What did you do RIGHT? What would you do DIFFERENT?

[DisneyGirl]

Hi everyone! To everyone who just finished the races this past week-- I am wondering if you can give some advice to all of us who are getting ready for next year:

What did you do this past year, or training period, that you think really helped, and think would help others?

What did you do that you wished you hadn't, or what DIDN'T you do that you wish you had?? (The hingsight is 20/20 question )

I know your advice will help me!!!

 

[r3ngels]

I would love to know too... I am thinking about doing it in '07.

 

[TiffJ]

Well I do know what I did wrong. I got there on Monday before the race. I thought I would be o.k. only going to 1 park. Well I not only did a full park day, but several days of shopping & resort touring. On my feet pretty much all week. Plus I didn't do any real training. So my feet were hurting early on in the race & that really hindered my progress. They never did this during training.

Also, I started the race having to go potty. I should have left the corral & gone 1 more time. I had plenty of time, not sure why I didn't. I ended up having to stop at mile 3 & waiting almost 10 min for a porta potty. (not going in the bushes like so many others)

I followed the Marathoning for Mortals program, starting from ground zero 4 months ago. My goal was not to get swept & I did it. That program was easy to follow & I would highly recommend it.

It was an awesome experience, I cant tell you how it felt to cross that 13 mile marker & then the finish line. If you are even thinking a little about it, do it!!!! If I can do it anyone can. You do have to put in the training, but it is so worth it. The people were great.

Good luck to all of you!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

What I did right--though the timing was off--my surgery was a right and wrong thing. Doing it actually improved my situation. But it came with some consequences and modifications. It really threw off my training season. If I had to change it--I would have seen someone sooner....listen to the pain!!!! If it is persistant--speak up and find out what is causing it. Mine was a mensicus tear. No big deal--but what a difference to not have it at all. I didn't know the sensations several months earlier were the result of that--I could have had it taken care of immediately instead of watching my times and skills start to suffer.

If your knee swells get it checked out! (that was the sign that finally made me call the doctor!).

Training--spend the time to train to train--get in shape, tone up, lose weight before training season. When you are training--you cannot diet...you cannot due a serious weight training regimen (mild toning--but not getting chiseled and certainly not getting "built"). The off season is the time to prepare your body for this. Get moving--incorporate a lot of cross training, diet to lose weight if that is your goal. When the season starts--expect to gain, maintain OR lose weight--but not any one of those in particular. Don't expect to gain weight, don't expect to lose weight, don't expect to maintain weight. Expect that any of those things are possible and you will not be bothered if what you wanted to happen doesn't happen.

As John Bingham says--you train so hard for the event--enjoy it when it comes--don't concentrate on getting it over with as soon as possible (i.e--trying to get a "fast" time). "You have 7 hours to finish--what's the rush?" In other words--train to make it within the time limit and enjoy yourself from there. "It's Disney world for pete's sake!"

I broke my own rule--but I'll repeat it--cold baths--ice if tolerated post run. I didn't--I took a hot shower. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!! Do this after all LONG DAYS. Your body will thank you. With hot showers--your body will HATE you. Mine did! Ouch!


Most importantly--go get John Bingham's book "Marathoning for Mortals". Read it, study it, live it during training. He knows his stuff and he is right. His program will get you to the finish line.

During training--throw in some 5K races just for the race day experience--don't try to win it--use it to plan strategies on how to deal with butterflies--how to get yourself from the start line "slowly" and not "sprinting". Use it to practice "race pace". Practice race courtesy and walk to the right, run to the left.

RACE DAY:
BOOK HOTELS EARLY!

Stay at POFQ and walk to the start! Longer sleep time--get in some indoor plumbing bathroom visits with one last stop at the port o toilet prior to getting into the corral.

Only 1 nights

I will only stay at ONE hotel next time. If I need the nights I will book them all in the same place. I was at Music on Thursday and at CBR for the weekend with my TNT team. I needed the extra night--really should have just added it at CBR.

I will have family go to the start before it starts--park their vehicle. Leave it on with heat if necessary--use a cell phone as an alarm clock and fall asleep until 5:30am -6am. If you have a family member with a camper--bring that puppy to the EPCOT parking lot. . Carry a cell phone and have your spectators carry one as well. Use the Live results feature if offered. Tell them "don't call me, I'll call you!". Towards the end I got so many calls from my sister from the transportation fiasco that the last call of "where are you" put me over the edge---I had to tell her to stop calling. Don't be afraid--it is very distracting AND it slows you down to keep answering the dumb phone. You will call them.


Stay in a hotel with ELEVATORS or on the first floor. Our team was assigned to CBR--they don't have elevators. I had no idea! I would have requested first floor had I known this. Painful yesterday and this morning--I perfected the teeter climb to get up and down them so that it wouldn't require bending my knees.

Go for it--I'd say the worst that can happen is you get swept. But we had a teammate (TNT) that got swept on Saturday. And for her troubles she was offered the choice of "A" powerade or "A" water and a 2 hour tour of the WDW property while security figured out how that bus could get them back to EPCOT.

If you do get swept--use your cell phone and call your family. We saw a couple of families at the end of the full--the last person came in and their person did not. They had no idea where they were. .

If you see a runner sitting on the course--this is NOT a good thing--report it to an offical (this happened at the finish--and while most are distracted trying to get to the finish--we tried to get other participants attention to get him assistance and they thought we were cheering them on I'm sure they didn't know he was there--a spectator jumped the fence and grabbed a cop to get him aid).

Hope that helps!

 

[chimera]

The Right Stuff:

1. Definitely continue training with Marathoning for Mortals! I checked out a LOT of other training programs (galloway, higdon, coolrunning, etc) but this one made the most sense to me.
2. That being said, I didn't follow it religiously. I doubled the training weeks up to the taper and did each week twice. The first week I worked on just completing the distance...the second week I tried to improve the pace. I also did my last long run as 12 miles instead of 10. I thought I'd need the mental edge that 12 would give me. I knew if I could do 12, I could do 13.1. I think nearly everyone else only did up to 10 and did just fine.
3. Bought good shoes! Shoes are the most important piece of equipment for a distance athlete walker/runner.

The things I'll do differently next year:
1. Eat better. I think I started using my long runs as an excuse to eat with reckless abandon. It's still weird to think of food as fuel and not fun.
2. Cross train. I did it in fits and starts. I've had a weak ankle since middle school that started bothering me when the long runs got past 8 miles. I've had a rough time with it since the half...some of it's arthritis that's less fixable, but the stiffness the past two days I think could've been prevented with some weight training and strengthening.
3. Relax and enjoy the race. I was so nervous I only got about 3 hours sleep the night before. Thank goodness the weather was better than predicted...I went out worrying about 35 degrees and felt positively toasty when I found out it was 44. I didn't get across the start line for nearly 13 min after the start, so when I got to mile 1 and the time was 26+, I got a little discouraged and worried about getting swept. I spent the first 4 miles trying to make up the time, but ended up just subtracting 10 min from each mile time. I didn't really start to settle in until we got near the Contemporary. I'd like to have a better time next year, but I also want to take more pictures and have more fun. I was amazed by the people fininshing the full that still had smiles on their faces and were working the crowd where we were standing watching mile 25.

So that's my plan for next year...train smart and have fun!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Mel--FYI most really ever gets a good nights sleep before--we were told to get a good nights sleep 2 nights before to make up for what little we be gotten the night before. It worked like a charm.

 

[kaf7878]

Thanks to a combination of these boards, having doen the half last year and following the Hal Higdon beginners marathon plan, here are my comments:

DID RIGHT

1--Brought my own fuel for the first 13 miles since only water and powerade are offered until the half mark. This made a big difference in energy.

2--Followed the training plan to the letter. Did not miss any training runs. This gives you a lot of confidence for the real deal.

3--Did not have a hardcore time goal. I wanted to enjoy the race and have fun--not get crazy every time I saw the pace clock. Finished in 5.5 hrs and felt good.

4--Brought an IPOD. I didn't do this last year and it was fine without for the half but I was very happy to have it for the full. There are some long stretched without much going on. Music helped!

5--Tried out all my race clothes and shoes on my long runs. This is huge. You must test all items before the race. I did and had no blisters or chafing at the end of the race--yeah!!

DID WRONG

1--Stayed on the 3rd floor at OKW--no elevators--OUCH!

2--Went to the kids races on Saturday. DO NOT DO THIS!!! This has to be the most unorganized event ever! We spent over an hour in the corrals with the kids--no bathrooms, no announcements, a mess! I'll never do this again.

3--Didn't bring a camera. I thought about bringing one but just never got around to it. Definately will next time!

Kelly

 

[DisneyGirl]

This is great!! Please keep the advice coming!! It's a *huge* help!!

 

[Chropistopy]

What I did right:
- Cross-training. During the last few months, I added spin class and some more strength-training into my workouts. The spin classes definitely help with my cardio endurance.

- Camera. I'm so glad that I brought my camera. It has been so much fun sharing the pictures with my friends and family. I'm getting ridiculous about how many times I've already looked at the pictures...reliving the race.

What I did wrong:
- Definitely take advantage of the port-o-potties. I ended up getting out of the corrals and running to the port-o-potties just minutes before the start. I won't make the mistake of not going plenty of times before getting into the corrals again.

 

[wiskband]

HI ALL.................

this was my second time and last year I brought too much stuff with me but this year I didnt so thats what i did right!

Last year I trained a bit (even then not as much as I should have) for the marathon which is probably why I found it easy the first time around. This year I did not train at all that is what I did wrong!

Today is tuesday I am still in pain! I have always been a slacker/procrastinater and this is just NOT good when doing something as strenous as this............. I am thinking that perhaps next year I am going for the mickey metal but with lots of deicating training! I have posted a few times about not being so nervous about the 1/2 if its your first time, cause I did it with little training I have never been so wrong you can indeed finish it but I dont recommend it!


As far as what to bring, I should have brought a camera. otherwise I reached for nothing at all except the water and things that were provided! BTW, I noticed such a great increase in engery with a banana that was giving to me!


see ya next year.
renee

 

[gshoemate]

I only ran the 5k (my first one) but have a few minor things to add.

Don't try anything differant on the day of your race.....not even your socks. I wore differant socks then what I trained with because of the cold and they kept bunching up in my shoes...drove me nuts.

Pin your number to your last layer...that way as your shedding your clothes you don't have to deal with repinning as your running.

If you plan on hooking up with your family and friends after the race, take a cell phone. I did the 5k, not even close to the amount of people that the half and full had and it was a total mob. I walked around for a half an hour and can't believe that I just happened to run into my family. I was about to ask a stranger if I could use their phone.

And have fun!!!

 

[keenercam]

I know a lot of this is repetitious, but I'll share mine:
DID RIGHT:
1. Walked/jogged the 1/2 with a friend whose training pace was similar to mine. We had an absolute blast and really encouraged each other through the experience.
2. Got into town on Thursday and made a quick trip to the Magic Kingdom on Friday for pix, etc. so that I wouldn't be a blubbering mess seeing the castle during the 1/2.
3. Took my own powerade/water bottle with me and powerbars and honey shots. I took a sip of red powerade on the course and immediately regretted it. Drank some of the blue powerade at the end and my stomach was sick by the time we got back to the resort. I am glad I had a 24 oz bottle of my 1/1 mixture of orange powerade and water. It is what I used throughout my training and it was perfect for the race, though I probably could have used another water bottle.
4. Took a camera and a cell phone and kleenex in my fanny pack.
5. Paused for pix. My friend and I both had digitals so we took turns taking pictures so that we didn't pause for 2x as long.
6. Stayed at Beach Club (Villas). Perfect location, distance-wise.
7. Spent 2.75 hours just past mile 24 on the marathon course on Sunday to cheer on people. DH read off names on bibs and we cheered for everyone there. It was an amazing experience to see all those people and how far they'd come and to try to boost their energy levels a bit. It was so rewarding to see that some people began to jog or at least looked a bit more energized by crowd support.
8. Followed Marathoning for Mortals. It was inspiring and encouraging and vital to my success. I can't wait to re-read my (now autographed) copy as I begin training for the next event.
9. Wore a throw-away layer of old sweats. Discarded the sweatpants before the start and kept the sweatshirt on for a while.

DID WRONG:
1. walked too much on Thursday and Friday. My feet were tired each night.
2. ate too much in the weeks before the event.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I will add on to Cam's statement about Cheering--that was one definite thing I did right. I actually wished I did it after the half as well. But Sunday--all day, we cheered and stayed until the LAST person came in. They busted their buns just as anyone else to make it to the finish line--they deserve to have all the hollerin', cheerin', bell ringing, praising just as much as the winner of the event.

Barring any medical difficulties--I will definitely repeat that act of sportsmanship. Those athletes need it!

 

[goofyguy1958]

Did right:
Joined Team in Training and met some incredible people - including a new running friend who I hope to continue running with for years to come.
Trained harder than I did before and eased up when the pain started in the knee.
Tried to eat right.

Did wrong:
Ate something new the night before the race and really suffered in the port-o-pots during the race and lost over 40 mins. in time. Do not ask for pasta with olive oil and garlic and not check that they don't put canola oil in the pasta - this will get you running in ways you do not want to.

 

[WDWFAN9]

The RIGHTS:

1. Lurked on this board since last January for advice and encouragement.

2. The slow but sure method worked for me, I started out at 2mph on the TM and SLOWLY increased my speed and distance. I was training to train until I started the 14 week MFM walking program, which was absolutely fabulous.

3. Per tips learned on this board I had both throwaway clothes and a blanket to sit on as I waited from 3:15AM to the race start. Next time I will bring my own TP!

4. It was hard, but when I crossed the start line I did not let myself get too carried away....I think it was Lisa that warned about how starting out too fast was the most common rookie mistake.

5. I enjoyed myself along the way, I talked to several great people as the miles flew by.

6. Followed Lisa's advice about the cold soak in a tub after the race. It really made a difference. I haven't been sore at all, and after a short nap Saturday spent the rest of the day, all day Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in the parks having a great time.

The WRONGS:

Gosh, I can't really think of any. It was a truly magical experience. Words can't describe it adequately.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I only ran the 5k (my first one) but have a few minor things to add.

ONLY????


My mother would need a scooter to travel 5 feet at Disney let alone 5K!

There is no "only"

 

[goofyguy1958]

ONLY????


There is no "only"

I completely agree Lisa. There is no only when you have the courage to toe the line.

 

[plutosmyfav]

Did right:

1) Decided to hit the port-a-jon at 5:15 (really needed it, thought I had plenty of time, just barefly got back in the corral for the start! it took 40 minutes to get through the line)

2) Trained well


Did wrong (you'll have to wait for the detail some of these)

1) bathed my cell phone in GU (it is no more), then got off the course for 3-4 minutes trying to salvage it with wet wipes

2) left no room in my fanny pack for my prescrip sunglass which had to come off between the darkness, fog and them fogging up.

3) I had to throw away disposable camera to make room for sunglasses in fanny pack

4) wore too much fluid on my body. There was plenty of fluids on the course but not enough food. Too bad I used my GU to bath my phone It would have come in handy.

5) Spent ALL day Friday and alot of Saturday on my feet in parks.

6) Got 3 hours sleep the night before the night before and only ~7 hours in two shifts the night before.

7) Started out way too fast (ya, I know that comes as a huge shock to you all )

8) Shed my layers too soon. I was FREEZING!

9) Gained too much weight during taper (my fuel belt fell off 2 minutes before the race because only ~1/2 inch of velcro was overlapping!!!! )

Next year (if there is a next year) I will arrive on Friday, lounge ALL day and do the Goofy or if I just do the full, lounge all day Saturday as well. NO park hopping prior to racing. The parks were way to crowded before the races anyway. Afterwards (starting Monday) the crowds thinned out significantly and it was much more enjoyable to be there.

 

[littlegreydonkey]

Did right
Trained: Okay so I didn't break any speed records but I actually found the full easier than I thought to do. I was expecting severe pain, the wall, and many other nasties and none of them came and I'm sure that was because I followed the training plan to the tee until....

Taper: We arrived in Fla two weeks before the race and did a LOT of walking, so I scraped the taper plan. I didnt run except for my 8 mile and one 4 mile 2 days before. I figured time on my feet was the same as running and it stopped me feeling burnt out - although I do feel sad that I missed the Chicken Little because I was worried about overdoing it.

Enjoy it: I took loads of photos, when I got bored with running I walked along like I was on a sunday stroll, I was even singing at one point (apologies to anyone close to the singing girl at mile 12.5 for the tuneless rendition of who let the dogs out - completely with woofs!!!)

Did Wrong:

I didn't get to the PI party as I spent too long at Epcot afterwards and I wish I'd gone now.

Medal worry: I didn't wear mine for long enough the next day thinking people would look at me funny - only after I saw my 50th brave person did mine come out of my bag and I regret it now.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Enjoy it: I took loads of photos, when I got bored with running I walked along like I was on a sunday stroll, I was even singing at one point (apologies to anyone close to the singing girl at mile 12.5 for the tuneless rendition of who let the dogs out - completely with woofs!!!)

I can't believe it--I knew I should have advanced up a few feet. That would have been a riot!!!