Training advice

[Bluetickmom]

I'll be in WDW smack in the middle of training for the marathon. As a matter of fact, we're due to fly home on the day I'm scheduled to run 20 miles. This is my first time training, so I'm unsure how to balance the walking that is done while at the parks with the shorter weekly runs, etc.

I don't want to short my mileage but I also don't want an over use injury so close to race day. Unfortunately the dates of the trip aren't flexible as we are traveling with my parents for an anniversary trip and it was booked and paid for way prior to my committing to do the race.

Any tips or advice would be more than appreciated!!

 

[cewait]

Lets tackle the easy first. If you can sneak out early in the morning before or while folks are beginning to move around, you can easily get a 3-4 mile run in and not miss a spot in line for getting ready. I would not count park walking into your total for the week. It is entirely different activity that, while burning Kcal, does so in a way that is not productive enough to be called training. Let me know your resort and I can help with a map. The WDW jogging maps are OK but I have run most resorts and find that I as a runner know a better route at most.

Now for the 20 miler. Do not be shocked but you may hear a skip it from me. You could attempt it on your day of departure, just get up early and run. Though, I am not a fan of doing a long run then parking on a plane for a while. Can you do your run the day before or the day after? Not sure of your schedule. If you think you can swing while at WDW the day before leaving, you get a day in the park to walk off the run. It would actually be helpful to get the walk in. The other option is to shorten the run. Think you would have time to get a 10-15 miler in? If you can hit one in this range, call it good and just move on. Finally, if you find that you can only get a weekday length shorter run in on the final days, then get in what you can.

The bottom line, life will get in the way of most of us who are training for a marathon. There will be an occation where you simply cannot schedule a run. So while I only gave you a couple points to ponder, no matter waht path you take, you will be fine.

One thing you must guard against is falling into the WDW eating traps. Work to keep you diet fairly consistent with home cooking, assuming you are eating well at home. It is all too easy to get caught up in the vacation eating trap.

Enjoy your trip. Try to get your runs in but if you miss one or two, do not beat yourself up.

 

[Bluetickmom]

Thanks for all the advice coach Charles, it's really appreciated!

We're staying at Port Orleans French Quarter.

 

[cewait]

Disney has a jogging map included on the resort map.

http://allears.net/acc/pomap1.jpg

Note that their maps rarely include running on the inside the resort roadways. I have made a map that does include those roadways. It blows the distance out from the 0.7 miles on the Disney map to a 5k on mine

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/993272/

As a disclaimer, I am assuming an early morning run prior to buses. Run against traffic and near the edge. Do not assume you are seen. Finally, even with all this, if you are out at 5-6 AM, you will more than likely not see anyone other than security; wondering who you are.

For a longer run, there is a small, mostly paved road that leaves the POR and leads to the OKW resort. It does a loop in OKW, then follows the 'nature trail' to DTD. On the way a loop through the Treehouses is made. From there, it loops through DTD then over to SSR then back to POR. Feel free to remove little arms on this pat or add miles by looping the parking lot or DTD.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/45147044/

The path from POR to Vacation way is marked Cast Members Only as is the initial stretch in POR. I have tun these a few times and never had anyone say a word. The area that you need to be aware of its the nature trail. There are a few animals but the largest hazard are golf course workers. You can see them coming way before they get to you since the path winds and their headlights are bouncing on the trees. The best part of running DTD early is that you turn the music on. Sections of DTD music are controlled by motion sensors and as you enter a section the music comes up.