Question for Goofy runners

[roomthreeseventeen]

Do you race the half and use the marathon as a victory lap, or do you use the half as a training run and race the full?

 

[hockeygirl]

Both times that I did the Goofy, I took it nice and easy for the half...stopping at lots of characters and walking alot and then on Sunday for the marathon, I gave whatever I had left. I actually got a marathon PR in my first Goofy!

 

[JimB.]

I took it really easy for the 1/2, just because I never know what the next day will bring & I want to feel comfortable as possible for as much of the full as I can.

And I also took it really easy for the full. But this year I fueled early & often & never passed a water stop without drinking, even if it was only a swallow or 2.

And this year I PR'ed my full time by 20 minutes. Go figure.

 

[FFigawi]

Neither. I go easy for the half and the full. Given the crowding at places along the course and all the great sights to see, I don't even bother to try for a PR at Disney. I just cruise along at a slow, steady pace; have fun; and enjoy myself out there during both races.

 

[ultramickeymouse]

I agree with John in that Disney races are about the experience and not the time. Relax and enjoy the races. Plus get some pics with the characters!

 

[Bephus]

I have only done Goofy this year but I left my watch in the room and just ran what felt good. That ended up being two new PR's, but not on purpose. I took pictures with characters and enjoyed the race, I guess all the training just paid off.

 

[scoolover]

I have done two and would agree with the others. When you are in marathon shape a half is really fun. I took my time and really enjoyed it. The full was a just finish effort for me so the half was where I got my enjoyment for the weekend.

 

[ksoehrlein]

In my "vast" experience, having just completed my first Goofy, I took the half easy and raced the full to the tune of a PR. This matched what I did in training, where I used a higher run/walk ratio for the "longer long run" than I did for the "shorter long run" each weekend.

 

[SAHDad]

I agree with the others. Although I have only done one Goofy (though I plan on doing more in the future, once the kids are older), I took both races pretty easy. IMO, Disney is a hard course to really "race" unless you are up in the very front anyway - too many choke points early in the course, some nasty camber on the ramps, etc. It's pretty flat, and could be fast - but first, you would miss all the fun along the way, and second, you really do need to be up toward the front of the first corral in order to beat the rush in the first miles.

 

[Goofed98]

I'm evidently the oddball, but I race the half. The corral placement made all the difference in the world this year (started in B, was able to hit stride immediately, without having to jump around and pass many folks). It's a fairly flat course, and you can turn in a decent time.

I take it easy for the full. First of all, I'm a little worn out from the half, but then I also think there's a lot more to enjoy in the full (obviously, twice as long, twice as many parks).

 

[Duanerice]

As you can see, it depends. Some like to just take their time and have fun in both races, others like to race one or the other.

If you want to race one, you can really only race one. Make sense Most of us only have 1 good race in us for the weekend so you need to pick. Can't really race both. At least I can't.

In my first Goofy I ran a pretty fast 5k (pr) then a fairly decent half then had IT issue in the full after running the first 14 miles at a pretty good clip ended 45 min over a PR). So that didn't work.

Next Goofy I ran a slow 5k, a little faster half then ran an OK full. Neither was a killer as I stayed below my max pace both days. Half was 10 min over my PR and the full was a PR by about 5 min (but that is not saying much).

enjoy,
Duane

 

[cewait]

In my first Goofy my thoughts were to run/walk the half easy then run the marathon. I ended up PR'ing the half.

Here is what I think works well.... Run the half as a race but within your training. In other words do not go 100% in the half but keep the effort high and race like. Then the full will take care of itself. You only have fresh legs for one race so why not enjoy that run and race it a little. Besides, taking the half really slow sets you up for injury due to pushing to keep slow, by walking a distance never trained for and keeps you on your feet longer.

As Robert will point out quickly, in my 6 Goofy's I have PR'd the half 4 times, Pr'd the full and course recorded the full (both full achievements after PR'ing the half)

 

[FFigawi]

Good points about the potential for injury and being out there too long. When I was talking about taking it easy, I meant at a normal training pace and not drastically slower than that. For me, my race pace is 8:45 to 9, and my training pace is 9:45 to 10:15. Keeping both my Goofy runs around 10 keeps me from getting injured but also keeps me from burning myself out on either day.

Like the new avatar, too, Charles! First time I remember seeing you with a different one in a long time.

 

[goofy57]

I took it easy and enjoyed the 1/2 & raced the full to the tune of an 11 minute PR!!!