Running Renaissance: WDW Marathon 2025

[Blue Caterpillar]

Happy Birthday! Glad training is going well, and I am expecting lots of pictures of Paris!!

 

[superchime]

Happy Birthday!!

 

[azrivest]

Happy belated birthday!!

Happy to see your training is going as you want it Are croissants in the plan during the race?

 

[GollyGadget]

Happy Birthday! Glad training is going well, and I am expecting lots of pictures of Paris!!

Thanks. I better step up my photo taking

Happy Birthday!!

Thank you!!

Happy belated birthday!!

Happy to see your training is going as you want it Are croissants in the plan during the race?

Thanks! Croissants are not in the plan, but only because that hadn't crossed my mind and would get smushed if I tried to stuff one in my pockets . One of the Paris guidebooks I read told me that baguettes got their shape because Napoleon wanted bread that would fit inside the soldiers' trousers' legs... maybe I'll sneak baguette on the course .

Speaking of food, I was perusing the website this week and found the provided fuel in the FAQ.


This is my first marathon outside of the USA and I'm very intrigued by the refreshment spread. Cakes??? sugar? We'll see how risky I'm feeling and what I try

 

[GollyGadget]

Wait…..what? NEVER?

Well now that you know you like them, also look for Pluots or Plumcots in the store. Apricot/Plum hybrid. Those are incredible! I know I’ve bought them at HyVee.

I finally tried a plumcot this week. Delicious!

 

[RuntheMouse]

I finally tried a plumcot this week. Delicious!

I wouldn’t steer you wrong

 

[GollyGadget]

Road to Paris - Week 13/18

Planned:
M - Easy 4
Tu - Easy 7
W - Rest
Th - 4x10K uphill + 4x200 R
F - Easy 5
Sa - Easy 9
Su - Long Run 13 + M Tempo 2

Completed:
M - Easy 37 min
Tu - Easy 7
W - Rest
Th - 4x10K uphill + 4x200 R
F - Easy 5
Sa - Easy 9
Su - Long Run 13 + M Tempo 2


Total miles: 46.97
Strength sessions: 1


As previously mentioned, Monday was my birthday. In celebration, I decided to run 37 minutes. I assumed that would be approximately 3.5 miles which isn't that far from the 4 on the schedule but with all the stoplights, it ended up being only 3.2 miles. Oh well, it made me smile and I certainly wasn't running 37 miles


Might make this a new tradition. It's a fun little way to acknowledge the day.

We've had a lot of rain lately and both Tuesday and Thursdays runs had some wetness. Thursdays was worse though and also featured two birds attacks and a dog chase . I managed to make it out unharmed but I really hope that isn't the new norm. I ran the repeats in the exact same place that I have been albeit a couple of hours later than usual since I didn't have work (and was slightly sluggish when I first started due to bogo wine the night prior).

The runs on Friday and Saturday went really well. It was summer again but didn't feel as bad as a few weeks ago so I think I may have gained some heat adaption. The Capitol was looking stunning in the morning light so I stopped for a photo (some practice for Paris ).



I strangely was not worried at all for Sundays run. It was the toughest to date but I had covered the distance before. There was a fast finish at the end which I debated moving up a few miles so that it would be done during the hilly section of the route. Ultimately, I decided to leave it as is which meant those 2 miles being downhill+flat and I think that worked perfectly fine since the race course itself will be downhill/flat for the last 10K+.

This run was okay. I felt really good through the first half and even stopped for a character photo but was really feeling it by mile 10. It had warmed up but not dramatically so. I was really scratching my head at what went wrong. I assumed it was just a bad run but then I developed a sore throat by that evening so now I'm guessing my body was already trying to fight that off when I made it run 15 miles with 1200 ft elevation climb.




In non training news, the race organizers sent out an email early in the week with details about packet pickup, bag drop off and transportation. The email mentioned 8 starting zones which will have start times between 9-10:30pm. From the beginning, I've been assuming a 10 pm start and a 4 hr finish which equates to finishing around 2am.

The internet let me know later in the week that our bib numbers and SAS are available in our account page. I was happy to see that I'm in group 4 with a predicted start time of 9:30 pm. I'm definitely going to need a nap regardless. If anyone has tips for such a late race, please share them!

P.S. if any francophones want to tell me what SAS stands for, it's driving me bananas. I understand the meaning is the same as corral or starting zone but I want to know the acronym .

 

[LorrieAnn5]

Happy Birthday! I've been following along for a bit here with your training. I also use the Marathon Pour Tous app so I was amazed to see a real person that actually won a marathon entry. Congratulations. I've been enjoying the app, but I certainly would enjoy it even more if I won!

When are you flying over? My suggestion for the late race start is to not fully acclimate to the time zone. If you keep yourself somewhat on home time then you'll be running at "3:30pm" rather than 9:30pm. This might be difficult if you're traveling a number of days in advance though. I find a dark eye mask can do wonders when you're trying for your nap.

We're going over just for the opening weekend, and since I'm just touring/watching sports, and not performing sport, I do actually want to acclimate to the new time zone ASAP so I decided that I'm going to use melatonin at home for a few nights before the trip and on the overnight flight.

Good luck! Can't wait to hear how it goes for you. Wish I could cheer from the streets for you, but we'll be home by then.

 

[GollyGadget]

Happy Birthday! I've been following along for a bit here with your training. I also use the Marathon Pour Tous app so I was amazed to see a real person that actually won a marathon entry. Congratulations. I've been enjoying the app, but I certainly would enjoy it even more if I won!

When are you flying over? My suggestion for the late race start is to not fully acclimate to the time zone. If you keep yourself somewhat on home time then you'll be running at "3:30pm" rather than 9:30pm. This might be difficult if you're traveling a number of days in advance though. I find a dark eye mask can do wonders when you're trying for your nap.

We're going over just for the opening weekend, and since I'm just touring/watching sports, and not performing sport, I do actually want to acclimate to the new time zone ASAP so I decided that I'm going to use melatonin at home for a few nights before the trip and on the overnight flight.

Good luck! Can't wait to hear how it goes for you. Wish I could cheer from the streets for you, but we'll be home by then.

I'm still amazed that I won! It took a long time to feel real. Even when we first bought plane tickets I was worried that it was some sort of scam.

I fly over the Monday before and arrive Tuesday (27 days ). Typically I'm in bed by 9, but I think you're right and that I need to try to stay awake and not acclimate. Or at least not acclimate as I usually would, and instead acclimate to the nightlife . My problem is that my body will naturally adjust to daylight hours and wake up early. This could be a good use of the eye mask that you suggested. I typically use one on the plane anyway.

The other question is what to do for dinner. My understanding is that the Parisians typically eat around 8pm which seems way to close to race time for a big meal. Maybe I'll plan a big/late lunch and just a light snack around dinner.

I usually take melatonin the night before Disney races so that I can fall asleep. It's the only time I've tried it, but I expect it would work well for you shifting your sleeping hours as well.

 

[flav]

P.S. if any francophones want to tell me what SAS stands for, it's driving me bananas. I understand the meaning is the same as corral or starting zone but I want to know the acronym .

Francophones from Canada don’t typically use the word sas (it is not an acronym) in the context of road racing. A sas in French means an interim room, more typically an airlock. Like a decompression airlock on a space shuttle or a decontamination airlock in a lab. For the Paris marathon, they mean the holding area or corrals, like you guessed.

 

[GollyGadget]

Francophones from Canada don’t typically use the word sas (it is not an acronym) in the context of road racing. A sas in French means an interim room, more typically an airlock. Like a decompression airlock on a space shuttle or a decontamination airlock in a lab. For the Paris marathon, they mean the holding area or corrals, like you guessed.

How interesting! Thank you so much for sharing. Everyone has been capitalizing it so I assumed it was an acronym. Whoops.

 

[GollyGadget]

Road to Paris - Week 14/18

Planned:
M - Easy 4
Tu - Easy 7
W - Rest
Th - 4x5K uphill + 4x200 R
F - Easy 5
Sa - Easy 7
Su - M Tempo 9

Completed:
M - Easy 4
Tu - Easy 7
W - Rest
Th - 4x5K uphill + 4x200 R Easy 3
F - Easy 5
Sa - Easy 7
Su - M Tempo 9

Total miles: 32.16
Strength sessions: 1

Well, that sore throat on Sunday evening turned into a full blown sickness in the next 24 hours. I felt tired when I woke up on Monday but that didn't seem atypical for a Monday so I immediately went for my run. The run was a bit of a slog but for once I was happy every time I hit a red light and had an excuse to stop .

Things felt even worse on Tuesday so I took the day off. I thought that if I felt better by Wednesday, I would make up a few miles. Obviously I did not feel better. Fortunately, by Thursday I was feeling ~70%. This was good enough that I went for a little shakeout but not good enough that I felt I should tackle hill repeats. I also did an "easy" 20 min strength training routine. Lots of hip/glute work but all body weight.

Friday I was feeling close to 90% so finally back on schedule. Saturday was another early am run so I could get it done before my zoo volunteer shift. I was definitely dragging but it was worth it since running in the afternoon in the summer is pure torture.

On Sunday when I woke up it was already mid 80s and only forecasted to get worse so I was out the door as quick as I could. I did watch Clayton Young's latest video while I ate breakfast and then Rory Linkletter while preparing my fuel. Both were good motivators but Rory mentioned running 6000ft elevation per week and I got worried because I'm doing about 1/3 of that. However, I'm also doing 1/3 of the miles so I guess it all balances out?

Anyway, the run went well. I was a bit worried by the heat and I was a touch slower than a few weeks ago but still faster than my 8 MTempo two weeks ago. With the warm up and cool down, it was 13 total miles compared to the 15 the week prior. I felt a LOT better on this one though and I would guess that it was either the same or slightly more difficult with the M Tempo work. Another sign that last week was a fluke and my body was preoccupied fighting off germs.

I tried some new fuel that I had picked up at REI a few weeks ago, skratch energy chews. I just used one package to supplement my usual salted dates. This particular package had caffeine, my first experiment with that while running. I don't consume much caffeine in my daily life, no coffee and maybe 1-2 sodas per month. All that is to say, I could definitely feel the caffeine! I've already purchased some more as well as the non caffeinated version to use for my race. I'm guessing my body will benefit from the caffeine for a race that starts after my bedtime.

It wasn't a perfect week, but I'm glad to have another solid week of training complete. Even with the misstep, I've completed over 90% of the planned miles plus incorporated a lot more strength work than usual. I've started thinking about goals for the race but very unsure about it at the moment. Does anyone have any favorite resources for predicting marathon times? My biggest doubt is how I'll handle the two "mountains" in the middle. Right now I'm thinking take it easy until the last 10K but not sure exactly what "easy" means.



The race sent out the official guide last week as well which I thought was really well put together. The most memorable bits were the portion that told me I might collapse into the hills and that I won't need a headlamp because my inner Olympic flame will light my way





In case you're bored - https://marathonpourtous.paris2024.org/storage/MPT-GUIDE-OFFICIEL-DU-PARTICIPANT-EN.pdf

Less than a month to go! Happy running y'all!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Does anyone have any favorite resources for predicting marathon times? My biggest doubt is how I'll handle the two "mountains" in the middle. Right now I'm thinking take it easy until the last 10K but not sure exactly what "easy" means.

This was based on your 1:46 HM and under similar conditions:




I'd add 5-7 minutes onto the prediction based on the course design (depending on how flat the 1:46 HM was). So I think a reasonable goal under ideal weather conditions would be about 3:50-4:00. Just take into account GPS distance when figuring min/mile pace.

Easy pace would be a 9:30 min/mile based on your current training paces.

 

[GollyGadget]

This was based on your 1:46 HM and under similar conditions:


View attachment 876784

I'd add 5-7 minutes onto the prediction based on the course design (depending on how flat the 1:46 HM was). So I think a reasonable goal under ideal weather conditions would be about 3:50-4:00. Just take into account GPS distance when figuring min/mile pace.

Easy pace would be a 9:30 min/mile based on your current training paces.

Thanks for the insight! The half was pretty flat and 46F (ideal weather to me). It's the hills that have me the most confounded. How did you come up with 5-7 minutes? I've found a few articles with different equations such as 15 seconds per 10 ft or 6.6% per 100 ft. I wasn't really sure how much to trust those though. Of course, neither of those account for the downhills which I just have no idea. Maybe I'll just ignore those and count any time gained as a bonus.

"ideal weather conditions" . It's August, in Paris. I'm probably going to need your T+D calculator. The good news is that my training has been hot and humid so my body is better adapted than it is for WDW in January. I've seen some of the elites are running in long sleeves and jackets for their runs, which, yikes, I just can't imagine doing that when it's already 85 degrees and sunny. Of course, I'm also not competing for an Olympic medal.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Thanks for the insight! The half was pretty flat and 46F (ideal weather to me). It's the hills that have me the most confounded. How did you come up with 5-7 minutes? I've found a few articles with different equations such as 15 seconds per 10 ft or 6.6% per 100 ft. I wasn't really sure how much to trust those though. Of course, neither of those account for the downhills which I just have no idea. Maybe I'll just ignore those and count any time gained as a bonus.

I took the two segments we had discussed earlier and accounted for about 1.5 min per mile on each. So that added up to a likely GAP effect coming around 5-7 min. I didn't take into account the downhills, just the uphills. But I don't disagree with the pros, and event guide that those can be punishing.

"ideal weather conditions" . It's August, in Paris. I'm probably going to need your T+D calculator. The good news is that my training has been hot and humid so my body is better adapted than it is for WDW in January. I've seen some of the elites are running in long sleeves and jackets for their runs, which, yikes, I just can't imagine doing that when it's already 85 degrees and sunny. Of course, I'm also not competing for an Olympic medal.

And from my experience, I'd take the T+D effect and then move it one VDOT down (like 40.0 down to 39.9). So if the T+D calc says 4:00:00 which is a 37.9, then aim for a 36.9 instead (4:05:30). I've found in practice that the T+D calc is good for training, but I need an additional bump when it comes to races and no rest periods. When it comes to hills and heat, slower is always better.

 

[jmasgat]

I love translation differences....and am wondering how you will manifest a "Well-groomed upper body". (The original French is "bien gaîné", but my DH wasn't familiar with the word.)

 

[GollyGadget]

I love translation differences....and am wondering how you will manifest a "Well-groomed upper body". (The original French is "bien gaîné", but my DH wasn't familiar with the word.)

I didn't even attempt to read the french version but I'm certain that the translations are the reason for a lot of the quirkiness in the guide.

Google tells me that "bien gaîné" translates to well-earned but gaîné itself is sheath/scabbard/shaft.

I'm on week 14 of Duolingo but still very very limited in my vocabulary. One of my favorite phrases last week was about cows in the road. I certainly hope that I do not need to use this lesson during my race!

 

[WillRunForPizza]

I'm on week 14 of Duolingo but still very very limited in my vocabulary. One of my favorite phrases last week was about cows in the road. I certainly hope that I do not need to use this lesson during my race!

Clearly they want to prepare you for your quest to find the Holy Grail.

 

[flav]

I'm certain that the translations are the reason for a lot of the quirkiness in the guide.

Again, bien gainé would be a weird thing to say to a Canadian. The only reason I knew what it meant (and French is my mother tongue, the only language that I really spoke until adulthood) is because my daughter has a French coach. He makes them do some gainage exercise… Basically, core training. So I understand that someone bien gainé has a strong core!

ETA: In this context the words gainage and gainé come from gaine which is a girdle.

 

[azrivest]

Yeah, bien gainé means strong core.