The Running Thread - 2018

[LdyStormy76]

Like others I went Couch to Half Marathon. 10 of the 12 months of training were just physically challenging. Mentally, I struggle over 8 miles unless I can keep my mind engaged (listen to lots of history podcasts).

This question actually nicely ties into a post I was working on before I logged in, so LSULakers, thanks for reading my mind on this topic.

Debating training for, and trying to complete, the WDW Marathon in January. I know that I am able to successfully complete a half marathon but keep going back and forth about trying for a full.

For those of you that have gone from the half to the full, why did you make the leap? What was the most challenging? What would you do the same/different? Looking back, would you do it again? Were you: one and done, hooked on the distance, or did it one more time for Goofy/Dopey? If you did your first one as part of either the Goofy or Dopey Challenge, what would you tell that prior version of you if you could go back in time and do it again?

 

[baxter24]

ATTQOTD: I think the transition from couch to 5k was the hardest physically for me. I always hated running growing up and thought in the back of my head that I was in “decent shape” until I started training for my first 5k. Like others, mentally the half to a full was the hardest. A marathon is just a really long ways to run and even thinking about those long training runs was really scary/intimidating to even think about.

@LdyStormy76 - I decided I was going to make the leap from half to full when I was running the princess half marathon as part of the challenge. After training for 19.3 over two days made the idea of training for 26.2 seem a lot more possible.

Yesterday’s QOTD: I really like running in the cold so I’m not looking forward to the warmer temps. I do want to add that NC cold doesn’t compare to the temps some of you all run in. Just going to have to hydrate more before runs and will probably start waking up earlier for runs to beat the heat.

 

[MissLiss279]

For those of you that have gone from the half to the full, why did you make the leap? What was the most challenging? What would you do the same/different? Looking back, would you do it again? Were you: one and done, hooked on the distance, or did it one more time for Goofy/Dopey? If you did your first one as part of either the Goofy or Dopey Challenge, what would you tell that prior version of you if you could go back in time and do it again?

My local race series started offering a back to back race challenge (spring half to fall full). New year’s eve, right before prices went up, I signed up, and then had to train. This was a couple of months after running my first two half marathons (September and October 2014).
One of the hardest things mentally was thinking about the whole distance. It’s twice as far as a half. I was training through a running store and their training groups. When the fall marathon training started, they switched to pace groups, so I was able to run most of my long runs (and some of the other runs) with people - some who hadn’t ran one before and some who had.
Once you start looking at the training schedule one week at a time, and you think ‘Oh, that long run is only one or two miles longer than I have run. I can do that.’ Start thinking about it in smaller chunks, and you slowly build the mileage. Then it seems to be more manageable and achievable.
Before I ran that first marathon I signed up for Dopey, so I knew it wasn’t going to be a one and done. My first marathon was in October of 2015, and now I have ran 13, and I keep signing up for more. I love the challenge of them. I don’t have kids, so I don’t have to worry as much with working around other people’s schedules.
Joining a running group has probably been one of the things that keeps me running. I love my running friends, and I think it would be a whole lot harder to be motivated to run without them.

 

[TinkerBellLiz]

QOTD: Which of the following did you find to the most difficult from a physical view point:
A. Zero running to 5k
B. 5k to 10k
C. 10k to Half Marathon
D. Half Marathon to Marathon
E. Marathon to Ultra

Also, using the choices above which one was more of a mental challenge?

ATTQOTD part A:

(A) Zero to 5k was by far the hardest. It took 4 months before I could physically do the distance.

Part B:

Again Zero to 5k was a huge mental barrier. Even after I was running the distance I wasn’t mentally convinced I would complete a race. Until I did! 2017 Dark Side 5k broke that mental barrier and turned 5k from a almost unobtainable goal to an average training prepping for my first half marathon.

 

[ZellyB]

For those of you that have gone from the half to the full, why did you make the leap? What was the most challenging? What would you do the same/different? Looking back, would you do it again? Were you: one and done, hooked on the distance, or did it one more time for Goofy/Dopey? If you did your first one as part of either the Goofy or Dopey Challenge, what would you tell that prior version of you if you could go back in time and do it again?

I was on a longer training run for my first half with our Galloway training group when someone told me about runDisney and the 20th anniversary and I declared to my husband, “we should do that!” A day later we were registered, so I signed up for a marathon before running my first half. So yeah, not a lot of deliberation from me. That’s what a runner’s high can do to you. Lol.

Most challenging is just finding the time to do the training and being disciplined to stick to it. I firmly believe if you have the right training plan and you stick to it faithfully anyone can complete a marathon. On Mile 22 or so of that first marathon I declared myself one and done. This past January I just finished my 7th marathon which included 2 Goofy and 1 Dopey challenge. So, yeah. Never believe one and done during or shortly after a marathon.

My first one was not Goofy or Dopey but the advice is the same as I listed above. Running marathons is really about commitment and discipline to train. That’s the real work. The race is the reward. And, honestly, just do it.

 

[Wendy98]

I do things backwards. The first race I ever formally had a training plan for was a marathon. I had started running a few years prior as a way to get in shape. I did a 10k--didn't really train, just went with where I was fitness wise. I ran a 15k during that first marathon training cycle. I did my very first 5k a couple of weeks after my first marathon. I had run a few marathons before I ever did a half marathon.

The absolute hardest is going from nothing to running. OMG, I still remember the hurt. My lungs hurt. My legs hurt and felt incredibly itchy. I would make myself run to a certain spot, like maybe the 3rd telephone pole, and then take a walk break. I congratulate anyone who picks this up out of the blue because starting is not easy.

 

[BikeFan]

ATQOTD: D
Going from half to full was tough mentally, because it was such a big jump, from 13.1 to 26.2. 3.1 to 6.2 to 10 to 13.1 is such a nice progression, and then you literally double all that to go from 13.1 to 26.2. Mentally, it was a tough nut to crack back when I was running my first full. Of course having done 17 fulls and 3 ultras, the full seems so much easier these days! Once you develop that "cruise gear" in your running, you'd be surprised how long you can go. Having run up to a 50 miler, it's not that hard, believe it or not. It's just one foot in front of the other (albeit for a really long time! ). You need to respect the longer distances, but don't be intimidated by them.

 

[gjramsey]

ATTQOTD: I guess I would say D for both. A half was the first race I ran. I probably ran for about 1 to 1.5 years before I signed up for a race. Most of the running I did before was just for myself, and decided, after a while, why not sign up for a race. My wife's first reaction was "don't you need to train for that??". I thought all the running I was doing counted as training!

When I decided to tackle a full, I joined my running club and started following the training plan they provided.

 

[KingLlama]

Back in the saddle....

-Sixty days out from the Dark Side half. Been a bit stagnant in my workouts and diet, so getting that on lock. It's my first half, and I don't need to die out there. Or get swept. Or both.

-I've only done a 5K and a 10K, and I have to say that the 10K was tougher. But that was primarily because it was a brand-new 10K that was added to a popular 5K. So there just weren't that many running 10, and so I felt very alone out there in (nearly) last place. Training-wise, just getting started was hard, but once I switched to Galloway, it got much smoother.

-Experimented with a Honey Stinger wafer during my training run on Monday. Couldn't tell a difference afterward, but it tasted fine and didn't bother me at all. What does everyone put in their belt for longer races? I need to try new things between now and April.

-First 10-miler in two weeks. Falls right on the day when my training plan calls for 10 miles, so it's perfect. And it's a brand-new race, so I'm excited to be part of the inaugural "class".

 

[GreatLakes]

QOTD: Which mile of a 5k race is your least favorite?

The middle, it is almost always my slowest as well.

QOTD: Which of the following did you find to the most difficult from a physical view point:
A. Zero running to 5k
B. 5k to 10k
C. 10k to Half Marathon
D. Half Marathon to Marathon
E. Marathon to Ultra

D but I haven't run an Ultra so E is out. I didn't find any of the other all that difficult really but the training difference between a Half and Full is what makes that jump so hard. Generally I could go out and run a half at any time even this time of year when my miles are down. A marathon though requires me to stick to a training plan.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

ATTQOTD: The first time I did C25K, I was so excited and did it with a friend that I loved it. After I returned to running after a multiyear break, C25K seemed really hard, I wasn't prepared for it to be harder than the first time.
I am currently struggling with making the commitment to jump from 13.1 to 26.2 ... I mean, shouldn't there be a 3/4 marathon as a stepping stone??

 

[JeffW]

ATTQOTD: 10k to Half Marathon for me, both physically and mentally. Going beyond the hour mark in training just seemed like this massive hurdle to keep my mind engaged, and that is also when I had the privilege of experiencing all the typical running related ailments (shin splints, plantar fasciitis, IT Band issues). After I completed a half, the progression to a full seemed more straight forward

 

[hauntedcity]

QOTD: Which of the following did you find to the most difficult from a physical view point:
A. Zero running to 5k
B. 5k to 10k
C. 10k to Half Marathon
D. Half Marathon to Marathon
E. Marathon to Ultra

Also, using the choices above which one was more of a mental challenge?

Of these answers, probably D (Half to Full). But honestly, the hardest was probably Goofy to Dopey. The 4-day training runs totally took over my schedule, and were physically and mentally taxing.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Count me among the couch to half runners. I had to frequently tell myself early on that I had months to build up to 13.1 miles when 30 minutes felt exhausting. 6 years later and I have yet to talk myself into attempting a full. During the end of my long training runs I often question my life choices in signing up for a half.

For those reasons, I think half to full is the most difficult challenge for me. Speaking for myself, I still believe that training for a half offers me similar benefits as training for a full without the time costs that training for a full would entail.

All that said, if I ever sign up for a full, I'm doing at least Goofy and possibly Dopey as part of it.

 

[Capang]

ATTQOTD: nothing to 5k. I was so out of shape and hadn’t run in at least a decade. Once I started I kept thinking anything was possible. That thought lingered until about mile 6 or so of a run. Never run a half or a full....but...half has been the goal.

Also, today I found next school years calendar that I’ve been BEGGING my boss to show me. It was just hanging out on a copier so naturally I made myself a copy and realized I have the Friday off before wine and dine. It’s not technically off but no students and an easy day to miss. So I found my boss and fessed up to stealing his calendar and begged for time off. Looks like the odds are very good I will get to runDisney next fall. Probably the 10k, only because I’m afraid to run a half then fly home the same day. No one else shares my excitement in this so I had to share.

 

[Dis5150]

Well I chickened out and ran on the TM instead of in the rain. It was 45 feels like 39 and I just didn’t feel like being wet and cold on my drive home. But total respect for those of you who run on the TM for lots of runs! I wanted to quit from boredom after the first mile but managed to suck it up and run the 5.5 miles. Tomorrow is thunderstorms so I will be back on the TM.

 

[JulieODC]

I am tempted to answer D. I haven’t run a marathon, but the fear of the training is what is holding me back.

Otherwise, it was probably when I came back to running as an adult and signed up for the PHM - essentially doing a couch to half. I think the time from couch to 10k was physically the hardest. Once I was at the 10k, 10k to half was just about the time commitment.

(And I fully realize that my 2nd answer contradicts the fear I have about going from half to marathon. Maybe I am not so afraid of the physical aspect of running that distance, but having the time and dedication to train).

 

[Keels]

QOTD: Which of the following did you find to the most difficult from a physical view point:
A. Zero running to 5k
B. 5k to 10k
C. 10k to Half Marathon
D. Half Marathon to Marathon
E. Marathon to Ultra

I’m going to go with D, but that’s mostly because I trained for my first Marathon in the context of training for my first multi-race challenge, which was probably not the best idea.

I went from 5K to 10K to Half pretty seemlessly, because I had a goal for a half marathon, and after I ran my first 10K and felt great I was able to speed the process up a bit more.

The time it takes, training wise, to jump from a half to a full is significant. But the real jump is mostly mental.

My BFFs are doing their first 50k this weekend (though one did a trail one last weekend), and their thoughts about it coming off of Dopey/Marathon were - I’m basically trained up for a marathon and I feel good, what’s another six miles?

 

[Jules76126]

For me, I have never run anything over a 5K distance. I just lose motivation to stick with the training. It used to be a time thing as it was unpredictable when I would get home from work and it was easy to miss 3 days in a row and then I was like I'll just get back at it next week. With my current job, I get home much more consistently, especially in the spring and summer so finally hoping to conquer a longer distance.

 

[Miranda]

-Experimented with a Honey Stinger wafer during my training run on Monday. Couldn't tell a difference afterward, but it tasted fine and didn't bother me at all. What does everyone put in their belt for longer races? I need to try new things between now and April.

I prefer gels, although the brands I get aren't very gel-y. Squishy semi-liquid product in a packet is too long to say, though. Huma (fruit puree and chia seeds), Untapped (maple syrup), or Honey Stinger (honey).