Official WDW Marathon Weekend 2013 Thread

[Mickey'sfriend]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement, I went ahead and registered for the Marathon and splurged and registered for the retreat too. Still very nervous, but trying to figure out a good training plan. I used Galloway for the 1/2 haven't decided if I'll use it for the full. What plans are you guys looking at?

Jennifer

Yea for you! And to anyone else who is still on the fence about running - go for it. Don't be worried at all about running alone. I just did the Princess alone and the runners on the course were so friendly and supportive. I never felt alone at all, even waiting in the corrals.

As far as training, I used Galloway for the half, too. I think I am going with Hal Higdon for the full. I bought his book and really liked it. I do have to modify it slightly as my long runs are on Wednesdays due to my work and kid's schedules and there maybe weeks when I can't get that 4th running day in. I'd like to get some cross training in this summer, too - biking and/or swimming. I'm registered for a 10K in June and planning to do another half in October. I took his half marathon plan and attached it to the front of the marathon plan to make a really long training schedule, with a few alterations, of course. I work much better if each week's runs are planned out and on my calendar. I bought the Runner's World Training Journal and that has been great to log in my runs, plan out the long distances and jot down what went right and what didn't go so well.

 

[Ariel484]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement, I went ahead and registered for the Marathon and splurged and registered for the retreat too. Still very nervous, but trying to figure out a good training plan. I used Galloway for the 1/2 haven't decided if I'll use it for the full. What plans are you guys looking at?

Jennifer

Yay! Congrats!

The nerves are totally normal...hopefully they will subside a bit once you pick a training plan. I used a Galloway plan for the 2011 Princess Half and Hal Higdon's Supreme Novice training plan for the 2012 Disney Full.

http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/media/ewwos/pdf/sports/rundisney/PRINCESSexp.2.pdf (at some point they'll post similar plans for the marathon)

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51143/Marathon-Novice-Supreme-Training-Program

I was super nervous going into training for the full...I never got to run the 20-miler the training plan called for (the weather wouldn't cooperate), but I remember finishing the 18-miler (week 25 in the above link) and somehow just KNOWING that I was going to finish the marathon. Just stick to your training plan and you will be fine!

When I did my first 5k last month it was a really small group of people and I heard a woman tell the man she was with, "I hope you like how my butt looks in these pants 'cause that's all you're seeing til the finish, sweetheart."

NICE.

 

[stitchfan18]

Really? Did you put in your finish time for a previous race, pick the distance for that race, and then it gave you a Full time that was out of whack? That's strange.

Well I probably should be running what the calculator says. It thinks I should run a 4:35 full with the 2:10 1/2 time I put in. I haven't been able to break 5 hours in the marathon yet though.

When I did my first 5k last month it was a really small group of people and I heard a woman tell the man she was with, "I hope you like how my butt looks in these pants 'cause that's all you're seeing til the finish, sweetheart."

 

[sunshine269]

Yea for you! And to anyone else who is still on the fence about running - go for it. Don't be worried at all about running alone. I just did the Princess alone and the runners on the course were so friendly and supportive. I never felt alone at all, even waiting in the corrals.

As far as training, I used Galloway for the half, too. I think I am going with Hal Higdon for the full. I bought his book and really liked it. I do have to modify it slightly as my long runs are on Wednesdays due to my work and kid's schedules and there maybe weeks when I can't get that 4th running day in. I'd like to get some cross training in this summer, too - biking and/or swimming. I'm registered for a 10K in June and planning to do another half in October. I took his half marathon plan and attached it to the front of the marathon plan to make a really long training schedule, with a few alterations, of course. I work much better if each week's runs are planned out and on my calendar. I bought the Runner's World Training Journal and that has been great to log in my runs, plan out the long distances and jot down what went right and what didn't go so well.

I ordered Hal Higdon book the other day. I have the Non-Runner's Guide too. It has the longest run at 18 miles, not sure that's enough for me. Galloway has 26 miles being the longest run, is that too much?

I do my long runs on Wednesday too, so I have to adjust whatever training plan I pick too.

Jennifer

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

There are formulas to extrapolate finish times at various distances based upon a finish time provided for a specific distance. Disney probably has their own but the set I prefer for that is:

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/calculator

I like that calculator. Sadly it says I would take over the 7 hours at my current 5K pace but it gives me a plan and some times to aim for to finish in under 7.

I think DH might be coming around a bit. If I keep talking about it non stop it will drive him insane and we'll register just to shut me up!

Sorry, got derailed. The septic guy was here. Plumbing issues! But now our tank is clean. However, it killed my money I had set aside for the marathon. Hopefully I can get the savings beefed back up before the race fills up.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I like that calculator. Sadly it says I would take over the 7 hours at my current 5K pace but it gives me a plan and some times to aim for to finish in under 7.

I think DH might be coming around a bit. If I keep talking about it non stop it will drive him insane and we'll register just to shut me up!

Sorry, got derailed. The septic guy was here. Plumbing issues! But now our tank is clean. However, it killed my money I had set aside for the marathon. Hopefully I can get the savings beefed back up before the race fills up.

Don’t worry about the calculator this far out. You’ve got more than 8 months to work on your training, and the more miles you put in, the faster you’ll get.

 

[sunshine269]

When I did my first 5k last month it was a really small group of people and I heard a woman tell the man she was with, "I hope you like how my butt looks in these pants 'cause that's all you're seeing til the finish, sweetheart."



I haven't decided yet since I have my first half in May and the Wine and Dine in Nov. so I guess I'll see what's worked thus far in a month but the Galloway goal of "finishing upright" sounds quite appealing and moderately realistic. I joked with a friend that for the first 1/2, I "don't even need to finish upright, dragging myself across the line is just fine." What were your thoughts on the plan for the 1/2?

As for family cheering you on, I have a 5k on Sunday and while my mother was completely disinterested about the whole thing and had no intention of showing up, she became quite excited when I said, "If you come, I'll take you to the diner for breakfast afterwards..." So they can be bought, it's just a matter of finding the price.

I liked Galloway's plan for the 1/2. Just not sure about the full. It has the longest run at 26 miles, just wondering if that's too much. Most plans I see have the longest at 18 or 20

Jennifer

 

[RunRookie]

I liked Galloway's plan for the 1/2. Just not sure about the full. It has the longest run at 26 miles, just wondering if that's too much. Most plans I see have the longest at 18 or 20

Jennifer

I listened to Jeff two weeks ago and he said the reason for the 26 mile Long Run in his plan is to eliminate the 'worry' that the runner might have about being able to finish the marathon. He said if you run it during a Long Run during training, then you will have had the experience of doing so, and would know what you did to achieve the distance (fueling, hydration, equipment, etc). Then, the race itself is just a 'repeat' of what worked during training, making the race less of an 'unknown to be feared'.

I can totally appreciate his thought process! However, for me, I have always had the feeling that I want to conquer the race distance during the race itself and not during training. That way, the celebration of that 'first time' was real for me. My coach told me that if you train to 20 miles, then you know you can get that far, and your adrenaline and excitement will carry you the last 10K to the finish line on race day.

 

[Ariel484]

I ordered Hal Higdon book the other day. I have the Non-Runner's Guide too. It has the longest run at 18 miles, not sure that's enough for me. Galloway has 26 miles being the longest run, is that too much?

I do my long runs on Wednesday too, so I have to adjust whatever training plan I pick too.

Jennifer

I liked Galloway's plan for the 1/2. Just not sure about the full. It has the longest run at 26 miles, just wondering if that's too much. Most plans I see have the longest at 18 or 20

Jennifer

I listened to Jeff two weeks ago and he said the reason for the 26 mile Long Run in his plan is to eliminate the 'worry' that the runner might have about being able to finish the marathon. He said if you run it during a Long Run during training, then you will have had the experience of doing so, and would know what you did to achieve the distance (fueling, hydration, equipment, etc). Then, the race itself is just a 'repeat' of what worked during training, making the race less of an 'unknown to be feared'.

I can totally appreciate his thought process! However, for me, I have always had the feeling that I want to conquer the race distance during the race itself and not during training. That way, the celebration of that 'first time' was real for me. My coach told me that if you train to 20 miles, then you know you can get that far, and your adrenaline and excitement will carry you the last 10K to the finish line on race day.

Honestly, and I can think of no way to sugarcoat this, I think he's nuts for putting such long runs in his training plans. That's part of the reason why I didn't use one of his to train for the 2012 WDW Full - the category that I fell in (having run for at least 6 months) had a 20-, 23- and 26-mile run on the schedule!

I liked his half training plan fine - it maxed out at a 14-mile long run - but 26? I'm with you, RunRookie (especially the bolded part - 'the celebration of the first time'...never thought of it that way! ) - I appreciate what he's saying, but I don't agree. It seems like you're really upping the chances of injury/fatigue by doing a 26-mile long run. And like I said a few posts back, I knew I could finish the marathon after my 18-miler. I don't know how I knew, I just knew. Different plans work for different people, but I just did not see the need to pick something that maxes out at longer than 20 miles.

ETA: Just looked at his plan for Time Improvement for Experienced Runners...longest long run is 29 miles!!!

 

[Mickey'sfriend]

I don't agree with 3 training runs at or over 20 miles, either. For me that just sounds like a formula for injury. Of course, I think this only holds true for first time marathoners. If you have completed that 26.2 distance before then those training distances maybe more appropriate. For the half I used Galloway's plan that had the longest distance at 10 miles. I will admit I did go 12 as my longest run. I felt more confident that I could finish that way. The beginner Higdon plan I have has the longest run at 18, but I am going to go 20. I figure worse case... I could walk the rest.
But with all that Disney magic around I know I won't need to.

 

[scion5220]

Oh, you'll be dodging plenty of people in the full at Disney too. There will be people in every corral who will be walking almost immediately as part of their race strategy and training program. There will be people in every corral who want to negative split the race and start out much slower than their ultimate pace will be. It's a crowded course and takes some time to for people to spread out enough to the point where you're not bobbing and weaving on a regular basis.

 

[Saylan]

Although don't agree with trainign runs over 20 miles, I would hesitate to use the same logic from a half (if you can do 10 in training, you can do 13 in the race) for a full. I've spoken with a few full marathoners who say that the full is much more mental near the end and the difference between 'just an extra 3' and 'just an extra 6' is actually quite a lot, especially for first timers.

I will probably do at least a 20 and if during that run I feel confident I can keep going, I may, but from the experiences I've heard from a couple of my marathoner friends, I'm not going to apply my 10 = 13 training mentality to the full.

 

[FFigawi]

Although don't agree with trainign runs over 20 miles, I would hesitate to use the same logic from a half (if you can do 10 in training, you can do 13 in the race) for a full. I've spoken with a few full marathoners who say that the full is much more mental near the end and the difference between 'just an extra 3' and 'just an extra 6' is actually quite a lot, especially for first timers.

That's very true. There's a reason people aren't entirely joking when they say the second half of the marathon begins at mile 20. Those last few miles really can be tough if your mind isn't in the race.

 

[SAHDad]

That's very true. There's a reason people aren't entirely joking when they say the second half of the marathon begins at mile 20. Those last few miles really can be tough if your mind isn't in the race.

Heck, they can be tough even if your mind is in the race.

I plan on doing the Goofy next year, but I haven't registered for it yet. I have a marathon on Saturday - my first in my "freak shoes" (Vibrams), and I think that will be the determining factor. Hoping that it does not fill before then - it's currently at 52%, so I should be safe.

As an aside - is it just me, or does it seem like the almost all of the pics on the RunDisney facebook page lately have been of women? I've seen people starting to ask if men are welcome to run the marathon weekend - not the princess or the tink, but the normal marathon. (The fact that the pic on the marathon weekend was from the princess probably did not help either?)

 

[snickerboo]

I listened to Jeff two weeks ago and he said the reason for the 26 mile Long Run in his plan is to eliminate the 'worry' that the runner might have about being able to finish the marathon. He said if you run it during a Long Run during training, then you will have had the experience of doing so, and would know what you did to achieve the distance (fueling, hydration, equipment, etc). Then, the race itself is just a 'repeat' of what worked during training, making the race less of an 'unknown to be feared'.

This is completely me. I know I will have to do a 24 miler in practice at a minimum so I'm not freaking on race day and questioning whether or not I can do it. I also try to replicate the course as well as possible in my training leading up (ie, if there's a long, steady incline, I'll make sure I include a comparable incline so I don't hit the incline on race day and question myself). I'm just that kind of control feak, type A personality! (Hey, I own it!) LOL

 

[DrMomof3]

January was my first marathon and I hit the wall big-time at mile 20. I finished but the last 6 miles weren't pretty - at all! My longest training run was 20 miles. As soon as I recovered from the race, I commented that Galloway has a point when he has you run the full distance prior to race day. I know it's not for everyone and I had some difficulties with my training in the fall (my son was hospitalized for 2 weeks and then I had some minor injuries) which made my longest run what it was. This year I would definitely go beyond 20 miles if my body and life can withstand it.

Amanda

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I think going over 20 miles is fine if you are a fast runner. If you’re a slower runner, there’s diminishing returns after 18-20 miles. Other than a mental gain, you don’t get any physical gain from going over 20 miles, and put yourself at serious risk for injury. If you’re determined to do it, you should read a couple ultrarunning books, which have better plans for eating/drinking over a 4-8 hour period.

 

[sunshine269]

Although don't agree with trainign runs over 20 miles, I would hesitate to use the same logic from a half (if you can do 10 in training, you can do 13 in the race) for a full. I've spoken with a few full marathoners who say that the full is much more mental near the end and the difference between 'just an extra 3' and 'just an extra 6' is actually quite a lot, especially for first timers.

I will probably do at least a 20 and if during that run I feel confident I can keep going, I may, but from the experiences I've heard from a couple of my marathoner friends, I'm not going to apply my 10 = 13 training mentality to the full.

The Non-Runner's marathon training book I have main focus is the mental aspect. The reviews I read all said that helped them the most. It's longest run is 18. It just says if you can do 18, then you can do 26. I'm not sure about that for me. I may need to do at least 20 to feel comfortable about the race.

Jennifer

 

[steph0808]

Hi all. New user here. I am seriously contemplating running the Full in 2013. I have run off and on for a few years, but I got serious back in January and run 20 miles/week now and completed a 10k.

I just worry that I won't keep up with training or I won't be able to finish. I had planned on a half marathon in October and then signing up for the WDW marathon if I felt good after that, but I don't think registration will hold out that long!

Also, I am a lone runner, so while I will probably have my husband and family to cheer me on, I will be running 26.2 miles by myself and I wonder how that is mentally. Any thoughts? Words of wisdom? Encouragement?

 

[sunshine269]

I listened to Jeff two weeks ago and he said the reason for the 26 mile Long Run in his plan is to eliminate the 'worry' that the runner might have about being able to finish the marathon. He said if you run it during a Long Run during training, then you will have had the experience of doing so, and would know what you did to achieve the distance (fueling, hydration, equipment, etc). Then, the race itself is just a 'repeat' of what worked during training, making the race less of an 'unknown to be feared'.

I can totally appreciate his thought process! However, for me, I have always had the feeling that I want to conquer the race distance during the race itself and not during training. That way, the celebration of that 'first time' was real for me. My coach told me that if you train to 20 miles, then you know you can get that far, and your adrenaline and excitement will carry you the last 10K to the finish line on race day.

I feel that way too. Besides, right now I can't imagine running 26 once much less doing 2 times

Jennifer