Week of Oct 9 - 2006 Half-Full Marathon Info/Training Thread

One other thing at the expo this past weekend. They had a picture of the goofy medal. It looks like Goofy's hat and has a small raised area inside that I think looks like Goofy running. The ribbon says something about inaugeral on it but I couldn't see everything.
 
TEK224 said:
A quick question though about our "journey": During the races, when going through the parks I've heard that you can stop and take a photo with the characters. Is this true? That would definitely help me enjoy the race and probably give me a boost when I need it.
Terri - There are characters throughout the race. Not only in the parks. And you can take pictures with them. It is AWESOME! :love:
Christa
 
MelRhoads said:
I think I am so much happier in the race if I just enjoy it by taking in the course, talking to fellow racers and taking time to smile. That is pretty much the only healthy way for me to race, becuase even if I completely push it out, my time is not going to be that much different and I don't set any speed records anyway!!!!

Mel-- that is soooo true! I am learning that myself. For Applefest I knew if I pushed really hard and was miserable I'd hardly gain anything in time. Its just not worth it. I'm slow at learning things like this!

Colleen-- I agree about finding balance with training and enjoying the process. Since "official" training has started for me I find I resent my forced schedule sometimes. So much of this process is mental! I'm sorry your sister didn't qualify. That must be quite a disappointment.


Christa & Bree-- Your raining LR is what got me out of bed in the rain for mine!!! We need an Evil Queen of Running :p

Renee-- glad to see you posting :cheer2:

All this talk of naked women at the Y has me very concerned. Usually Dx takes DS to swimming lessons at the Y but last week I took him. When I take him I have to take him in the women's locker room to change because there is NO WAY I'd send my 5yo in the mens room alone. What if we see naked women walking around?????? :earseek: That will be terrible. I think there should be a sign that reads "For the comfort of others WEAR A TOWELL!!!!"

DD and I did a 4 mile wog yesterday. She's still only getting out once a week and we only have 3 weeks until our 5K. So I am actually going to pay her to run mid week for the next 3 weeks! I'm hoping if I get her hooked!!!! I think she will be able to finish the 5K at about 11:30 pace.

Rain all week. Shoe puddles or TM :confused3 its a tough choice!!!!

Happy Training Everyone :sunny: :sunny: :sunny:
 
Sunny - I think the IC would be very upset if she heard you say you need an evil queen around there!!!! :teeth: Isn't she evil enough??? :earboy2:
 


Hi everyone.I'm new to this board and wanted to introduce myself.My real name is Christine,I'm a 39 yo mother of 4 and am running my first full marathon with some of you.Lisa gave me some helpful advice on last weeks thread,thank you. This last week I've been plagued by lack of motivation and was wondering if the book mentioned in last weeks thread(the one that deals with the mental aspects of running would help)? Lately I've needed all the inspiration I can get.I know this will pass and am so grateful to have foun this board. :sunny:
 
Hi Christine! I don't know if it's quite what you're looking for, but there's a website with pic's of Bree and CHrista running in teh 2004 WDW marathon at http://www.ronhorton.com/wdwm2004_p1.htm . That was very inspirational to me!

Hang in there! It seems like a marathon should be a piece of cake to a woman with 4 children! ;)

regarding shirts - There is some question as to how to handle 2006 WDW Marathon/Half Marathon.

1. We cannot have "Disney" on there. Not sure about WDW. Any thoughts?
2. The set-up fees are ~$70 per screen. Having 2 different screens (one for half, one for full) per back may be alittle more pricey. I'll try to run numbers based on teh responses so far and let you know this week. However, if you have a great idea on how to handle that, I'd appreciate it!
 
Carrie,thanks for the link to Christa and Bree's site,it IS incredibly motivational.Makes me wish I was runnng with someone :rolleyes: Now I can't find the name of that book(the one that deals with the mental aspects of running).If anyone knows,could you post? Thanks again!
Christine
 


Morning all!

Colleen- Thank you for the reminder about enjoying the journey. Sometimes it's a tough balance-- you don't want to lose sight of the ultimate goal, but at the same time you need to take time to appreciate how far we've all come. I do it all the time during my weekday runs. Whenever anyone asks how my run went, I say "Eh, it was OK." What I fail to realize is that I am going a lot faster and a lot farther than I have ever gone before-- and there is certainly no shame in being proud of that.

Christine- Welcome!! So nice to have someone else on board. I think most of the people have struggled at one time or another with motivation. Stick with this group--- you won't stay unmotivated for long. Those pictures that Carrie linked are GREAT too.

Yesterday afternoon I did my 40 minutes (3 run/1 walk) and did 4.4(something) miles for a average pace of 8:50-something/ mile pace. I took this run a lot easier than I did Sunday's and that helped a lot. It feels like I am finally falling into a groove with this new 3/1 interval. I need to start getting myself psyched up for my 10 miler Friday (or as I call it "From the Start to the Contemporary").

All of a sudden this race feels really close. We are under 90 days at this point, right?? I find myself thinking about the race constantly and even the littlest things are exciting (i.e. our packets should come in the mail at the end of this month--- COOL! Shoe shopping-- AWESOME! PowerGel-- YUMMY!) I thinking I've completely lost my mind :rolleyes:

Happy training all!
Solotraveler :earsboy:
 
Morning All. Martha and I were two of the Race for the Taste participants, and I can share the following experiences and difficultly-learned lessons.

1. Early October in Orlando is no time for any type of run. We were up at 5:30, turned on the weather channel to see the temperature was 75 degrees, the dewpoint was 75 degrees, so the humidity was 100%. Air so heavy and so still that when you took a breath you could feel it coming into your lungs.

2. When you announce a 7 a.m. start you need to start at 7 a.m. People who aren't there yet, well whose fault is that? Traffic or not, start the race. We're standing in the starting area with a couple of thousand of our closest friends, ready to go, already sweating, and the countdown to the start increases by 10 minutes. Given the weather, an early start gets us in sooner and hopefully while it is cooler. Thankfully this isn't a problem for the full or the half, since they absolutely start at 6 (wheelchairs) to clear the parks. People are keyed up and ready to go. Start the race!

3. The course was lovely and enjoyable. Roughly the last 6.2 miles of the Marathon. On Sunday we entered MGM from the SE, on marathon day we'll enter it from the North by the Tower of Terror. Running through MGM was fun, and the stretch out of MGM, along the canal, around Crescent Lake, and into EPCOT was also lovely. Warning for new marathoners like me, when you enter EPCOT in the UK pavillion and look across the lake at China, it looks to be 900 miles away. Circle the lake, under the big golf ball, exit EPCOT to the right of the entry turnstiles, and then finish about 200 yards into the parking lot.

4. Watch out for weavers, and I'm not talking about tapestries. Runners who don't run straight lines in crowds are a danger to humanity. At my age I'm no longer shy about verbally warning weavers who are about to enter my sphere of comfort. In fact, in a moment still laughed about at home, in this year's half marathon a young man almost knocked both Martha and I down for no apparent reason. I say almost as when he was at my outside shoulder coming across to take us out I struck him in the center of his chest with my elbow. He realized the reason for the message, and said, "oops, sorry." Martha's comment was, "I saw that, and thanks." Watch out for the other guy in the crowds. It would be the pits to lose your medal because of some fool who knocked you down.

5. Speaking of medals, the Goofy medal is the coolest thing ever. It is his hat, with him running on it, but it is surreal-Salvador Dali-esque. Oddly angled and shaped, it is a beauty.

6. And speaking of medals, I am in no condition to finish the marathon today. I learned a shocking lesson on Sunday about fitness.

7. Martha, in contrast, is the running machine. 1st 5K in 35 and a few seconds, 2nd 5K in precisely the same time, finishing just over 70 minutes, right at 11:20 for every mile. Her goal for the half is sub-2:30, and this is spot on.

8. In contrast, I had a major league disaster on Sunday. Yes it's hot and humid, and both crush me. I feel good at the start and go off at a comfortable pace, which is a bit faster than plan, but feels fine. I hit 5K in MGM just under 28 minutes and begin to fantasize about coming in around 55 minutes. Between 5K and mile 4, however, the heat causes my body to implode. Instant change from comfortable to horrible. It takes me 34.5 minutes to do the last 5K, and it is very ugly. I hardly remember any of the detail of the lap around World Showcase. I learned the tough lesson that once your body and legs go, no matter how much you slow down, it doesn't get any better. The funny thing is I was disappointed in my performance, but not too depressed, as the heat was a crusher, and I learned a really good lesson for January 7 and 8.

9. The lesson is that time absolutley does not matter on those 2 days. My target for the half is to finish and feel absolutely fresh and relaxed when I cross the line. I cannot push the pace at all, well maybe in the last 3 miles :teeth: , because I cannot afford a disaster on the first day. My target for the whole is to finish period. That means taking it easy from the first step. I cannot allow myself to fatigue at all. The disaster in the 10K wasn't fun, but the pain lasted for only 2 miles. A similar disaster in the marathon means many miles of horrible conditions, and a DNF (did not finish).

Sorry about the length. The moral for me is I have a long way to go in the next 88 days.

Good luck to everybody.

Craig
 
I just posted this on the shirt thread, thought people might miss it, so here it is again:

Here's a stab at solving the Event Description issues and adding the feather:

(Actually, I think the feather will help throw off any suspicion that WDW refers to Disney, a mickey head would give it away!)

(This would be the back of the shirt, the WISH with runners would be the front, correct?)

WISHback_1.jpg
 
Thanks for posting Craig! I was wondering how you did. Woo hooo for Martha! Glad you learned such valuable lessons and shared. I am so with you on the heat and humidity. Those are killers!

I hope I have my normal kick at the end. I do believe that if I have anythign at all left, I will start to sprint as soon as I enter the boardwalk area! Then again, I should probably hold myslef back a bit. It'd stink to lose it all so close.

Thanks again!

solo - It's amazing how we fall into the new paces. It feels so good. Pixie dust for your aRace to the COntemporary Friday! We'll be doing our Saturday in Hillville! :(

Chrsitine - I wish I knew what book you meant, but Marathoning for Mortals teh only book I know. That's more than just teh mental aspect, though.
 
Good morning, everyone. :sunny: Ugh, my heart is still pounding after last night's game. The Steelers won, but we may have lost our quarterback for the time being. Sending Roethlisberger :wizard: :wizard: :wizard:

I did 35 minutes yesterday--3.03 miles. I set the lap function on my Garmin for miles, it is very helpful to see what each mile is, instead of an averaged pace, but it is also discouraging because I can see that I slow down with each mile. My first mile was 11:16, my second was 11:24--okay, I can live with that, and my third was 12:12. Grrr. It is nice to know where I need to make my improvements, but hard to break bad habits!!

Craig--Sorry the 10K and the 5K were disappointing to you. But at least you learned what it's like to race on back to back days. Much better to have a yucky 10K/5K than a yucky 13.1 miles/26.2 miles. Tell Martha that she rocks! I think she'll definitely hit her goal for the half! :cheer2:

Christine--Welcome! So glad that you found us! I truly believe that preparing yourself mentally for a half or full marathon is just as important as preparing yourself phyiscally. I'm not an expert and this is my first run of any distance, but this is what I do to help myself. 1. I imagine my foot and my leg running without the skin--so I imagine the heel bone hitting the ground, the foot striking and my calf muscles pushing themselves up to push the leg forward. This is especially helpful on hills. 2. I just keeping telling myself "just put one foot in front of the other, that's all I have to do" and then when I get halfway and I need turn around I tell myself, "all you're doing is running home, you have to get home, so you might as well run and get there faster". 3. I imagine myself on the half marathon course. I watch myself running along the road, through Cinderella Castle, past the Poly, and into Epcot. And then I imagine myself crossing the finish line with a big smile on my face and probably a tear or two on my cheeks. I honestly believe these mental images will help me on January 7th.

I really want to take the time to say hello to everyone, but I'm afraid this post is already too long. :) So just know that I'm thinking about you all and sending you lots of . :wizard: I don't say it enough, but I am SO thankful for this amazing support group that I have. You guys rock! :banana: :banana:

Krista princess:
 
Sunny--The shirt looks awesome!!!

Carrie--I forgot to tell you, :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: to the Lions! I know you're not a huge fan, but I appreciate them beating the one team in the NFL I truly hate: The Baltimore Ravens!! And for the record, I don't really hate the Patriots and Tom Brady, I just get very frustrated because they are a HUGE thorn in the Steelers side!! :teeth:

Krista princess:
 
Sunny - Our replies crossed in virtual space, I believe. Love the design! Your understanding is the same as mine.
 
Lisa loves Pooh said:
You must MAINTAIN a 16 minute per mile pace for the entire race. At anytime you fall off of that pace...you are subject to being swept and prevented from continuing and finishing the race.

Here's the sweep pickup times--if you do not reach a particular point by a particular time--you will be swept. It is clear by these times that this is the elapsed time from race start and NOT the elapsed time from when you cross the start line. So plan accordingly :):
Mile Mark: Location Description: Time Allowed:
3.5 WALT DISNEY WORLD® Speedway 1:11:00
6.3 Magic Kingdom® Park Security Gate 1:56:00
8.1 Magic Kingdom® Parking Lot (Daisy) 2:25:00
10.2 World Drive Ramp to EPCOT® Center
Drive 2:58:00

A question for those of you that can help clear this up for me, considering the sweep pickup times are from elapsed time from race start and NOT the elapsed time from when you cross the start line.......

What is the approx time span from the 1st person crossing the start line and last person crossing the start line?

How fast does the last runner have to run to avoid being swept?

Thanks in advance

Angela
 
Thanks Krista! It's hard to be a huge fan of the Lions. To top it off, all of their wins this year have ocurred when U of M loses. I like to see the Lion's win, but don't hold my breath. If I have to pick btwn the 2, though, I'd rather see U of M win.
 
Christa and Bree -- your pix are so amazing and inspiring! Thank you, Carrie, for providing the link!

Craig -- Thank you for sharing the experience you and Martha had this past weekend. I am only glad you weren't subjected to the flooding we had here,though I can't imagine functioning in that heat and humidity. I am glad you are okay. Congrats to Martha, too, for an awesome finish.

eeyoresmom -- welcome! The book "First Marathons" seems to be very inspiring for my husband -- it may be what you are looking for. I'd suggest going to amazon.com and putting in the search word "marathon" and taking a look at the text of a few of the books.

I agree with what everyone here says about the process being important and the mental preparation aspect being critical. I have learned more about myself in this process than in my entire life leading up to now. However, I also am so grateful for so many people on this thread (Craig, Sunny, Melissa, Lisa, Carrie, just to name very, very few) because I could not have even found it in myself to continue at times without the assurance that it IS a process and that progress would come with time and effort.

Even today, I am often intimidated (especially after Howard finished a 15K on Sunday in 83: something and I wondered if I could ever "go that distance" much less beat the sweepers). But every time I wonder, I come here for a fix and a boost and it feels do-able. As Craig has reminded me, I would not have been able to do it in March or June or September, but I WILL be able to do it on January 7. :teeth:

Speaking of which, I did my 30 minutes walking last night (MfMWtH week 2) and covered 2.1 miles. Here's my journal post from last night (I was a bit exhilarated ;) )

keenercam said:
Did my 30 minutes "walking" tonight at the Y on the treadmill. Covered 2.1 miles. That is a 14:17 pace -- well ahead of the sweepers! The question is whether I could sustain that pace. I did the following intervals:
warm up to 5:00
jog at 5.5 mph to 6:00
walk at 4 mph to 10:00
jog at 5 mph to 11:30
walk at 4 mph to 15:00
jog at 5.0 mph to 16:20
walk at 4 mph to 20:00
jog at 5 mph to 21:20
walk at 4 mph to 25:00
jog at 5 mph to 26:00
walk at 4 mph to 30:00

I was dripping sweat when I was done. My hair was soaked. I was so proud of myself. That was the most I've jogged in 30 minutes before. Can't believe I was able to jog at a 12 minute mile pace or faster for 90 seconds. It really wasn't much harder than doing a slower pace jog. I'll have to try to push myself a bit on that.

I LOVE my ipod. It makes such a HUGE difference!


Sunny -- I LOVE the designs you have come up with. I think they are perfect! Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us! :worship:
 
murcor: I believe that the time from the first person the start line to the last person crossed in 2005 was about 10-12 minutes--I could be a little high on the minutes.

There are clocks set at some (maybe all--I don't remember) mile markers that indicate what the time is in reference to the first person crossing. This way you can pace yourself. Conventional wisdom has it that a 15 minute pace is very safe to prevent being swept.

From 2005 experience: Watch out for the guys on the bicycles if you can also see Disney buses parked on the side of the road. We barely missed being swept before MK. We could see 3-4 buses parked in the median, then we saw the bike guy, who pulled his bike into the line of walker and told the people behind us "I am very sorry, but all of you need to get on the buses". We took off running, and didn't stop til we had passed at least 100 people. I know some of the people just ignored him.
 
NCRedding said:
From 2005 experience: Watch out for the guys on the bicycles if you can also see Disney buses parked on the side of the road. We barely missed being swept before MK. We could see 3-4 buses parked in the median, then we saw the bike guy, who pulled his bike into the line of walker and told the people behind us "I am very sorry, but all of you need to get on the buses". We took off running, and didn't stop til we had passed at least 100 people. I know some of the people just ignored him.

That is absolutely scary to me. I was actually shaking when I read it. I know I am going to bust my butt over the next 12 weeks and I am going to have such a negative feeling about :moped: ! :earseek:
 
Hey you guys!!

I'm glad you guys have been enjoying our pictures from our 1st WDW marathon. As you can see from the pics we weren't exactly the fastest in the pack but we weren't the slowest, and we had an absolute BLAST every step of the way. What you guys have been saying about the race being a journey is so true. If you let it scare you then you won't try and even worse you won't have a good time. I have spent way too much time being scared of what life is going to throw at me. I didn't do well in sports growing up b/c I would always stop short of following through with something for fear of "so in so" beating me or being faster or better than me. Running in marathons (at least for those of us not running to win prize money) enables you to compete with yourself. You are the only one that can get yourself to the finish line. yeah it's great to have running partners, encouragers, coaches, and evil queens but when it comes down to it, you are the only one that can make yourself take those steps to finish. I can not even begin to explain the pride you feel when you cross that finish line. The sense of accomplishment is so overwhelming..well for me it was anyway....and the medal is just icing...

Well this week is not starting off well - I was sick all weekend, and layed out of church Sunday and work yesterday. I haven't been sick for two years, but I guess running in all this damp weather did a number on my immune system. It has rained for about 6 days straight here...YUCK!! I want some sunshine!!! I didn't run yesterday and I may not work out tonight either just to make sure I'm completely better for the LR Friday. Sometimes you just have to admit defeat and let yourself get better..this cold has kicked my tail...and hard!

Well must get back to work, the lunch break is over :sad2:

until later,
~bree~
 

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