Signing up for the 1/2 Marathon.. questions

[emh1129]

I decided to take a HUGE step and sign up for the 1/2 marathon. I am in the midst of trying to sign up now online, but it's asking me for my anticipated half marathon finish time and a race result that supports my finish time.
There doesn't seem to be a way around this, but this will be my first race- ever- so I obviously don't have any race results to put down.
What should I do?

I'm so nervous as it is.. I am so out of shape and have so much work ahead of me to be ready for the 1/2 marathon, but I'm excited!!

I will be buying the Marathoning for Mortals book, but any other advice will be most appreciated. I can't believe I'm actually going to try to do this. Eek!

Eileen

 

[ghoulishgirl]

Did you get it figured out? I believe proof of time is only required if you can finish in under 2:45 ( somebody jump in if I'm wrong!) If you don't have any proof, I would just put down 3 hours as finishing time. You can run faster than that on the big day if you want, you don't have to run the time you enter. First race, that's awesome! Good luck in your training and most important: HAVE FUN!

 

[KristinandChris]

I think I put I'd finish in 3 hours and it still required a proof of time. I just wrote 5k 30:00 and they accepted that. I'm running in a 5k but not for a couple of weeks and that was my last 5k time. I think you can put anything in there and it will accept it. Good luck!

 

[airtime247]

I decided to take a HUGE step and sign up for the 1/2 marathon. I am in the midst of trying to sign up now online, but it's asking me for my anticipated half marathon finish time and a race result that supports my finish time.
There doesn't seem to be a way around this, but this will be my first race- ever- so I obviously don't have any race results to put down.
What should I do?

I'm so nervous as it is.. I am so out of shape and have so much work ahead of me to be ready for the 1/2 marathon, but I'm excited!!

I will be buying the Marathoning for Mortals book, but any other advice will be most appreciated. I can't believe I'm actually going to try to do this. Eek!

Eileen

Hi Eileen,

First, congratulations for signing up for the half! That's a huge feat and something not a lot of people have the courage to do. You should be very proud of yourself.

Your nerves are something I felt a year ago. The Marathoning for Mortals book is a great start. I just read it recently as I'm training for my first marathon (WDW 2010!) and found a lot of fantastic information. I wish I had read it earlier as I think it would have helped minimize the injuries and frustration I felt early on.

I recommend you start posting your progress and future questions on the W.I.S.H. boards. You will find a lot of people in your (running) shoes and many more who are training for the very same race.

I also highly recommend you join a miles/minutes team here. There are a great group of knowledgeable people who have helped and inspired me greatly. Knowing I need to post my progress helps give me encouragement to get off the couch on the many nights when I'd otherwise tend to slack off.

I would start looking in to local races to get some race experience. They are fantastic ways of giving you short term encouragement and confidence and are so much fun. After you do a couple of 5Ks, you can do a 10K, and by then, you will feel like a half marathon is very much possible and not something that seems insurmountable.

Competing in races is so much different than doing training runs. Through local races, you will learn a lot of variables you will encounter at WDW ahead of time so you will have a lot less things to worry about and can focus on having fun and realizing you are actually doing something you have planned and worked so hard for for all these months.

Congratulations again and best of luck in your journey!

-steve

 

[emh1129]

Did you get it figured out? I believe proof of time is only required if you can finish in under 2:45 ( somebody jump in if I'm wrong!) If you don't have any proof, I would just put down 3 hours as finishing time. You can run faster than that on the big day if you want, you don't have to run the time you enter. First race, that's awesome! Good luck in your training and most important: HAVE FUN!

Thanks! I know it will be hard work, but I think it will be a lot of fun, too

I think I put I'd finish in 3 hours and it still required a proof of time. I just wrote 5k 30:00 and they accepted that. I'm running in a 5k but not for a couple of weeks and that was my last 5k time. I think you can put anything in there and it will accept it. Good luck!

Thanks for the tip. I put the same thing and it worked just fine.

 

[emh1129]

Hi Eileen,

First, congratulations for signing up for the half! That's a huge feat and something not a lot of people have the courage to do. You should be very proud of yourself.

Your nerves are something I felt a year ago. The Marathoning for Mortals book is a great start. I just read it recently as I'm training for my first marathon (WDW 2010!) and found a lot of fantastic information. I wish I had read it earlier as I think it would have helped minimize the injuries and frustration I felt early on.

I recommend you start posting your progress and future questions on the W.I.S.H. boards. You will find a lot of people in your (running) shoes and many more who are training for the very same race.

I also highly recommend you join a miles/minutes team here. There are a great group of knowledgeable people who have helped and inspired me greatly. Knowing I need to post my progress helps give me encouragement to get off the couch on the many nights when I'd otherwise tend to slack off.

I would start looking in to local races to get some race experience. They are fantastic ways of giving you short term encouragement and confidence and are so much fun. After you do a couple of 5Ks, you can do a 10K, and by then, you will feel like a half marathon is very much possible and not something that seems insurmountable.

Competing in races is so much different than doing training runs. Through local races, you will learn a lot of variables you will encounter at WDW ahead of time so you will have a lot less things to worry about and can focus on having fun and realizing you are actually doing something you have planned and worked so hard for for all these months.

Congratulations again and best of luck in your journey!

-steve

Steve, thanks so much for the words of encouragement! I will do as you suggested and try to find a miles/minutes team here. I really could use all the advice and encouragement that I can get, so I think that would be very helpful.
Thanks again! And good luck to you as you train for your first marathon! (wow!!)

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Yay for you sigining up for the event. It will be such fun to share your training. Please stop by the weekly walker/runner thread when you are able to let us know how you progress too.

 

[emh1129]

Yay for you sigining up for the event. It will be such fun to share your training. Please stop by the weekly walker/runner thread when you are able to let us know how you progress too.

Thanks! I will definitely stop by