The Running Thread --2025

[sandam1]

Has anyone here walked the disney marathon? I've run it before and am planning on returning in 2027 and trying to rope in some family members as well. My mom has walked plenty of half marathons (and does a long walk of about 10 miles each weekend) but feels like a marathon will be too much. I am hoping getting some insight into what it's like to walk it to help her feel more confident =)

Are you talking about solely walking as opposed to run/walk?

If so, I have some experience with this. This past October, I did the Jimmy Fund Walk that follows the Boston Marathon course. I trained for it using run/walk, but on "race day," I was getting a sharp pain in my knee for a few seconds every time I transitioned from a walk to a run, so I did A LOT more walking (and significantly longer walk intervals) than I originally planned. With a 12-hour time limit, finishing wasn't an issue (I'm a relatively slow walker), but I did find out a few things:

• Walking a marathon is no easier than running one. In fact, if you are only walking, you have the same problem that constant runners do - you are using the same muscles in the same manner for 26.2 miles. When you run/walk, you are moving your body differently at different times and it helps combat muscle fatigue.
• You really, really, REALLY need to have the longer mileage walks. Because I was using run/walk, I was missing the extra time on feet. My finish time was over an hour longer than my longest training run and that last hour was really, really ROUGH. The first thing I said to my coach afterward was that this was so much different than run/walking a marathon. If I had planned on walking this, I would have wanted my training to be very different.

Are there people that walk the Disney Marathon? Absolutely yes. But the difference between training for a half marathon and training for a marathon (be it running, run/walking, or walking) is HUGE! I say this every year when it comes to the marathon, Goofy or Dopey - there are things that you can "get away with" on a half marathon that will come back and bite you HARD when you are doing 26.2 miles.

 

[Dopey 2020]

Wow, another month down already. Cut out a couple runs with a chest cold but a good month still. I’m ready to put some warm (hot) weather miles in at Springtime Surprise

 

[nancipants]

March totals:

Running: 75.7 miles
Walking: 31.5 miles (will probably do another .5 this afternoon to walk the dog)
Strength: 4:22:04 (will do another 15-30 minutes tonight for lower body)

Proud of myself for keeping up the strength workouts! I keep telling myself it'll make running easier.

 

[SarahDisney]

Is anyone thinking about walking away from Garmin after this announcement?

I was all ready to get myself a new Garmin during the Amazon spring sale and now I'm hesitant. I moved from Fitbit to Garmin about 8 years ago for better run tracking and now that I'm not really running anymore I looked into switching back to Fitbit, but Fitbit's paywall kinda soured me on a potential switch. But now Garmin is introducing a paywall and I honestly (like many people it seems) am not convinced that they won't move some of the currently free data behind the paywall so now I'm not as excited about Garmin. I'm kinda torn on what to do.

 

[Naomeri]

March Totals
2 runs totaling 9.3 miles in 2:07:28

Well, I did better than February

 

[The Expert]

Is anyone thinking about walking away from Garmin after this announcement?

I was all ready to get myself a new Garmin during the Amazon spring sale and now I'm hesitant. I moved from Fitbit to Garmin about 8 years ago for better run tracking and now that I'm not really running anymore I looked into switching back to Fitbit, but Fitbit's paywall kinda soured me on a potential switch. But now Garmin is introducing a paywall and I honestly (like many people it seems) am not convinced that they won't move some of the currently free data behind the paywall so now I'm not as excited about Garmin. I'm kinda torn on what to do.

Actually, yes. I love my Forerunner 255 but I've scratched up the face pretty good and have been keeping my eye out for a good deal on a replacement or upgrade. I had bad experiences with fitbit, but am definitely considering Coros. I'm going to spend some time looking at them at the SS expo, assuming one of the big running stores has some there.

 

[nancipants]

I just got a new Garmin for Christmas, so I won't be in the market for a new one for hopefully many many years. It will be hard to consider switching to Coros considering all the data in Garmin - and I'm not convinced other companies won't implement the same subscription type services.

 

[FFigawi]

Is anyone thinking about walking away from Garmin after this announcement?

I won’t be, mainly because I don’t use Garmin Connect for my data analysis. I get everything I need in Training Peaks which I use with my coach. If I didn’t use TP, I would be watching what data they stop allowing free access to very closely.

 

[accm]

Question for those that use Tailwind for fueling while running - how do you keep track of how much you should be having/frequency? Do you just drink to thirst? I want to try it since I hate gels, but I can't figure out how to make sure I'm fueling appropriately.

 

[col1]

Totals for March


Highest monthly total since April 2022. Can’t check any further back as Fitbit app won’t cooperate.

Happy with that total.

 

[PrincessV]

Question for those that use Tailwind for fueling while running - how do you keep track of how much you should be having/frequency? Do you just drink to thirst? I want to try it since I hate gels, but I can't figure out how to make sure I'm fueling appropriately.

I’m probably not a lot of help on this, because I use TW with gels on long runs. My approach is that it supplies carbs for my first hour, then I use gels every 45 minutes. I do one scoop of TW - so 100 cals - in my 12oz bottle, and sip every half-mile. I generally empty that 12oz bottle in an hour, give or take a couple sips.

 

[FFigawi]

Question for those that use Tailwind for fueling while running - how do you keep track of how much you should be having/frequency? Do you just drink to thirst? I want to try it since I hate gels, but I can't figure out how to make sure I'm fueling appropriately.

I calculate the amount of carbs I need per hour, mix a super concentrated bottle with the total needed, and take a sip every 15-20 minutes. Another option would be to use a flask or bottle with markings on it and drink X oz per hour if it was filled with all the carbs you’d need.

 

[col1]

Is anyone thinking about walking away from Garmin after this announcement?

I was all ready to get myself a new Garmin during the Amazon spring sale and now I'm hesitant. I moved from Fitbit to Garmin about 8 years ago for better run tracking and now that I'm not really running anymore I looked into switching back to Fitbit, but Fitbit's paywall kinda soured me on a potential switch. But now Garmin is introducing a paywall and I honestly (like many people it seems) am not convinced that they won't move some of the currently free data behind the paywall so now I'm not as excited about Garmin. I'm kinda torn on what to do.

At the moment I have only had this Garmin for 3 years and hope to get quite a few more years out of it. However once it dies I will be looking for the most basic watch that gives me what I need. GPS for runs, resting heart rate and steps I can live without the rest.

 

[sandam1]

Question for those that use Tailwind for fueling while running - how do you keep track of how much you should be having/frequency? Do you just drink to thirst? I want to try it since I hate gels, but I can't figure out how to make sure I'm fueling appropriately.

I primarily drink to thirst, but I also have an alarm on my watch that reminds me to drink. I have gotten very, very good at internalizing the time and often find myself having just putting my bottle away as the watch vibrates.

That being said, for longer races (10+ miles), I need to supplement the Tailwind with another type of "food-like" nutrition as I just don't take in enough Tailwind to get the energy that I need. With that in mind, I also have a separate alarm on my watch to remind me to eat. This, I'm not quite as good about as I tend to have trouble forcing myself to consume things that require chewing later in a race. I use things like maple syrup (Endurance Tap), applesauce, and Coke at that point, but I really, really need the alarm to keep me on track.

For those that "don't like gels," have you looked at the wide variety of things that are being developed? I shop at The Feed and they have probably hundreds of different gel-like things. I don't like the texture of a traditional gel, but tried one yesterday that was liquid yesterday (very much the consistency of the maple syrup that I use) which I liked quite a bit. The Feed sells single servings so it is easy to try a bunch of different products to see if there is something that works for you.

 

[accm]

I’m probably not a lot of help on this, because I use TW with gels on long runs. My approach is that it supplies carbs for my first hour, then I use gels every 45 minutes. I do one scoop of TW - so 100 cals - in my 12oz bottle, and sip every half-mile. I generally empty that 12oz bottle in an hour, give or take a couple sips.

I calculate the amount of carbs I need per hour, mix a super concentrated bottle with the total needed, and take a sip every 15-20 minutes. Another option would be to use a flask or bottle with markings on it and drink X oz per hour if it was filled with all the carbs you’d need.

Thank you both! I have run this weekend with fueling, so I'll give it a try. I might continue using the Skratch chews as well.

Side question for the Canadians - have you found anywhere to order Endurance Tap from Canada? I want to try it, but I'm not a fan of having to order a bunch of it from the feed in case I don't like it.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Question for those that use Tailwind for fueling while running - how do you keep track of how much you should be having/frequency? Do you just drink to thirst? I want to try it since I hate gels, but I can't figure out how to make sure I'm fueling appropriately.

I use Skratch, not Tailwind, but I would assume that the principle would be the same - I include it in my total carb intake for the run as a supplement to whatever gels I'm carrying. I think Tailwind has more carbs than Skratch, but I feel like it would be hard to get all your fuel from that alone.

So if I'm doing like a 90-minute workout where I would want to have about 75g of carbs/hour (let's say 112g total), I would get about 30g of carbs from the Skratch and then the other 82-ish from gels. Other than that, I don't really worry about timing; I have a sip when I'm thirsty, and I know about how much I'm going to drink on the run so that's what I'm carrying.

Side question for the Canadians - have you found anywhere to order Endurance Tap from Canada? I want to try it, but I'm not a fan of having to order a bunch of it from the feed in case I don't like it.

Not Canadian, but does The Feed sell individual packets of Endurance Tap? Usually you can try one at the same price per gel as you would get if you bought a whole box. And I never have trouble getting to $75 for the free shipping with other stuff that I inevitably need. (She says, as she checks FedEx for the status of her $285 shipment of gels/hydration mixes/protein powder. )

 

[sandam1]

Not Canadian, but does The Feed sell individual packets of Endurance Tap?

Yes, they do.

And I never have trouble getting to $75 for the free shipping with other stuff that I inevitably need.

If you get on their email list, they have periodic free shipping days - at least for those of us in the U.S.

I googled it and it appears that there are several places to get it in Canada. I actually think that it may be a Canadian product. ( to my Canadian friends)

 

[nancipants]

Question for those that use Tailwind for fueling while running - how do you keep track of how much you should be having/frequency? Do you just drink to thirst? I want to try it since I hate gels, but I can't figure out how to make sure I'm fueling appropriately.

I primarily fuel with Tailwind. I run with a handheld water bottle that holds about 18 ounces. I use one scoop per bottle, and drink to thirst. I drink a lot of water, so I have no problems reminding myself to drink while running. Typically, this means I refill every 3-ish miles/45 minutes, especially during warmer weather. During races, I tend to refill either every other water stop or every third water stop, depending on how close together they are, and I usually take a cup of water at the water stops in between. I've never had a problem feeling hungry during a half marathon, but I do usually carry an "emergency applesauce pouch" just in case. During the marathon, I had the on-course bananas and an applesauce pouch after MK.

Tailwind's recommended serving is two scoops per hour, so you might want to start with that and see how it works for you. It gave me stomach issues, hence me doing one scoop at a time.

 

[avondale]

Is anyone thinking about walking away from Garmin after this announcement?

I was all ready to get myself a new Garmin during the Amazon spring sale and now I'm hesitant. I moved from Fitbit to Garmin about 8 years ago for better run tracking and now that I'm not really running anymore I looked into switching back to Fitbit, but Fitbit's paywall kinda soured me on a potential switch. But now Garmin is introducing a paywall and I honestly (like many people it seems) am not convinced that they won't move some of the currently free data behind the paywall so now I'm not as excited about Garmin. I'm kinda torn on what to do.

Not at the moment because I have a high-end watch from them and also many years of data on them. But if they start really moving things behind a paywall, that may change.

Right now, from what I see, there are just some extra badge challenges that are with a subscription. Totally optional stuff. Are they testing people's reaction to this? Absolutely. I hope they really flop.

 

[SarahDisney]

Right now, from what I see, there are just some extra badge challenges that are with a subscription. Totally optional stuff. Are they testing people's reaction to this? Absolutely. I hope they really flop.

I think the stuff that's behind the paywall right now is definitely not a big deal. But if this doesn't flop hard (which we won't know for at least a few months but runners as a group to tend to spend money on extras), the big question will be what they do with this moving forward.