Marathon Weekend 2019

[TCB in FLA]

I’ve transitioned to run-walk in the past year or so, been working with Chris Twiggs as part of the personalized Galloway training. I usually have three run days a week (2 short, 1 long), 3 cross training days (usually OTF). Looking ahead, my plan tops off at 26 miles, although I will probably do 25.

 

[Olallamom]

I am doing the Dopey so I started building up mileage 6 weeks ago. This isn’t my first big challenge run training. I am using input from a few plans to create my own custom plan.

 

[KimM530]

I am running Dopey and have been using the Galloway training schedule. It worked for me when I trained for the Princess Half last year so I am trusting it again. I usually run continuously with occasional walk breaks to hydrate/re-fuel but the heat and humidity in Connecticut this summer has really been hurting my stamina. Anyone else looking forward to the fall weather as much as I am?? Dopey will be my first marathon and I am also worried about being able to take it easy enough during the 5K-half to not be completely sore and miserable for the full. I am running the full with my husband (his first marathon as well) and I want to be able to put good effort into that race. Any advice from Dopey veterans on how to run the half marathon to conserve your energy and legs for the full? I am trying to get in the mindset of taking the half really slow and that it is only important to finish but it isn't easy to throw pace expectations aside completely. I was thinking of using a run/walk strategy for the half...any good apps that are good to use to signal the intervals to you? Thanks in advance!

 

[FFigawi]

I am running the full with my husband (his first marathon as well) and I want to be able to put good effort into that race. Any advice from Dopey veterans on how to run the half marathon to conserve your energy and legs for the full? I am trying to get in the mindset of taking the half really slow and that it is only important to finish but it isn't easy to throw pace expectations aside completely. I was thinking of using a run/walk strategy for the half...any good apps that are good to use to signal the intervals to you? Thanks in advance!

You don't want to take the half really slow unless you've trained really slow during some of your long runs. Backing off your normal pace by more than a minute or two can cause problems with your gait and your stride, making you uncomfortable and potentially causing injury. I recommend taking the half at your normal long run pace, which shouldn't be too taxing on you.

 

[KimM530]

You don't want to take the half really slow unless you've trained really slow during some of your long runs. Backing off your normal pace by more than a minute or two can cause problems with your gait and your stride, making you uncomfortable and potentially causing injury. I recommend taking the half at your normal long run pace, which shouldn't be too taxing on you.

That is good to know, thanks! My usual pace for a half is about 10:30-11 minutes per mile and I was thinking of slowing down to 13 minutes per mile for race day using walk intervals, but maybe I will just plan on running a 12 minute pace and training at that pace during my mock Dopey training weekends. Right now the marathon distance seems so out of reach, but so did a half marathon when I first started running so I am committing to the training schedule and know I'll get there!

 

[William Santiago]

Does anyone have recommendations for men's socks? Right at about the 2 hour mark my socks become sponges and I can't imagine doing another 2 hours with the same squishy pair on. Currently Using either Hanes or Under Armour name brand. Does anyone ever run with an extra pair to change out or is that a pretty weird thing to do?

 

[Simba's Girl]

Does anyone have recommendations for men's socks? Right at about the 2 hour mark my socks become sponges and I can't imagine doing another 2 hours with the same squishy pair on. Currently Using either Hanes or Under Armour name brand. Does anyone ever run with an extra pair to change out or is that a pretty weird thing to do?

I'm answering this as a female but the brand I'm going to recommend makes mens socks as well. Balega, hands down are my favorite socks to run in. I've learned over the past year that I can't just wear any-old socks and my feet are much happier in running-specific socks. This prevents blisters and my feet feel dry and fresh. This pretty much means no cotton. If it makes you feel better changing your socks then I say do it because anything that gets you through your long run is a benefit.

 

[William Santiago]

I'm answering this as a female but the brand I'm going to recommend makes mens socks as well. Balega, hands down are my favorite socks to run in. I've learned over the past year that I can't just wear any-old socks and my feet are much happier in running-specific socks. This prevents blisters and my feet feel dry and fresh. This pretty much means no cotton. If it makes you feel better changing your socks then I say do it because anything that gets you through your long run is a benefit.

Thanks for the response! Yep, I'm currently just realizing that regular socks may not be the best for running the dopey challenge. Thank you for the brand recommendation!! I just checked them out and there's so many models lol, good thing I saw them on Amazon too, so shipping will be very quick. Good point about the cotton... All of my socks currently are cotton lol.
I agree, if I absolutely have to take another pair to change out after 2 hours to mentally stay in the game, I can do it, but if any of these socks work better, it will definitely help! I'll buy a couple pairs and report back.

 

[rteetz]

Thanks for the response! Yep, I'm currently just realizing that regular socks may not be the best for running the dopey challenge. Thank you for the brand recommendation!! I just checked them out and there's so many models lol, good thing I saw them on Amazon too, so shipping will be very quick. Good point about the cotton... All of my socks currently are cotton lol.
I agree, if I absolutely have to take another pair to change out after 2 hours to mentally stay in the game, I can do it, but if any of these socks work better, it will definitely help! I'll buy a couple pairs and report back.

I use under armor running socks. They are thinner and have some grips. I’ve never had an issue with them yet.

 

[camaker]

Does anyone have recommendations for men's socks? Right at about the 2 hour mark my socks become sponges and I can't imagine doing another 2 hours with the same squishy pair on. Currently Using either Hanes or Under Armour name brand. Does anyone ever run with an extra pair to change out or is that a pretty weird thing to do?

Check out Balega Hidden Comfort. They're all I run in any more. You'll get plenty of devotees of other socks posting, too, from Feetures to Injinji. Everybody's different, so the best thing to do is to buy a pair of each from several good brands and try them out to see which work better for you. For example, I don't like wearing the socks with padding in the heel and forefoot, but thin material through the midfoot. They make my PF feel funny. But a lot of people swear by them.

 

[apdebord]

Does anyone have recommendations for men's socks? Right at about the 2 hour mark my socks become sponges and I can't imagine doing another 2 hours with the same squishy pair on. Currently Using either Hanes or Under Armour name brand. Does anyone ever run with an extra pair to change out or is that a pretty weird thing to do?

My husband swears by injinji; he sweats a lot, but can wear the same pair for hours, even on the trails. They are toe socks, so that might be weird, but he said they also prevent blisters on his toes.

 

[TheHamm]

That being said thanks to @DopeyBadger awesome POT calculations (thank you!) I feel an irrational need to try to bump up a corral to gain what- 5-8 more minutes?? So I signed up for a half next month!

I'm with you on the irrational need to try to bump up a corral.
Why?

Good morning, runDisney all-stars!

Marathon weekend kicks off in just over 21 weeks, which means most of us will start official training in the next month (if you haven't started already!). With that in mind, this week's Sundays are for Disney is a paraphrased guest question from @CDKG - What is your training strategy? How many weeks? Run/walk or only running? How many miles are you topping out at for your long run?

Really, I just need to get through the first week or so of kindergarten before I have the energy to put into any sort of solid plan. So for now my plan is to keep up with mileage, add a few more miles, and not avoid those hills.

The weekend will be my first half, and I currently have little strategy and no plan for time/distance of training. My realistic conclusion that life will prevent me from following a training plan 100% and my need to do everything on a spreadsheet 100% is working against me on this. That said, I have some loose ideas. My goal is to have fun and finish. Already having a POT worth a corral before the cut off puts me in a reasonable position to chill out about being swept. I will continue to tell myself this for the next 5 month and probably afterward. My goal is to run continuously, but I am terrible about slowing down when I should, and find myself walking, particularly after hills that did not seem so bad until I was on top of them and my heart rate is far too high. If I find flat space, I still need to take a walk break before the 5k mark so I probably still could use to slow down. I see the logic in not running the full race distance beforehand, and I do not think this will be a mental block for me, so if I make it to 10 miles before the race, I think I will be fine. I did print out a calendar and block out when I know I will be traveling and try to pencil in when I could perhaps have time to run the 10, which is a start but probably insufficient.
Blerg.

 

[huskies90]

Does anyone have recommendations for men's socks? Right at about the 2 hour mark my socks become sponges and I can't imagine doing another 2 hours with the same squishy pair on. Currently Using either Hanes or Under Armour name brand. Does anyone ever run with an extra pair to change out or is that a pretty weird thing to do?

I've tried a few of the higher end brands that have been recommended here but my favorite are still the Target brand - C9 running socks. For me, they are the most comfortable and do the best job wicking moisture.

 

[Princess KP]

I usually have three run days a week (2 short, 1 long), 3 cross training days (usually OTF).

Glad I'm not the only one that runs 3 days a week with 3 - 4 cross training days. I feel like such a slacker here...

 

[ZellyB]

Currently training for the Chicago marathon with a Dopeybadger plan. It's going great so far. We are running 5 days per week. Mostly run walk, but one run per week is a continuous run. I'm having some elective surgery after Chicago that will keep me from running for a few weeks, so then we'll try to just build back up in the short time before Disney marathon weekend. Luckily, I don't run the marathon weekend for speed at all and we take our time, so I'm not too concerned about getting geared back up and ready by January.

 

[SarahDisney]

Glad I'm not the only one that runs 3 days a week with 3 - 4 cross training days. I feel like such a slacker here...

I did 3 runs + 1-2 cross training days for several years. Now I'm at 3-4 runs (depending on the week) and 2 cross training days ... I also feel like a slacker. We need to do something about those "run 6 days a week" people. They're making us look bad

 

[PrincessV]

Do you wear compression socks under your running pants if it's cold? For some reason that question wouldn't leave my head at 5:00 am today and now I NEED to know the answer!

So, I don't normally wear compression socks or sleeves while running, only after running for recovery. But the 2017 full was colder than I expected, and I only brought capri-length tights, so I wore compression sleeves under them to have full coverage down to my ankles. The compression sleeves in question were old and pretty stretched out, so not very squeezy. And the capris in question don't have a tight band at the bottom. So no extra pressure anywhere in my calf area and it worked out just fine. (This year, I brought full-length tights, and I'll continue to bring them every year, just in case, lol!)

Good morning, runDisney all-stars!

Marathon weekend kicks off in just over 21 weeks, which means most of us will start official training in the next month (if you haven't started already!). With that in mind, this week's Sundays are for Disney is a paraphrased guest question from @CDKG - What is your training strategy? How many weeks? Run/walk or only running? How many miles are you topping out at for your long run?

My training strategy is a slow build-up, two-week cycle with long runs and cut-backs every other week, starting from my summer base mileage. I don't have a specific start date, but if I go with the first long run more than my 10-mile base, I guess it's 19 weeks, 20 if I include race day in the count. Run/walk all the way for me. Topping out somewhere between 20-22 (I'd be fine with 20, but every year so far, the hot FL weather finally broke for my final long run, and it felt sooooooo good, I went up to 21.5-22 - but if the weather fails to cooperate this time, I have no problem calling it anywhere from 18-20.)

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Socks - I have used so many types over the years. As long as I am not just running in regular cotton socks, I am fine. Any wicking socks work for me. I wear socks a little thicker when running on streets. If I am running a trail marathon, I will often take a spare pair of socks and change somewhere along the run. Takes about 2 minutes, but well worth it. I have also done the same thing during a long run in the pouring rain.

 

[pluto377]

I'm running Dopey so I've started training already. I'm using the Galloway plan with some modifications. I'm doing a half the first weekend of October for PoT so I'm building up a little faster and I'm not going more than 20. I'm using run/walk. Right now depending on the day my intervals are anywhere from :30/:30 to 2:00/:30. I'm definitely looking forward to cooler weather so I can really see where I'm at. In this heat I feel like I can barely move.

 

[PrincessV]

Any advice from Dopey veterans on how to run the half marathon to conserve your energy and legs for the full?

I'll ditto @FFigawi :

You don't want to take the half really slow unless you've trained really slow during some of your long runs. Backing off your normal pace by more than a minute or two can cause problems with your gait and your stride, making you uncomfortable and potentially causing injury.

This year's Dopey, I ran the half with a friend who, due to injury, had to walk a lot more of the course than I would normally walk (I run-walk). Too much uninterrupted walking makes a mess of my hips, so what I wound up doing was sticking to a run-walk pace that was physically comfortable for me, then I'd pull over at a character line, or even just the side of the road, to wait a minute or two for my friend, then we'd hang together until I needed to run again, and so on. My final time was almost 4 hours - and we got a ton of fun pics! - but I felt great and had no residual soreness or energy depletion.

Does anyone have recommendations for men's socks?

I'm female, but I'm a hardcore fan of SmartWool socks - and they make them for men. I live and train in FL, and even in torrential rain with ankle-deep puddles, SmartWool socks do not hold water. They're amazing in both hot weather and cold!