The Running Thread - 2018

[ZellyB]

Well ladies and gentleman, I had to convince myself that crying was pointless today (stinkin' female emotions). I believe I have my first case of shin splints.

Walking doesn't bother me. But as soon as I start running, they hurt. I noticed some discomfort on Saturday's long run but didn't think much about it. I really noticed it on Monday's easy run but pushed through anyway. Then I went to start today's run and realized I really did have a problem and gave it up after 3/4 of a mile.

I'm trying to think on the positive side. This week is my 4 run week instead of 5. My next race isn't until next Saturday. The half is 2 months out so I should be fine there. I guess my hope is that I really will be fine after a few days of taking it easy.

I'm posting in hopes of getting some real-life best-case scenarios from fellow runners. No horror stories please or I won't be able to hold back the floodgates.

The first year I started running I got a bad case of shin splints. They suck and they hurt, so no judgement on crying. I agree that it's best to just take some time off from running. If walking doesn't hurt, you could just do some easy walks to maintain some time on your feet, but really just resting them is the best cure. A little time off won't hurt you this close to your race. I did use some calf compression sleeves when I had them and that seemed to help some and I also iced them. Take some anti-inflammatories as well, but the biggest thing is to rest them. Mine cleared up fairly quickly once I started letting them heal up. Good luck and don't get too down about it. They will get better!

 

[rteetz]

QOTD: Since Marathon Weekend is approaching quickly I wanted to ask what are some must does during any of the races. What are the character stops that are a must, places to get a beverage or ride that you can get on during the run. While we are at, bathroom options that are not port o pots... Anything you think that is worth mentioning, lets hear it!

Characters change every year so there isn’t necessarily a must stop. I do love to stop for Everest though. Magic kingdom has good bathroom options, animal Kingdom in Dinoland, Epcot the American adventure bathrooms.

 

[ZellyB]

QOTD: Since Marathon Weekend is approaching quickly I wanted to ask what are some must does during any of the races. What are the character stops that are a must, places to get a beverage or ride that you can get on during the run. While we are at, bathroom options that are not port o pots... Anything you think that is worth mentioning, lets hear it!

ATTQOTD: I don't have specific characters that are must stops for me since it's sometimes hard to predict who will be out, but my general goal is to stop for as many of them as I can. I will say that at least during the marathon, if you skip some of the early characters, the lines at the later stages of the race are MUCH shorter. Last year we got a beer in Animal Kingdom. @Chris-Mo picked it up for us while I rode EE. I'm not sure I'll ride it again since Chris really can't handle it and I felt bad making him wait, but it was amazing! I LOVED riding it during the race and it actually gave me a huge shot of adrenaline at the mid-way point of the race that was needed. We also got a beer in Epcot along with a pretzel. YUMMY!

We try not to stop for bathrooms in TTC or MK because we've found the lines to be really long. The last couple of races we actually went ahead and used the port o pots shortly after starting the race (the long wait in the corrals sometimes requires an early stop) and the lines are short and the potties pretty clean. For real bathrooms, we often stop at a bathroom in AK. Don't stop at the first set of bathrooms on the left that you come to though. There's another set closer to EE that isn't usually as crowded since most people stop at the first one. There are real bathrooms in the WWoS area as well and usually waits aren't too long there. Then real bathrooms in HS with usually short waits. There's one set off to your left right past ToT but another one as you are running down Sunset Boulevard to the left as well. Typically for us, once we go in AK, we usually don't have to go for the rest of the race.

 

[Capang]

ATTQOTD: I've only done a rD 5 and 10k, so I have no real "must do" things. Except for maybe learn to negotiate the crowds better. And I did like the "I did it" pics at the end. That would be my only "must" at this point.

 

[baxter24]

ATTQOTD: There have not been any characters that I always stop for but I have tried to stop for as many as I can as long as the lines didn't look too bad. Duck tales characters were an absolute must last year because I had never seen them anywhere before. I agree that the character lines seem to get a lot shorter after leaving Magic Kingdom (specifically once you turn onto Bear Island road towards Animal Kingdom). My go to bathroom stop for the past two years are the bathrooms on the left before you get into Dinoland and right after the Nemo Show venue. The past two years there was absolutely no one in there besides me (both years I made it into Animal Kingdom around 8:30 for time reference).

@LSUlakes - can you please change my time for Saturdays race to NG? I've decided to set my sites on a PR for my half in March instead of this weekend. Just gonna see how it goes and enjoy the race. Most importantly hoping to not have any stomach issues this time around. I have bonked hard the last two times running the Richmond half due to gels disagreeing with my stomach. I switched to Tailwind two years ago so I am thinking that won't be the case for this year. Good luck to everyone running this weekend!

 

[AFwifelife]

Very excited to read everyone’s answers today and I’ll be taking some notes. Trying to distract myself from the husband being gone again so I’ve been over planning thanksgiving, Christmas, and our January trip.

One thing my sister and I have decided on is getting a beer in Germany during the full. Is it pretty easy to get one?

 

[DopeyBadger]

I have a question! I just did the W&D half and followed the training plan from RunDisney. I'm also signed up for the Princess Half...how should I continue my training? Should I start the plan over or jump in at longer distances? Should I not follow a plan at all and just do "long runs"?

It depends on how the last training cycle went. Did you improve your performance from where you started at the beginning of Wine and Dine training? Did you have a specific goal for the Princess HM? Using a race equivalency calculator, do your 5k times line up with your HM times? You're about 15 weeks out, so you have options several options.

For me, I like to see ebb and flow in training. So high periods and low periods. This leads to an "additive effect" that over the course of multiple training cycles strung together minimizes risk for injury, staleness, burnout, and overtraining while attempting to maximize the gains made during each individual training cycle. But what to do specifically, could depend on the answers to those above questions and what you're looking to get out of this next training cycle.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Big sale today from Clever Training (20% off one item with exclusions) and Garmin (tomorrow on Fenix 5):

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/11/trainers-meters-including.html

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: Since Marathon Weekend is approaching quickly I wanted to ask what are some must does during any of the races. What are the character stops that are a must, places to get a beverage or ride that you can get on during the run. While we are at, bathroom options that are not port o pots... Anything you think that is worth mentioning, lets hear it!

Here's my list for the full:
- don't walk to the corrals until 5am or later. Less crowded porta potty lines and less time standing around
- beer or margarita at Thirsty River in AK
- lie down with the gravediggers leaving AK
- push ups with the Green Army Man on the off-ramp
- Tower of Terror
- Rock n Roller Coaster
- beer in Germany
- margarita in Mexico
- all character stops with lines less than 15-20 people. The ones in WWoS have very short lines and often fun characters.
- parking lot beers after the finish

 

[ZellyB]

Very excited to read everyone’s answers today and I’ll be taking some notes. Trying to distract myself from the husband being gone again so I’ve been over planning thanksgiving, Christmas, and our January trip.

One thing my sister and I have decided on is getting a beer in Germany during the full. Is it pretty easy to get one?

The first year we stopped for one there was a pretty long line and they all let us cut in front of them which was super nice of them. Last year, there was a fairly short line that we waited in. I think it took us less than 5 minutes to get one. A lot depends on what time you arrive in EPCOT. We are slow on these races, so it's well into normal beer-drinking time for people by then.

 

[ZellyB]

Here's my list for the full:
- don't walk to the corrals until 5am or later. Less crowded porta potty lines and less time standing around
- beer or margarita at Thirsty River in AK
- lie down with the gravediggers leaving AK
- push ups with the Green Army Man on the off-ramp
- Tower of Terror
- Rock n Roller Coaster
- beer in Germany
- margarita in Mexico
- all character stops with lines less than 15-20 people. The ones in WWoS have very short lines and often fun characters.
- parking lot beers after the finish

What time do you guys get to ToT usually and how long is your wait? Seems like I remember one year you all scheduled FP for it, but that won't work now right since you have to have an active park entrance for that day for it to work. Thinking of skipping out on EE and riding ToT instead (which @Chris-Mo could do with me), but concerned about how long the line would be when we arrive since we go so slow.

 

[jennamfeo]

Hey @rteetz, need a summer job? They’re looking for people in Wisconsin.

http://97zokonline.com/oscar-mayer-...rivers-in-wisconsin/?trackback=fbshare_mobile

You have to have a degree to drive a hot dog around? Well, I guess I'm out. Haha.

 

[jennamfeo]

ATTQOTD: Definitely doing @FFigawi's list.

 

[huskies90]

QOTD: Since Marathon Weekend is approaching quickly I wanted to ask what are some must does during any of the races. What are the character stops that are a must, places to get a beverage or ride that you can get on during the run. While we are at, bathroom options that are not port o pots... Anything you think that is worth mentioning, lets hear it!

ATTQOTD: Last year was my first RunDisney race at WDW so I am looking forward to all of the responses. Last year, I only did the half. This year I am doing Goofy. Last year I did not stop for characters because I was running with my wife out of coral G and the lines were so long and she was afraid of getting swept. I hope to get some character pics this year.

 

[FFigawi]

What time do you guys get to ToT usually and how long is your wait? Seems like I remember one year you all scheduled FP for it, but that won't work now right since you have to have an active park entrance for that day for it to work. Thinking of skipping out on EE and riding ToT instead (which @Chris-Mo could do with me), but concerned about how long the line would be when we arrive since we go so slow.

I’d have to dig out my Garmin track to see what time we got there. We were running roughly 10-1030 miles and started in C. Anyway, the lines weren’t too bad. They’ll usually let us up the FP line, and if not, the people in the regular line are pretty kind about letting us up to the front if asked nicely. Same thing is true for RnRC. Ask nicely, be polite, and if someone says no, don’t push past them.

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD:
If you have to find a restroom in MK, might I suggest the Frontierland/Adventureland breezeway one. I think it is one of the largest. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a line or had to wait long in there...
I found at least one of the restrooms in WWoS to have a long-slow line because there were so few stalls in there.
I have to stop for Darkwing if he is out!
For the 5k, if it is cold, you are in one of their earlier corrals, you don’t plan on stopping too much, and you are using Disney transportation, I might suggest putting a blanket or warm clothes in gear check... You will probably finish before the last corral starts the race, and they may not have buses ready to allow people on yet. I think this past year they did have a couple of buses at each stop allowing people on them while they waited, but that hasn’t always been the case.

 

[michigandergirl]

ATTQOTD:

-Don't listen to music during the races. Listen to all the energy around you. Look at all the amazing costumes. Strike up conversations with the people running around you - runners are friendly people!
-Stop for characters, especially later in the race when lines aren't as long
-Smile for the cameras (even when you feel like death)
-Take pictures
-Eat ALL of the food being given out in WWoS - I was so hungry and ate everything those wonderful spectators were handing out!
-Beer in Germany at mile 25 tastes heavenly. The people in line let me cut to the front. My only regret is that I didn't buy two. It tasted so good I guzzled most of it and then realized I needed to slow down if I wanted to have any left for my finish line photo. So buy two beers, one to guzzle and one to savor at the finish!!

 

[Keels]

-Eat ALL of the food being given out in WWoS - I was so hungry and ate everything those wonderful spectators were handing out!

1 million times this. Special shout-out to RunDisney singlets that hand out breakfast tacos.

 

[rteetz]

1 million times this. Special shout-out to RunDisney singlets that hand out breakfast tacos.

I missed breakfast tacos? Ugh...

 

[michigandergirl]

Well ladies and gentleman, I had to convince myself that crying was pointless today (stinkin' female emotions). I believe I have my first case of shin splints.

Walking doesn't bother me. But as soon as I start running, they hurt. I noticed some discomfort on Saturday's long run but didn't think much about it. I really noticed it on Monday's easy run but pushed through anyway. Then I went to start today's run and realized I really did have a problem and gave it up after 3/4 of a mile.

I'm trying to think on the positive side. This week is my 4 run week instead of 5. My next race isn't until next Saturday. The half is 2 months out so I should be fine there. I guess my hope is that I really will be fine after a few days of taking it easy.

I'm posting in hopes of getting some real-life best-case scenarios from fellow runners. No horror stories please or I won't be able to hold back the floodgates.

Call me the shin splint queen...

Definitely take a few days off and stretch, take ibuprofen, and ice for 20 minutes at a time a couple of times a day. Sometimes you just need a few days off to reset.

Possible causes: adding too much mileage too soon, or too much hill work, or too much speed work too soon; could be a lack of warm-up before running; could be weakness in the muscles or too tight calves (stretch those too).

Prevention: add mileage slowly, warm up well before running, stretch after every run when the muscles are warm, strengthening exercises such as tracing the alphabet with your toe.

Other thoughts: I love compression sleeves - they just feel good to me. You could also try KT tape. I find with shin splints that they will warm up eventually when running and the pain goes away, but sometimes it takes 2 or 3 miles for me, but I also know for me, if they don't warm up and they continue to ache even when I'm not running then we are getting into stress reaction/fracture territory.

Hope that helps!