Who's Goofy??

[RodBelding]

going goofy for the first time this year after doing the full the last 2 years. Looking forward to it! Haven't done many back to back long runs ( a few 4 mile walks the day before my long run), so I'm a bit nervous as to how it will plan out, but I've been pretty good about the rest of my marathon training plan, so I think I'll make it (even if I have to crawl the end of the full!)...

Getting really excited for it!

 

[paxsarah]

I also LOVED the cold weather in 2010. I had not trained properly and knew that if the weather had been on the warm side, I would probably not be able to complete the marathon portion of the Goofy (based on my WDW marathon run in 2008). Of all the races I have completed (40+ halves, 2 fulls), I have never felt as good after a race as I did that full in 2010. The next day, I was not sore at all. I have to attribute a lot of that to the cooler weather.

Count me as one who's hoping for temps on the cool side (though if so, I could do without icy precipitation!). I've done plenty of runs this training cycle in the 30s and 40s (though no 20s yet) - a bonus of running at 5:30am most days. I have to say that I love Georgia's weather for running - fairly mild if you run later in the day, nice and brisk in the morning!

 

[cewait]

I also LOVED the cold weather in 2010. I had not trained properly and knew that if the weather had been on the warm side, I would probably not be able to complete the marathon portion of the Goofy (based on my WDW marathon run in 2008). Of all the races I have completed (40+ halves, 2 fulls), I have never felt as good after a race as I did that full in 2010. The next day, I was not sore at all. I have to attribute a lot of that to the cooler weather.

Good luck to all those attempting Goofy this year! Many of us will be rooting for you along the sidelines!

I too am looking for cooler than seasonal... though maybe not a full freeze like 2010.

going goofy for the first time this year after doing the full the last 2 years. Looking forward to it! Haven't done many back to back long runs ( a few 4 mile walks the day before my long run), so I'm a bit nervous as to how it will plan out, but I've been pretty good about the rest of my marathon training plan, so I think I'll make it (even if I have to crawl the end of the full!)...

Getting really excited for it!

Don't worry about the lack of back to backs. You have a few under your belt. All they really do is let you know what it feels like to be on tired wheels. You are almost there. in 5 short weeks you will be hobbling around a park with your Goofy medal

 

[RodBelding]

Don't worry about the lack of back to backs. You have a few under your belt. All they really do is let you know what it feels like to be on tired wheels. You are almost there. in 5 short weeks you will be hobbling around a park with your Goofy medal

That makes me feel better about it! Can't wait!

 

[stitchfan18]

Don't worry about the lack of back to backs. You have a few under your belt. All they really do is let you know what it feels like to be on tired wheels. You are almost there. in 5 short weeks you will be hobbling around a park with your Goofy medal

That makes me feel better too. I meant to get in some back to back long runs, but it just hasn't happened. I did what I called my pre-goofy and ran marathons on back to back weekends, but I took the second marathon about 20 minutes slower and didn't have much of a problem finishing.

If I could get in one back to back run right around Christmas, what distance should I try? I was thinking a 6/12 run or a 7/14, should I go higher, lower, or does that sound right?

 

[kmorganj]

I may be one of the few Goofy veterans out there who "swore they would never do it again" and am (thus far) sticking to that promise. Don't get me wrong, Goofy is AMAZING. It is a major accomplishment, and you can bask in the glow of that for months. Not just the race, but knowing all of the work that went into training for it. Not training for Goofy this year, and only training for the relay, feels like a vacation.

I planned for the running part of the Goofy - trained back-to-backs, brought two complete outfits, two pairs of shoes, carried sunglasses, an ipod, and some Cliff Blocks. What I DIDN'T prepare for was the mental exhaustion. Finishing the half on Saturday was fine, but I hadn't bargained for the overwhelming dread that cropped up at Mile 12 when I was feeling tired and knew I still had a full looming before me the next day. That kind of took away from the magic of the half. Physically, it was no different than my training runs, but getting up early and adrenalin of race day certainly takes its toll. I spent the rest of the day eating, resting, walking and recovering physically, but the emotional facet of the entire thing was draining.

Having run 6 marathons before, and Disney four times, I knew exactly what to expect on Sunday. But my mind was a mess. I felt myself panicking from the start with slightly stiff legs and a grumbly stomach. But, I got off to a decent start and ended up forgiving myself quickly for a slightly slow pace (about 40 seconds slower than my trained race pace).

Coach Charles is right, you hit the same marathon wall, just sooner. By the time I hit the sponge station outside of Animal Kingdom I was mentally (and physically) pooped. Walked an entire mile before I could summon the strength and courage for a final push.

Needless to say, the finish was worth it. My sister and I have always hated that last mile around the World Showcase lagoon at Epcot, and this time I was weeping for joy the entire loop becuase I knew I was almost done.

It IS magical. It IS amazing. But you must remember to train mentally, and be prepared to forgive yourself and to adjust as needed. I remember thinking somewhere in the middle, "if I can do this, I can do anything." Looking forward to the relay this year, and probably sporting last year's Goofy shirt for one last bask in the glory.

 

[cewait]

That makes me feel better too. I meant to get in some back to back long runs, but it just hasn't happened. I did what I called my pre-goofy and ran marathons on back to back weekends, but I took the second marathon about 20 minutes slower and didn't have much of a problem finishing.

If I could get in one back to back run right around Christmas, what distance should I try? I was thinking a 6/12 run or a 7/14, should I go higher, lower, or does that sound right?

Honestly, I would look to the tri world's brick workout mentality. A brick workout is a short run following a long or hard bike ride. The purpose to is drill through the feel of loopy legs. I think to lessen the possibility of injury, I would run a 14/4 to a 14/7.

 

[RodBelding]

Has anyone seen the goofy medal for this year? I'm assuming the same as the past few years as I didn't see an announcement like they did with the Donald this year and the Mickey last...

 

[cewait]

I may be one of the few Goofy veterans out there who "swore they would never do it again" and am (thus far) sticking to that promise. Don't get me wrong, Goofy is AMAZING. It is a major accomplishment, and you can bask in the glow of that for months. Not just the race, but knowing all of the work that went into training for it. Not training for Goofy this year, and only training for the relay, feels like a vacation.

I planned for the running part of the Goofy - trained back-to-backs, brought two complete outfits, two pairs of shoes, carried sunglasses, an ipod, and some Cliff Blocks. What I DIDN'T prepare for was the mental exhaustion. Finishing the half on Saturday was fine, but I hadn't bargained for the overwhelming dread that cropped up at Mile 12 when I was feeling tired and knew I still had a full looming before me the next day. That kind of took away from the magic of the half. Physically, it was no different than my training runs, but getting up early and adrenalin of race day certainly takes its toll. I spent the rest of the day eating, resting, walking and recovering physically, but the emotional facet of the entire thing was draining.

Having run 6 marathons before, and Disney four times, I knew exactly what to expect on Sunday. But my mind was a mess. I felt myself panicking from the start with slightly stiff legs and a grumbly stomach. But, I got off to a decent start and ended up forgiving myself quickly for a slightly slow pace (about 40 seconds slower than my trained race pace).

Coach Charles is right, you hit the same marathon wall, just sooner. By the time I hit the sponge station outside of Animal Kingdom I was mentally (and physically) pooped. Walked an entire mile before I could summon the strength and courage for a final push.

Needless to say, the finish was worth it. My sister and I have always hated that last mile around the World Showcase lagoon at Epcot, and this time I was weeping for joy the entire loop becuase I knew I was almost done.

It IS magical. It IS amazing. But you must remember to train mentally, and be prepared to forgive yourself and to adjust as needed. I remember thinking somewhere in the middle, "if I can do this, I can do anything." Looking forward to the relay this year, and probably sporting last year's Goofy shirt for one last bask in the glory.

Wow, that is so honest that I cannot begin to say thanks. You summed up a lot of what I try to say so well. I too would be a once and done Goofy if the 2007 heat wave would have occurred in 2006. I went into 2006 and actually came out thinking of ways that I could improve. Then 07 hit and my first words to my wife were, "I am so happy that this was the second Goofy" I will never do this again. Obviously I have a short memory as I entered the next day to preserve the streak.

I cannot emphasize enough that most Goofy runners will hit a spot near the point where their training stopped. At that point in time it is pure YOU and what will YOU do to get past this block. Not all will make it. I have seen folks sitting along Osceola in tears because they just lost it. These are not back of the packers who were grew tired of the sweeper nipping at their heels, rather gazelles who were not ready for the mental aspect of having every fiber in your body say stop.

You can and will get though this! You may only do it once, but you can do it. I swear that the loop around World Showcase never felt so good. You will never run faster (at least in your mind) than that last mile of Goofy.

 

[cewait]

Has anyone seen the goofy medal for this year? I'm assuming the same as the past few years as I didn't see an announcement like they did with the Donald this year and the Mickey last...

In the race book it looks the same

 

[cewait]

One more thing...

One of my favorite quotes from the last 5 years comes from the character Rocky.....

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! "

In many ways, this is the Goofy race. It is all about gnerating relentless forward momentum.

 

[RodBelding]

Wow, that is so honest that I cannot begin to say thanks. You summed up a lot of what I try to say so well. I too would be a once and done Goofy if the 2007 heat wave would have occurred in 2006. I went into 2006 and actually came out thinking of ways that I could improve. Then 07 hit and my first words to my wife were, "I am so happy that this was the second Goofy" I will never do this again. Obviously I have a short memory as I entered the next day to preserve the streak.

I cannot emphasize enough that most Goofy runners will hit a spot near the point where their training stopped. At that point in time it is pure YOU and what will YOU do to get past this block. Not all will make it. I have seen folks sitting along Osceola in tears because they just lost it. These are not back of the packers who were grew tired of the sweeper nipping at their heels, rather gazelles who were not ready for the mental aspect of having every fiber in your body say stop.

You can and will get though this! You may only do it once, but you can do it. I swear that the loop around World Showcase never felt so good. You will never run faster (at least in your mind) than that last mile of Goofy.

While a bit sobering, this advice is really good to hear. It helps to know what we're up against, so we can begin to get ready, mentally.

For me, my post race beer and pretzel in Germany will serve as my motivation during the full!

 

[ironz]

Good points. I remember when I trained for the 2010 Goofy. I really had a tough time getting over the "mental" part of it, not to mention the physical. (and I don't even run as much as most of you) The enormity of what I was going to undertake sort of overwhelmed me. That is part of why, when I was developing a stress fracture, I made sure that I did everything I could to finish up my training (hours and hours and hours of water running, wearing my boot, etc), because I did not think I could undergo the mental aspect of gearing up for it again if I couldn't run.

It was supposed to be "one and done" until my race buddy got the idea that we would come back. This second time, it's not such an enormous deal mentally here in the pre-race stages, as it was 2 years ago. I was successful the first time and have no reason to think I won't be successful again (and hopefully a tiny bit faster).

Now...during the events. Oh, yes, that is hard stuff. Physical and mental. But the mental game is really what is going to keep you going. Thankfully, I have some Ironman experience under my belt, including 2 marathons that went pretty badly, one that was medium bad, and a few that were ok. I know what running on tired legs feels like (ow!). But that doesn't mean it doesn't get hard.

I strongly urge each of you to come up with your mantra, your reminder of how bad you want to do this, your reason for running. If you can't explain to people just what it is you are running for, you will forget to tell yourself on race day, and it makes it easier to beat yourself up. Even if it's for the medals...that's valid and you visualize those medals when you need to, to keep yourself moving!

Practice POSITIVE SELF TALK. It's huge. Sure, there will be people cheering out there (tell your supporters to cheer for EVERYONE, by the way), and there will be some fun and characters and good times. But there are going to be times when you would love for someone to tell you, "good job!" or "Atta boy/girl!" That person can be you! Give yourself some love. When you make it up the little hills (which feel enormous later in the races), tell yourself, "great job!" or clap for yourself (yes, I do this when I finish a good run, even in practice). And if you think this is crazy, then just please excuse me when you hear me talking to myself, "good girl" and "get up the hill" during the races.

Another trick that works for me and I would have thought it was how everyone does it, but I have learned from friends/training/running partners that not everyone thinks this way: Break up the run into pieces. It can be so daunting to think, OMGIHAVETORUN26.2MILES!@! You can break it into miles, but that might get sort of stale. You can be even more basic if you are a run/walker and just think 4 or 5 minutes at a time (I do this in Ironman---I never run a "marathon," I just run 4 minutes a whole bunch of times). Another breakdown would be to go by park or various landmarks: Start to MK, MK to 1/2 way, 1/2way to AK, AK to WWOS, WWOS to HS, HS to Epcot, Victory Lap around the WS. That's 7 little runs. Piece of cake!
And if it gets really hard, you can think in smaller increments....make it to the next set of cones, etc. Give yourself little goals that are easy on their own, but they add up to some awesome finishes!

OK...I am rambling. Carry on!

 

[stitchfan18]

Another trick that works for me and I would have thought it was how everyone does it, but I have learned from friends/training/running partners that not everyone thinks this way: Break up the run into pieces. It can be so daunting to think, OMGIHAVETORUN26.2MILES!@! You can break it into miles, but that might get sort of stale. You can be even more basic if you are a run/walker and just think 4 or 5 minutes at a time (I do this in Ironman---I never run a "marathon," I just run 4 minutes a whole bunch of times). Another breakdown would be to go by park or various landmarks: Start to MK, MK to 1/2 way, 1/2way to AK, AK to WWOS, WWOS to HS, HS to Epcot, Victory Lap around the WS. That's 7 little runs. Piece of cake!
And if it gets really hard, you can think in smaller increments....make it to the next set of cones, etc. Give yourself little goals that are easy on their own, but they add up to some awesome finishes!

I do the same thing, but usually break the race up in my head into smaller race segments (ie: 5k, or 10k's.) I feel like I can easily run those distances so when I hit a tough patch I think about what I have remaining as a couple 10k's instead of 12 more miles.

 

[cewait]

I do the same thing, but usually break the race up in my head into smaller race segments (ie: 5k, or 10k's.) I feel like I can easily run those distances so when I hit a tough patch I think about what I have remaining as a couple 10k's instead of 12 more miles.

I have been as granular as the next crack in the road

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I have been as granular as the next crack in the road

Yup, some moments are like that.

 

[Vickibean]

Has anyone seen the goofy medal for this year? I'm assuming the same as the past few years as I didn't see an announcement like they did with the Donald this year and the Mickey last...

I saw it at the Las Vegas R&R expo last weekend. It's the same....beautiful


On the home front, I finished Vegas! I walked the first 12 miles and my feet were KILLING me. I ran it in, and my ankle wasn't too bad. I got KT taped at the expo, and I think it really helped.

I went out for my first good run yesterday in a month. I made 3 miles. I could feel my ankle, but I would say it wasn't painful, just sore. My endurance is pretty bad, but I managed about a 5 min run/1 min walk ratio. I'm starting to think I might actually make Goofy. I need to get back to training, but not overdo it and re-injure my ankle. I"m most worried about being undertrained for Goofy. My longest runs will be back to back 8.5/20 mile runs 9 weeks prior (when I got hurt). I'm thinking I'll try 6 miles this weekend, maybe 5 min run/5 min walk, and see how it goes!

 

[RodBelding]

I saw it at the Las Vegas R&R expo last weekend. It's the same....beautiful

Awesome. Thanks!


Ran 9 this morning, and planning on 18 tomorrow. This will be my longest (by FAR) back to back runs, but I'm thinking that once I finish the 18 tomorrow I feel pretty secure about doing the Goofy.

It's getting close!

 

[RodBelding]

Update: Due to some poor route planning, today's run ended up being 19 miles rather than the 18 on my training plan. Worked out great though, felt good the whole way through, and encouraged about the Goofy in 4 weeks!

 

[donmil723]

Update: Due to some poor route planning, today's run ended up being 19 miles rather than the 18 on my training plan. Worked out great though, felt good the whole way through, and encouraged about the Goofy in 4 weeks!

That's great! Sounds like you're ready to go!