Marathon Weekend 2022

[FFigawi]

Yes! I had a visor and picked up an ice bag just outside AK around mile 19 or so. I kept it until we got to Boardwalk, where I had texted DH to meet me with the room ice bucket filled with ice and water and a cold Coke! He was a VERY good boy that day, so I was doused with freezing water and sipping my ice cold Coke for the rest of the race. I have never had a Coke taste so good!

Flat coke is the lifeblood of many an Ironman and ultramarathon. Add in salted potatoes and you’re good to go.

 

[camaker]

I would never have thought of drinking a Coke after (or during) a race, but there were cold ones at the end of one of the Atlanta half marathons and ditto for that being one of the most refreshing Cokes I've ever had. Alas, after having covid, soft drinks taste disgusting to me (which is actually a good thing for me, as it takes that temptation away).

I find them greatly refreshing after races, as the caffeine and sugar give a nice boost. I wouldn’t want the carbonation during a high effort conventional distance race, but sodas are a staple on ultra aid station tables. It‘s preferable to let them go flat so you get the sugar and caffeine without the carbonation risk to your stomach, but even a fresh shot of Coke or Pepsi can be welcome during a long, relatively slow race.

 

[DisJules423]

What are the chances the 10k will open up again with a couple slots? I know it happens periodically. Those who have caught it-- what time has it been? A family member just reached out that they now want to do it....lol.

 

[jmasgat]

What are the chances the 10k will open up again with a couple slots? I know it happens periodically. Those who have caught it-- what time has it been? A family member just reached out that they now want to do it....lol.

It may eventually if there are any unsold Dopey bibs they break up. Or it may just because. Or it may not--one never knows. If it happens, it is unpredictable as to timing. There is no fixed update schedule, and they don't do alerts of any kind. Stalking the website is about the only way. People post here as well, but these things go so quickly that it's almost like it's a mirage.

 

[pixarmom]

@ZellyB, adding our experience to the fantastic spectator planning guide @DopeyBadger provided!

The day before I ran the marathon in 2015, my husband our two older boys ran the half. We stayed at Poly and @mateojr and I saw our runners at TTC, grabbed a quick breakfast at the resort and saw them again in front of Poly. We hopped on the monorail and upon exit at Epcot, turned right and saw them before they entered Epcot. Then we made a beeline for the finish to see them cross! Very proud of 4 sightings on the half marathon course and they were surprised to see us that many times. Not sure of their pace, but it was relatively relaxed!

Hope you are well!

 

[JS71]

Crowd sourcing something here. My almost 8 year old daughter has been asking to come running with me for awhile now. I took her out the other day and she ran two miles pretty easy. At this point my main concern is 1) overdoing it and risking injury 2) making sure it’s still fun. Just looking for what kind of limits I should be looking for and keeping to, what kind of miles per week, max distance that kind of stuff. She is super excited to run the 5k with me next year when I run dopey.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I haven't worn this too much in recent years, but today I pulled it out and wore it to work.

 

[LSUfan4444]

I haven't worn this too much in recent years, but today I pulled it out and wore it to work. View attachment 595096

I still wear my hat from time to time

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Crowd sourcing something here. My almost 8 year old daughter has been asking to come running with me for awhile now. I took her out the other day and she ran two miles pretty easy. At this point my main concern is 1) overdoing it and risking injury 2) making sure it’s still fun. Just looking for what kind of limits I should be looking for and keeping to, what kind of miles per week, max distance that kind of stuff. She is super excited to run the 5k with me next year when I run dopey.

My older daughter ran her first 5K at about the age your daughter is now. She's finished about a half a dozen 5Ks since then. She ran her first 10K this year, at age 12. I never pressure her to run with me, but I always invite her on any run that I feel like she can complete, the 10K has been her farthest run to date. She also has a pair of dedicated running shoes so she isn't running in the same shoes she wears to school all day.

ETA: Her pediatrician has always supported her running any distance she feels up to trying.

 

[anneeb]

Crowd sourcing something here. My almost 8 year old daughter has been asking to come running with me for awhile now. I took her out the other day and she ran two miles pretty easy. At this point my main concern is 1) overdoing it and risking injury 2) making sure it’s still fun. Just looking for what kind of limits I should be looking for and keeping to, what kind of miles per week, max distance that kind of stuff. She is super excited to run the 5k with me next year when I run dopey.

My 9 year old runs 3-4 miles with me twice a week. It's been a gradual ramp up over a couple years. He did his first 5K as a run/walk and has done many since then. Each one running a little more until he eventually ran the whole thing. In the last year he's asked to go longer. I haven't let him go beyond 5 miles and that is rare (but that's more about what he seems ready for rather than a hard and fast rule). He wants to do a 10K at 10 and that seems reasonable.

Evey run is entirely self-directed by him. I think that keeps it fun and less likely for injury. I let him set the pace and he does whatever is comfortable. Some days he's speedy and I wish I could take it easier and other days he gets distracted and slows down to investigate ant hills or trees. He also has been fitted for running shoes with good cushion and doesn't use those shoes for anything else. Just like adults if you keep the ramp-up gradual and let her set the pace you're less likely to get injury.

 

[Baloo in MI]

Crowd sourcing something here. My almost 8 year old daughter has been asking to come running with me for awhile now. I took her out the other day and she ran two miles pretty easy. At this point my main concern is 1) overdoing it and risking injury 2) making sure it’s still fun. Just looking for what kind of limits I should be looking for and keeping to, what kind of miles per week, max distance that kind of stuff. She is super excited to run the 5k with me next year when I run dopey.

Looks like you are getting good feedback already. I would second the thoughts around making sure she is running in some good shoes and not just regular everyday shoes. Let her be your guide in terms of pace and distance. A 5K is very doable. I would add cherish the experience. My youngest is 14 now. She started running 5Ks with me when she was around 8. Now she is quite the gifted runner and we will be running the Half together at MW. Still, I love looking at pictures of our first races together, back when I was anxious about my pace and so focused on encouraging her. Now a days, I am just trying to keep up! Good luck and enjoy the time!

 

[HangWithMerida]

Crowd sourcing something here. My almost 8 year old daughter has been asking to come running with me for awhile now. I took her out the other day and she ran two miles pretty easy. At this point my main concern is 1) overdoing it and risking injury 2) making sure it’s still fun. Just looking for what kind of limits I should be looking for and keeping to, what kind of miles per week, max distance that kind of stuff. She is super excited to run the 5k with me next year when I run dopey.

My now 12 y/o has done a few races with me. She runs intermittently, and only when she feels like it. She probably started around the age of yours. At that age, I only took her out on shorter runs (5k or less) and usually did some walk intervals too. I was worried about burning her out Or making it too hard and having her lose interest. A couple years later she trained up to a 10k and did a local race with me. Since then she has done a handful of 5k’s (including the Star Wars 5k) and a couple of 10k’s. Like others have said, I think the key is letting them direct the pace. My experience over the last several years has been that kids will let you know when they don’t feel like doing it. Don’t be surprised if at some point she decides she doesn’t want do it anymore and then picks it back up several months or a year later. Mine basically doesn’t run at all during the summer but usually gets interested in training once the weather starts cooling down. Also, she is heavily motivated by having a race deadline And will stick to a training schedule for the chance at some bling!
I also second dedicated running shoes. Once they wear out too much for running they become her everyday tennis shoes for whatever.
Hopefully her experience training with you for Dopey will develop into a lifelong love for running. I would love it if my daughter were more interested in running and wanted to do it with me year-round. But, I’m happy that at least some of the time she’s interested and we can have a hobby that we share.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Crowd sourcing something here. My almost 8 year old daughter has been asking to come running with me for awhile now. I took her out the other day and she ran two miles pretty easy. At this point my main concern is 1) overdoing it and risking injury 2) making sure it’s still fun. Just looking for what kind of limits I should be looking for and keeping to, what kind of miles per week, max distance that kind of stuff. She is super excited to run the 5k with me next year when I run dopey.

My 7yo daughter has been running with me off and on for a few years. She's done several runDisney kid races from Diaper Dash to the one mile in 2020 when she was 5 yo. Last summer we went out together a few times, but nothing structured and just when she felt like it. This year she has her eyes on the Princess 2022 5k. So we've been doing 13-16 min at 30/30 two times per week (usually 1-1.5 miles). The pace is very conversational for her. She likes to come with a list of talking topics to discuss on a wide range of issues (erosion, limestone, solar system, Blopians, Jesse Owens, etc.). When the weather cooled off for a single day a week or so ago, I took her a little further. But we've got an immense amount of time before Feb 2022, so we're in no rush. She's enjoying the 30/30 and so that's what we're doing. I do plan to switch things up a bit more once we enter the last few months of training. But it's all about keeping it enjoyable, which she is genuinely excited each time we get to go out. She also has a dedicated pair of running shoes.

As a single frame of reference, the top high school cross country schools typically have their girls around 20 mpw as freshman. So as pre-teens, I would imagine the maximum is far far lower.

We do incentives for math/reading with "coins" that she can redeem for video game time or something from the treasure box. We considered doing it for running as well, but decided we wanted it to be something she wants to do and doesn't feel compelled/forced/incentivized to do. So I aim to keep it fun, keep it unstructured, and for her to set the "rules of the run". She's excited for Princess because we plan to dress as Wanda and Vision.

 

[JS71]

I really appreciate everyone’s responses! I knew this was the right group to ask.

 

[HangWithMerida]

She's excited for Princess because we plan to dress as Wanda and Vision.

That is an adorable costume idea!

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

All races are open! Just got DS in for the half.

 

[DopeyBadger]

That is an adorable costume idea!

Thanks! This is the dress (link). And I'm diving into trying out LEDs, batteries, and wiring to make her a light-up headpiece. This is the current prototype:



She'll also have some LED gloves. So both will make her look like she has "active" powers. This has the details (link).

 

[Marebear_runs]

Everything is open right now.

 

[doombuggy]

What are the chances the 10k will open up again with a couple slots? I know it happens periodically. Those who have caught it-- what time has it been? A family member just reached out that they now want to do it....lol.

They are all open right now! I was able to sign up for the half that I missed!

 

[cburnett11]

Crowd sourcing something here. My almost 8 year old daughter has been asking to come running with me for awhile now. I took her out the other day and she ran two miles pretty easy. At this point my main concern is 1) overdoing it and risking injury 2) making sure it’s still fun. Just looking for what kind of limits I should be looking for and keeping to, what kind of miles per week, max distance that kind of stuff. She is super excited to run the 5k with me next year when I run dopey.

You're getting good advice here. The main things are: 1) that the decision to run needs to be the youngsters, 2) it needs to stay fun, and 3) any words you give her needs to be encouraging and not a push or even a carrot. I had a son start running in 7th grade and then my daughter started a year later when she was in 5th. Both were very talented naturally, and they had race success early on. As a result, I heard way too much from others about how great they were and I began to push them to be "even better". I was not a runner then and I think that would have helped my perspective as I now know just how little help "run faster" or "catch so and so" is. lol. Before the end of high school both of my kids were burned out and that was on me more than the real coaching.