I've made several impulse buys at expos, and find a better deal on a similar product a little bit later. Also, if you are thinking about signing up for any major races (think rock n' roll races, and other select major marathons,) I would hold off registering online before you see what incentives they might be offering for signing up at the expo.

 

[CaptHomer]

Coach, thanks so much for the advice. I am going to add the biking. I am using a lap lane. The pool goes from 3'6 to 4'9.

 

[WriteDisney]

Next month we run!

I can't wait!! After today I have two more long runs (the next two Saturdays). I wish I was a faster runner because I feel like I spend most of my week running now! I had to skip a run this week to catch up on sleep and today I'm running 22. Marathon weekend here I come!

 

[cewait]

Magical Express information came in the mail today! This is getting real!!

I've been trying to find out information about Expos that are held at these marathon events. I've heard there are some pretty good deals to be had, but can never seem to find any information as to what these deals are?

This is my first go around with ANYTHING like this ever. I started C25K back in March of this year and part of my motivation on sticking with running was signing up for the 1/2 in January. I basically ended up doing C25K twice, as I learned running outside on the road was much different than running on the treadmill! I then went into the B210K. I'm now working on the Hal Higdon 1/2 Marathon Novice program.

I'm 40 pounds down from what I weighed in at the Dr.'s office back in January, but I was hoping to be at or around 60 pounds lost by the time the 1/2 Marathon was hear. It looks like I'm going to miss that mark.

I've watched a lot of videos and read a lot of blogs about what to expect in the half. I THINK I'm about as prepared for this as I can be! I have a 7 mile run in the training queue for tomorrow and I think it's time that I need to experiment with on the road fuel. I'm going to hit the local running store and grab some of the Cliff products, as that looks to be what gets handed out at the Disney events.

First the delta between 40 and 60 is nothing , now that you are on the path. Just keep your focus and move forward. It will not be very long till that goal is reached.

With regard to gels.... Try a few different brands. You may find that Cliff is not what you can stand. I would purchase a Cliff, GU and PowerBar gel to start with then decide.

You can also read a step by step review of the course on the link under my signature

 

[cewait]

Coach, thanks so much for the advice. I am going to add the biking. I am using a lap lane. The pool goes from 3'6 to 4'9.

There are water aerobic 'shoes' that are really large foam things that at on the foot/ankle. I think the last ones I saw ere called aqua joggers. They will increase the resistance..

 

[DrMomof3]

To iPod or not to iPod?

I’m planning to have my iPhone (along with 4 or 5 Peppermint GU, my room key, and some cash) in my SPIbelt for the marathon. My dilemma is whether or not to bring my headphones at this point.

Pro: I train with music. I have awesome songs that will make me happy. Some parts of the course look like they will be boring, and my mental toughness is pretty awesome (finished a 20 miler after being hit by a bicycle last weekend), but not perfect.

Cons: It’s my first marathon. It’s Disney.

Turning the music on at a later point in the race isn’t really an option, since I don’t have headphones with a remote, and I don’t want to unzip my SPIbelt, take out my phone, turn on the music, and then put it back.

Amy,
I thread my iPod headphones under my shirt so they can "hang" when I'm not using them. This way they are available if I need them.
That having been said, I didn't end up using them in any of my previous races so I'm not planning to wear them this time. I've done a few long runs without an iPod (just forgot to bring it) and it doesn't seem to be a problem for me.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

I survived my 20 miler this morning. I say survive because it wasn't pretty. My longest run to date was 15.34 miles so I took Galloway's advice and walked the 1st 2+ miles. I did 4 loops of 5.1 miles so my total distance was 20.4 miles. This way I could refill my water bottle and use the bathroom, etc.
The good news:
1st and foremost, I did it. My training in the early part of the fall was spotty at best and I've had my doubts. I finished 20.4 miles.
2nd, I didn't have many fueling problems. I woke up at 5am, dressed, ate a pop-tart and drank some water before heading out. I used a variety of fuels - GU (I liked the chocolate more than I expected), shot bloks, and even ate a Power Bar energy. I also took 4 endurolytes - one every hour. I felt slightly light-headed once but it was time for my next GU anyway. I probably drank to much Gatorade/water becaus I had to stop to pee several times but I didn't pre-hydrate as much as I would for a race.

The Ugly:
Despite walking at least 2 miles, I went out too fast. Especially my 2nd 5.1 mile loop. And I paid dearly! Mile 12 to 18 were just pure grit and not much fun. I'm more sore than I'd like and it was harder than I expected.

Bottom line:
20.4 miles in 4:31:00 for an average pace of 13:17 min/mile. My fastest half was about 2:30 so this is faster than my training pace should be. My dream would be a 5:30 marathon and that may be achievable based on this (opinions on that?). My run next weekend will be short-ish and I may try another really long run the weekend after - assuming I feel good. Opinions on that, too?

Amanda

 

[UNCBear24]

I survived my 20 miler this morning. I say survive because it wasn't pretty. My longest run to date was 15.34 miles so I took Galloway's advice and walked the 1st 2+ miles. I did 4 loops of 5.1 miles so my total distance was 20.4 miles. This way I could refill my water bottle and use the bathroom, etc.
The good news:
1st and foremost, I did it. My training in the early part of the fall was spotty at best and I've had my doubts. I finished 20.4 miles.
2nd, I didn't have many fueling problems. I woke up at 5am, dressed, ate a pop-tart and drank some water before heading out. I used a variety of fuels - GU (I liked the chocolate more than I expected), shot bloks, and even ate a Power Bar energy. I also took 4 endurolytes - one every hour. I felt slightly light-headed once but it was time for my next GU anyway. I probably drank to much Gatorade/water becaus I had to stop to pee several times but I didn't pre-hydrate as much as I would for a race.

The Ugly:
Despite walking at least 2 miles, I went out too fast. Especially my 2nd 5.1 mile loop. And I paid dearly! Mile 12 to 18 were just pure grit and not much fun. I'm more sore than I'd like and it was harder than I expected.

Bottom line:
20.4 miles in 4:31:00 for an average pace of 13:17 min/mile. My fastest half was about 2:30 so this is faster than my training pace should be. My dream would be a 5:30 marathon and that may be achievable based on this (opinions on that?). My run next weekend will be short-ish and I may try another really long run the weekend after - assuming I feel good. Opinions on that, too?

Amanda

After my 20 miler on Tuesday, I wondered if another run of that distance in two weeks would do more harm than good. I'm think about a doing a faster paced 12-13 mile run instead of a slow 20. It may depend on how much snow we receive. Five weeks to go and getting a bit anxious. Good luck everyone with your training!

Dave

 

[Shannon84]

Went out and did 12.5 today...was supposed to be more but knee was giving me some problems. I run/walk and I am SLOW! I am a little worried about doing my first full marathon, I am just not sure I am going to be able to finish it without being swept I averaged a 15 min 15 sec pace today

 

[cewait]

I survived my 20 miler this morning. I say survive because it wasn't pretty. My longest run to date was 15.34 miles so I took Galloway's advice and walked the 1st 2+ miles. I did 4 loops of 5.1 miles so my total distance was 20.4 miles. This way I could refill my water bottle and use the bathroom, etc.
The good news:
1st and foremost, I did it. My training in the early part of the fall was spotty at best and I've had my doubts. I finished 20.4 miles.
2nd, I didn't have many fueling problems. I woke up at 5am, dressed, ate a pop-tart and drank some water before heading out. I used a variety of fuels - GU (I liked the chocolate more than I expected), shot bloks, and even ate a Power Bar energy. I also took 4 endurolytes - one every hour. I felt slightly light-headed once but it was time for my next GU anyway. I probably drank to much Gatorade/water becaus I had to stop to pee several times but I didn't pre-hydrate as much as I would for a race.

The Ugly:
Despite walking at least 2 miles, I went out too fast. Especially my 2nd 5.1 mile loop. And I paid dearly! Mile 12 to 18 were just pure grit and not much fun. I'm more sore than I'd like and it was harder than I expected.

Bottom line:
20.4 miles in 4:31:00 for an average pace of 13:17 min/mile. My fastest half was about 2:30 so this is faster than my training pace should be. My dream would be a 5:30 marathon and that may be achievable based on this (opinions on that?). My run next weekend will be short-ish and I may try another really long run the weekend after - assuming I feel good. Opinions on that, too?

Amanda

After my 20 miler on Tuesday, I wondered if another run of that distance in two weeks would do more harm than good. I'm think about a doing a faster paced 12-13 mile run instead of a slow 20. It may depend on how much snow we receive. Five weeks to go and getting a bit anxious. Good luck everyone with your training!

Dave

GREAT JOB Amanda!

Pacing..... Definitely one of the hardest things to keep under control on a training run - one of the hardest things to control on race day. Though, at 5 mies into the race, you will not be as inclined to push a pace as you will have normalized into the packs pace.

Also sounds like learning how to survive a rough spot in a run. Great job

With regard to running another long run - I would not run it until the weekend of 12/17 or 24. Of the two weekend, the 17th seems preferable giving you two weekends of reduced distances before the marathon.

 

[Emmabean2000]

Been training for the full marathon since July. 625 miles of careful training, 35 hours of elliptical, great 20 miles runs completed a few weeks ago, and now, out of nowhere, shin splints. I cannot go much more than 1/2 a mile without pain. Stopped my running this week, and been strictly using elliptical (no access to water running). I think I am slowly resigning myself to no marathon, which would have been my first. Very, very depressing. But, I am wondering if I can stay away from running for another week or so, add in some PT, is there a chance I could swap my registration over to the 1/2? Not quite the same excitement level for me, as I put in so many hours of training, but trying to come up with options.

Coach, any thoughts? I was running 13 miles as a minimum on my long runs since October, so the length is not daunting. The whole family is going with me and the only reason we planned this was for me to run the marathon. Sigh...

 

[cewait]

Been training for the full marathon since July. 625 miles of careful training, 35 hours of elliptical, great 20 miles runs completed a few weeks ago, and now, out of nowhere, shin splints. I cannot go much more than 1/2 a mile without pain. Stopped my running this week, and been strictly using elliptical (no access to water running). I think I am slowly resigning myself to no marathon, which would have been my first. Very, very depressing. But, I am wondering if I can stay away from running for another week or so, add in some PT, is there a chance I could swap my registration over to the 1/2? Not quite the same excitement level for me, as I put in so many hours of training, but trying to come up with options.

Coach, any thoughts? I was running 13 miles as a minimum on my long runs since October, so the length is not daunting. The whole family is going with me and the only reason we planned this was for me to run the marathon. Sigh...

A sudden onslaught of shin splints can easily be something more serious. I would feel better for you if you went and had an evaluation of the shin this week.

You can look up rehab exercises for the shin splints. Essentially, they are mostly stretches.

I would not run throughout the pain until you know for sure there is not a hard tissue issue. Once cleared then resume up through 15 miles. I think based on what you have said, you could run a conservative run on race day and finish. If you are a run walker, lower your run part of the ratio, especially if running over the next month is limited.

Good luck. You will do well.

 

[harleys mom]

For those of you looking for head phones, my husband uses wirless headphones by Moterola. They are a sport headphone and connects to his Iphone by bluetooth. He has ran a half marathon with them and uses them all the time when he trains. He will be going out for a 18 miler on Tuesday. This will be his longest distance ever. He ran a 6 miler today and was running 8 minute miles. His biggest concern right now is his pacing. He is having trouble going out to fast and being able to maintain the pace to at the end. Any suggestions? He has ran several half marathons, but this will be his first full.

 

[cewait]

For those of you looking for head phones, my husband uses wirless headphones by Moterola. They are a sport headphone and connects to his Iphone by bluetooth. He has ran a half marathon with them and uses them all the time when he trains. He will be going out for a 18 miler on Tuesday. This will be his longest distance ever. He ran a 6 miler today and was running 8 minute miles. His biggest concern right now is his pacing. He is having trouble going out to fast and being able to maintain the pace to at the end. Any suggestions? He has ran several half marathons, but this will be his first full.

For him, RunKeeper. Its an iPhone app that uses GPS for pace and distance. You can turn on a coaching feature that will call out pace, average pace and a few other variables that he may want feedback on.

For you, if you add the Pro option, you can follow him real time on a smart phone. We used it last year and it was very helpful for my spectator crew.

 

[ironz]

Amanda...great job!

Everyone else, hang in there! We're getting close!

I just did 2 hours on the treadmill. Work travel has me away from my usual routes and water supply and I didn't want to chance not having water on the outside route I would have taken, so I dreadmilled it. This should be the last long treadmill run, though!
Half marathon next weekend, couple more long runs, and then it's time!
Wish I could run faster, but it's not really in the cards. I know the race excitement will help. Just going to stick to my Gallowalking plan.

 

[cewait]

Amanda...great job!

Everyone else, hang in there! We're getting close!

I just did 2 hours on the treadmill. Work travel has me away from my usual routes and water supply and I didn't want to chance not having water on the outside route I would have taken, so I dreadmilled it. This should be the last long treadmill run, though!
Half marathon next weekend, couple more long runs, and then it's time!
Wish I could run faster, but it's not really in the cards. I know the race excitement will help. Just going to stick to my Gallowalking plan.

Likewise... This will be my slowest goofy since 07. That year was stinkin hot plus I have shoulder surgery just before Christmas. This year, I will be woefully trained. Hoping to average 13 for the weekend.

 

[paxsarah]

One thing I did during my first marathon training cycle - this is Garmin/GPS-dependent, unfortunately - is that I set my Garmin to alert me and tell me to slow down if I was running faster than a certain pace. I set up a workout in Garmin Training Center and broke it into several smaller chunks. For a 20-miler, say, I would break it into 4 5-mile segments. The first 5 miles, I forced myself into the most conservative pace (basically Galloway's recommendation of marathon pace plus two minutes per mile), the next five I allowed myself up to 30 seconds faster per mile, the next five another 30 seconds faster, and by the last five I allowed another 30 seconds faster per mile (which comes out to 30 seconds slower than marathon pace). Now, I didn't have to run at these faster paces (and I didn't) but I just set it so the Garmin wouldn't harass me if I chose to pick it up the farther I got into the run. Essentially, the Garmin would alert me if I was going too fast, but it would let me go as slow as I wanted to.

 

[RunRookie]

Paxsarah: I was just talking to Mike about doing exactly what you described with my Polar watch for the Disney Half. That way, I can let the watch help me manage my pace so that I can finish with a time that will be at least my minimum finish time goal, but allows me to finish with a better time if all goes well.

 

[KippWade]

Today was my 7 mile run in my Half Marathon Training program. I tried some Clif Shots today.

First one I tried was at the recommended 15 minutes prior to activity. I chose Strawberry. I chose poorly. BLEH! Obviously their taste tester has never tasted an actual strawberry.

The one I tried at the half way point of my run today was the Citrus. This one wasn't awful. It sort of tasted like a lime Lifesavers. They aren't kidding when it says that you'll need water after putting that goop in your mouth!

Overall, I'd say that today's run was an actual improvement over my previous long runs. My energy level stayed up through out the run, instead of me feeling worn out after 4 miles.

I also picked up some Clif Shot Bloks and a pack of Jelly Belly Sport Beans (variety flavor pak). I've not tried any of these yet, but I will on another run.

Today's run was also my first test run with a running pack. I also picked up a Nathan 5K runners pack. I put some of my Clif shot stuff in there and also my little point & shoot camera. I'm very happy that the pack didn't bounce or move at all during my entire run!