The Running Thread--2024

[LSUlakes]

here is a super short video that has pieces of most of it:

The first couple of minutes of this:

I have a unhealthy obsession watching the MouseGen marathon video lol. I put it on at least once a week to fall asleep to but at times end up watching the whole race lol. I think they finish in the sub 3:30:00 range with character stops. Major props!

At what age can I start running with my dog?

For context, we adopted a German Shepherd mix in September. At a little over 5 months, she is driving us completely crazy. She needs way more stimulation than we can give her, even with DH going on 2+ hour walks each day with her. We've tried every mental stimulation game at the store, we do obedience training with a trainer, we've given her multiple bones to chew on. But she never. stays. still. Constantly biting and jumping on us. Vet says she's lost her baby teeth already, so that's not the cause of the biting. There's only so much time she can spend in her crate.

I'm thinking of taking her out on a few of my runs, as my run pace is like a fast walk for her. Maybe it would help her to spend some of that excess energy. But at the same time at 5mo she might be too young still.

View attachment 911715

As others have stated its a very sensitive topic on both sides. The rule I always heard the most was after 1 year. We had started but I had injuries or health problems so here we are 4 ish years later and finally running. I have a Brittany Spaniel, great running buddy but easily distracted by squirrels!!

Speaking of running with dogs - does anyone have a running belt/leash they recommend? My sister is getting into running, and she takes her golden with her. She asked for a leash for running with him for Christmas, but I know literally nothing about running with a dog.

I use a leash. I did not like the the running belt as I found myself being pulled at times. This of course increased my pace lol, but it was when those pulls were to the left or right that things got sketchy, so I decided for both my dog and myself, a loose leash was best for us.

 

[The running raven]

I understand what you're saying, but we're really at a point where if things don't change, we're going to send her back. There won't be a "in the long run"... We've tried everything we can to avoid an adoption fail, but she's too much for us at this time. We're giving ourselves two more weeks to see if things improve with our trainer, we're at our wits' end.

I know this might seem trivial for some, like right now we're thinking we won't even be able to have a Xmas tree. She'll tear it down. And that's almost unforgivable to me

If you got her from a shelter, see if they have any training or behavior programs you can do. I volunteer at a shelter, and we have A LOT of things like this to help deal with energetic pups and getting them adjusted to your home. And even if u didn’t get her from a shelter, contact them and I bet they’ll give you some tips.

 

[dobball23]

Race Recap - Harrisburg Marathon - Nov. 10, 2024

I ran the Harrisburg Marathon yesterday. It was my sixth marathon and my first non-Disney marathon. I've done Dopey four times (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) and "just" the marathon once (2023).

I can see why people who do other races before their first RunDisney experience could get discouraged by the corrals at Disney. We parked about 75 feet from the start line and I got into the starting chute less than 10 minutes before the start of the race. Just a little bit easier than getting to my corral at 3:16 a.m. for a 5 a.m. race last January!

The organizers of the race did a good job in the last few weeks communicating all the details. They had course maps on a PDF (with water stops), in Google Maps, in Garmin Connect and on a few other platforms. They also resent the same email with details three or four times leading up to the race. No one could have said they missed it.

I live about 1 hour and 20 minutes from the start line and drove in that morning. After a 4 a.m. wakeup, I arrived to pick up my bib around 6 a.m. The race had just over 550 finishers and started at 7:30 a.m. It was two loops of a half marathon course. The half marathon began at 8:15 a.m.

My last two marathons were 3:28 and 3:27, so I was just hoping to go under 3:30 again. After a possibility of rain showing on the forecast often in the week leading up to the race, there was no precipitation until after I finished. It was just under 40 degrees at race start and around 50 degrees when I finished. It was cloudy throughout.

I started out a bit fast and settled into running about a 7:30 pace, which is closer to a 3:16 marathon than a 3:30. I kept going at that pace through about mile 21 (even doing a 7:19 and 7:16 in miles 12 and 13!). Luckily I had built up enough of a cushion for my PR, and even with the last three miles being a struggle at ~8:15 pace, I crossed the finish line in 3:20:04 for a PR by 7 minutes, 37 seconds!

Some people I talked with during the race didn't like the two loops of the course, but I think they had run it before or live in the area and run it during training. For me, it was nice to know what to expect on the second lap. Even if a short, steep incline just after mile 20 was looming in the back of my mind after my first lap! (overall, the course was flat with an elevation gain of 258 feet according to Strava and 476 feet according to Garmin Connect).

 

[kps7795]

Race Recap - Harrisburg Marathon - Nov. 10, 2024

I ran the Harrisburg Marathon yesterday. It was my sixth marathon and my first non-Disney marathon. I've done Dopey four times (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) and "just" the marathon once (2023).

I can see why people who do other races before their first RunDisney experience could get discouraged by the corrals at Disney. We parked about 75 feet from the start line and I got into the starting chute less than 10 minutes before the start of the race. Just a little bit easier than getting to my corral at 3:16 a.m. for a 5 a.m. race last January!

The organizers of the race did a good job in the last few weeks communicating all the details. They had course maps on a PDF (with water stops), in Google Maps, in Garmin Connect and on a few other platforms. They also resent the same email with details three or four times leading up to the race. No one could have said they missed it.

I live about 1 hour and 20 minutes from the start line and drove in that morning. After a 4 a.m. wakeup, I arrived to pick up my bib around 6 a.m. The race had just over 550 finishers and started at 7:30 a.m. It was two loops of a half marathon course. The half marathon began at 8:15 a.m.

My last two marathons were 3:28 and 3:27, so I was just hoping to go under 3:30 again. After a possibility of rain showing on the forecast often in the week leading up to the race, there was no precipitation until after I finished. It was just under 40 degrees at race start and around 50 degrees when I finished. It was cloudy throughout.

I started out a bit fast and settled into running about a 7:30 pace, which is closer to a 3:16 marathon than a 3:30. I kept going at that pace through about mile 21 (even doing a 7:19 and 7:16 in miles 12 and 13!). Luckily I had built up enough of a cushion for my PR, and even with the last three miles being a struggle at ~8:15 pace, I crossed the finish line in 3:20:04 for a 7:37 PR!

Some people I talked with during the race didn't like the two loops of the course, but I think they had run it before or live in the area and run it during training. For me, it was nice to know what to expect on the second lap. Even if a short, steep incline just after mile 20 was looming in the back of my mind after my first lap! (overall, the course was flat with an elevation gain of 258 feet according to Strava and 476 feet according to Garmin Connect).

View attachment 912153

Wow! Great job. Congratulations on an amazing race and such an awesome PR!!!

 

[garneska]

Awesome job @dobball23

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

Race Recap - Harrisburg Marathon - Nov. 10, 2024

I ran the Harrisburg Marathon yesterday. It was my sixth marathon and my first non-Disney marathon. I've done Dopey four times (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) and "just" the marathon once (2023).

I can see why people who do other races before their first RunDisney experience could get discouraged by the corrals at Disney. We parked about 75 feet from the start line and I got into the starting chute less than 10 minutes before the start of the race. Just a little bit easier than getting to my corral at 3:16 a.m. for a 5 a.m. race last January!

The organizers of the race did a good job in the last few weeks communicating all the details. They had course maps on a PDF (with water stops), in Google Maps, in Garmin Connect and on a few other platforms. They also resent the same email with details three or four times leading up to the race. No one could have said they missed it.

I live about 1 hour and 20 minutes from the start line and drove in that morning. After a 4 a.m. wakeup, I arrived to pick up my bib around 6 a.m. The race had just over 550 finishers and started at 7:30 a.m. It was two loops of a half marathon course. The half marathon began at 8:15 a.m.

My last two marathons were 3:28 and 3:27, so I was just hoping to go under 3:30 again. After a possibility of rain showing on the forecast often in the week leading up to the race, there was no precipitation until after I finished. It was just under 40 degrees at race start and around 50 degrees when I finished. It was cloudy throughout.

I started out a bit fast and settled into running about a 7:30 pace, which is closer to a 3:16 marathon than a 3:30. I kept going at that pace through about mile 21 (even doing a 7:19 and 7:16 in miles 12 and 13!). Luckily I had built up enough of a cushion for my PR, and even with the last three miles being a struggle at ~8:15 pace, I crossed the finish line in 3:20:04 for a PR by 7 minutes, 37 seconds!

Some people I talked with during the race didn't like the two loops of the course, but I think they had run it before or live in the area and run it during training. For me, it was nice to know what to expect on the second lap. Even if a short, steep incline just after mile 20 was looming in the back of my mind after my first lap! (overall, the course was flat with an elevation gain of 258 feet according to Strava and 476 feet according to Garmin Connect).

View attachment 912153

Congrats on a great race! Cool looking medal.

 

[dobball23]

Congrats on a great race! Cool looking medal.

Thanks! If you did the other races in the series you end up with three medals that go together and look like the entire Pennsylvania Capitol building area in Harrisburg.

 

[RuntheMouse]

Great race @dobball23 ! That’s an awesome PR!

 

[GollyGadget]

Race Recap - Harrisburg Marathon - Nov. 10, 2024

I ran the Harrisburg Marathon yesterday. It was my sixth marathon and my first non-Disney marathon. I've done Dopey four times (2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) and "just" the marathon once (2023).

I can see why people who do other races before their first RunDisney experience could get discouraged by the corrals at Disney. We parked about 75 feet from the start line and I got into the starting chute less than 10 minutes before the start of the race. Just a little bit easier than getting to my corral at 3:16 a.m. for a 5 a.m. race last January!

The organizers of the race did a good job in the last few weeks communicating all the details. They had course maps on a PDF (with water stops), in Google Maps, in Garmin Connect and on a few other platforms. They also resent the same email with details three or four times leading up to the race. No one could have said they missed it.

I live about 1 hour and 20 minutes from the start line and drove in that morning. After a 4 a.m. wakeup, I arrived to pick up my bib around 6 a.m. The race had just over 550 finishers and started at 7:30 a.m. It was two loops of a half marathon course. The half marathon began at 8:15 a.m.

My last two marathons were 3:28 and 3:27, so I was just hoping to go under 3:30 again. After a possibility of rain showing on the forecast often in the week leading up to the race, there was no precipitation until after I finished. It was just under 40 degrees at race start and around 50 degrees when I finished. It was cloudy throughout.

I started out a bit fast and settled into running about a 7:30 pace, which is closer to a 3:16 marathon than a 3:30. I kept going at that pace through about mile 21 (even doing a 7:19 and 7:16 in miles 12 and 13!). Luckily I had built up enough of a cushion for my PR, and even with the last three miles being a struggle at ~8:15 pace, I crossed the finish line in 3:20:04 for a PR by 7 minutes, 37 seconds!

Some people I talked with during the race didn't like the two loops of the course, but I think they had run it before or live in the area and run it during training. For me, it was nice to know what to expect on the second lap. Even if a short, steep incline just after mile 20 was looming in the back of my mind after my first lap! (overall, the course was flat with an elevation gain of 258 feet according to Strava and 476 feet according to Garmin Connect).

View attachment 912153

Congrats on the PR! Blowing up at the end is never fun but glad you at least got the new PR to show for it.

 

[FFigawi]

Race Recap - Harrisburg Marathon - Nov. 10, 2024

I started out a bit fast and settled into running about a 7:30 pace, which is closer to a 3:16 marathon than a 3:30. I kept going at that pace through about mile 21 (even doing a 7:19 and 7:16 in miles 12 and 13!). Luckily I had built up enough of a cushion for my PR, and even with the last three miles being a struggle at ~8:15 pace, I crossed the finish line in 3:20:04 for a PR by 7 minutes, 37 seconds!

Congrats on the new PR!

 

[flav]

Congratulations @dobball23

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Way to go @dobball23 !!!! What a great race! Always nice when the hard training work pays off. Congratulations.

 

[DopeyBadger]

@dobball23

Solid recap and even better race performance! The hard training paid off!

 

[LSUlakes]

Excluding the WDW Marathon, what marathon would you recommend to run that takes place from January through March? Does not need to be a big city, would prefer something somewhat flat.

 

[MissLiss279]

Excluding the WDW Marathon, what marathon would you recommend to run that takes place from January through March? Does not need to be a big city, would prefer something somewhat flat.

I’ve heard good things about the Houston Marathon and the Louisiana Marathon. I do not know if they are flat or not. Little Rock is another well advertised race that is not flat - I plan to run it next year.
I guess besides Disney the only ones I have ran in that time period are Lost Dutchman Marathon (near Phoenix) which is dirt/gravel for the first 6 miles, downhill, and desert mountain beautiful. The rest of the course is rolling hills through neighborhoods. It definitely warmed up by the end, but it was a dry heat and not humid.
Cowtown in Fort Worth was the other one. I enjoyed the race, but also not flat.

 

[sandam1]

Excluding the WDW Marathon, what marathon would you recommend to run that takes place from January through March? Does not need to be a big city, would prefer something somewhat flat.

I haven't done it, but I've heard awesome things about The Donna in Jacksonville. And since it is Florida, you know that it will be flat.

 

[camaker]

Excluding the WDW Marathon, what marathon would you recommend to run that takes place from January through March? Does not need to be a big city, would prefer something somewhat flat.

Tobacco Road Marathon in Cary, NC in mid-March is relatively flat, being run on an old rail line that's been turned into a greenway. Not much to recommend from a spectator support or scenic standpoint, though. It is where I have my current PR, as well.

 

[LSUlakes]

I’ve heard good things about the Houston Marathon and the Louisiana Marathon. I do not know if they are flat or not. Little Rock is another well advertised race that is not flat - I plan to run it next year.
I guess besides Disney the only ones I have ran in that time period are Lost Dutchman Marathon (near Phoenix) which is dirt/gravel for the first 6 miles, downhill, and desert mountain beautiful. The rest of the course is rolling hills through neighborhoods. It definitely warmed up by the end, but it was a dry heat and not humid.
Cowtown in Fort Worth was the other one. I enjoyed the race, but also not flat.

I was registered for Houston a few years ago, and we drove over there. Last minute I decided not to run it due to a injury I had. We stayed at a friends house and I went watch him run the race. Its on my potential list as well as The Woodlands Marathon. We also have family there.
Louisiana Marathon is my home course. I ran the marathon once, but have run the half a half dozen times or so.
Little Rock is something I can drive to as well, but the hills lol!!

 

[LorrieAnn5]

Excluding the WDW Marathon, what marathon would you recommend to run that takes place from January through March? Does not need to be a big city, would prefer something somewhat flat.

I've never run any marathon, but I'd go with Celebration, FL marathon at the end of January. It's 2 loops of a half marathon course.

 

[avondale]

Excluding the WDW Marathon, what marathon would you recommend to run that takes place from January through March? Does not need to be a big city, would prefer something somewhat flat.

The Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach is mid-March. It's pretty flat except for a section that runs an overpass over a highway. In mid-March it's usually still pretty cool (50s F). It's not a huge race, but big enough to have pace groups and it's pretty well-organized. Some ocean views beginning and end.