Marathon Weekend 2024

[Herding_Cats]

CBR is also a short skyliner ride away from AoA and Pop, both of which have a pretty wide range of offerings. I didn’t love CBR’s setup of ordering in one location and then waiting with a ticket by another window for the order, and preferred the cafeteria-style of AoA (although my AoA experience was pre-covid.)

 

[HangWithMerida]

SAFD: This is rarely a problem I have. Because my runs are on my calendar I tend to just get it done. At this point, it’s just an habit and I don’t have to make myself do it. Every now and then I just don’t want to do it. Usually it’s a combo of having to run after work, heat, and some sort of speed work. I will convert the workout to mileage and just do an easy run if I just can’t make myself get out the door. Most of the time I can talk myself into starting the workout, just do the first bit and see how I feel. Before you know it, I’ve done the stupid workout. Or at least some version of it.

 

[marty3d]

SAFD: I’ve learned to not push through a training run if I hurt myself/ notice an unusual pain. Luckily that’s rare but I try to listen to my body rather than risk injury. If it’s a mentally tough race, I just try to remember why I’m running and what I’m training for. Finding the right song on the playlist will usually help!

 

[steph0808]

I usually just push through. There might be some walking involved, but because I normally run out and backs, the mileage is getting done one way or another.

During Dopey, I really struggled because my whatever illnesses were invading my body at the time. For the 5k, I literally pulled myself out of bed for it because I knew if I missed it, Dopey was completely off the table.

I was also seriously on the struggle bus for the first 7 miles of the marathon. Starting around mile 3, I decided to focus on each member of my family and what I loved about them. I'm not a sappy person but thinking of my kids and their strengths and thinking good things about my DH (and not just that he left dirty dishes in the sink again!) really motivated me. And also repeating some form of "I get to do this. I'm able to do this. I'm lucky to do this." After a portapotty stop at mile 8 and a bag of sport beans, I felt better and kept thinking positive thoughts. Even teared up at the castle and Main Street because I felt so lucky to be there for another marathon weekend.

 

[striker1064]

SAFD: Another vote for just push through, as long as I'm not injured or sick. Part of running long distance races is learning to keep going when you're tired and don't want to do it anymore, so I do it in practice too!

 

[jmasgat]

SAFD (Part 2) The "I don't follow my own advice" bit....

I once finished a race, with what I later had diagnosed as a stress fracture in my hip, in pain in large part due to the fact that I had bought merchandise (which I never do) and I clearly remember thinking "I'm not wearing a Boston Marathon jacket if I don't finish this f-ing marathon"!

 

[DopeyRunner486]

Sunday’s Are For Disney. This weeks question: Sometimes a run gets very tough, how do you work through the tough times?

I just either push through or I have targets. So let's say the plan calls for 16 miles. If it is a major struggle I may set my first goal as getting to 10. If I can get to 10 can I get to 12? If not I will probably call it a day. I'd rather get something done rather than nothing even if its not what I was supposed to do.

 

[PrincessV]

SAFD: For me, there are “tough” runs in which my body’s sore from a workout the previous day, or I‘m just tired in general, and on those I just do what I can and call it good - sometimes that’s switching to shorter intervals, going at a slower pace, or doing a shorter distance. Truly tough runs in my experience are 99% of the time thanks to weather factors: the infernal heat of summer long runs here in FL, or monsoon conditions, or the sudden appearance of lightning. For the hot runs, I do all the things I can to counter the heat (run before sunrise, hydrate/electrolyte, pour water over my head, etc.) and slow way the heck down: it may not feel fantastic, but I can get through it. Torrential rain is pretty much the same, only at least I’m not overheating lol! Lightning is the real challenge: what do you do when you’re a mile from home and lightning starts flashing, when there’s no one who can come get you? I’m learned over the years to have a few places on a route I can duck into ( a nursing home, a community center, public restrooms in a park) and wait it out… or my easy run becomes a speed session and I book it home lol!!

I feel like there should be a quip about mental toughness here, but basically, I just aim to manage my response to conditions I can’t control. Also, some mental swearing.

 

[disneyrunnergrl]

SAFD: Generally knowing how much better I’ll feel on race day if I’m properly trained helps push me to get it done when I’m struggling with wanting to get out there (learned that after a few too many miserable undertrained races). Consistent running has also become a habit and I usually look forward to getting out in scheduled days. If I’m really struggling, usually on very cold long run days, I’ll pull a frozen gideons cookie out of the freezer for post run. I always try to stop there on the last day of my trip and get 6 to bring home and freeze to get me through marathon training.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

SAFD: For me the battle is getting out there for a run. When I'm not feeling it I can come up with every excuse in the book for just not starting the run. If I can win that and actually start the run, I'm also in the camp of just pushing through it until it is done (barring injury of course). To help get myself out the door, I now put all my runs as structured training runs in Training Peaks so that (1) I see it on the calendar and know it will turn green when I complete it or red if I miss it and (2) it uploads the runs to my watch so I see them staring back at me there too. It's also the reason I almost always have something on the calendar, even if no time goals associated with it, so that I have the training plan structure to motivate me getting out there.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

SAFD: For me the battle is getting out there for a run. When I'm not feeling it I can come up with every excuse in the book for just not starting the run. If I can win that and actually start the run, I'm also in the camp of just pushing through it until it is done (barring injury of course). To help get myself out the door, I now put all my runs as structured training runs in Training Peaks so that (1) I see it on the calendar and know it will turn green when I complete it or red if I miss it and (2) it uploads the runs to my watch so I see them staring back at me there too. It's also the reason I almost always have something on the calendar, even if no time goals associated with it, so that I have the training plan structure to motivate me getting out there.

Lol, yeah, I use Training Peaks too and that green/red weekly pie chart in the app definitely keeps me motivated.

 

[Grabnar]

SAFD: For me the battle is getting out there for a run. When I'm not feeling it I can come up with every excuse in the book for just not starting the run. If I can win that and actually start the run, I'm also in the camp of just pushing through it until it is done (barring injury of course). To help get myself out the door, I now put all my runs as structured training runs in Training Peaks so that (1) I see it on the calendar and know it will turn green when I complete it or red if I miss it and (2) it uploads the runs to my watch so I see them staring back at me there too. It's also the reason I almost always have something on the calendar, even if no time goals associated with it, so that I have the training plan structure to motivate me getting out there.

Same. I'm currently using the Hal Higdon app and that percentage complete really helps, but I'm definitely a number motivated person.

 

[pluto377]

SAFD: I'm another one whose main struggle is getting out the door. Honestly, right now, I'm losing that battle more frequently. Having a race on the calendar really helps. If I'm already mid-run and start struggling, which usually happens due to weather for me, I generally slow down (or just walk) and try to complete the number of minutes that are scheduled for the day. This is advice I got from @DopeyBadger and it's served me well through the really hot days. I'm not above quitting too if I'm in a place where I can, but inevitably I'm 4 miles away from car when the going gets rough.

 

[sandam1]

SAFD When things go south on a run, I ask myself the following questions:

- Is it physical? If it goes beyond a level 2 (feels it) on the discomfort scale, I shut it down. No questions asked. Live to run again.
- If it is physical, but not pain related, is it something I can rectify? Is it lack of fuel or hydration? Is it too hot or too cold?
- If it is physical, but nothing I can do anything about, can I slow down (or walk if needed) to finish the workout?
- If it isn't physical, I try switching from music to either a podcast or audio book that gets me out of my head and concentrating on something else.
- If I'm still struggling, I try to figure out what gremlin has gotten in my head and why?
- If I really start spiraling (this is usually after mile 20+ of a run), I have people that I can call. They don't usually have the answers, but just having someone who will listen to me whine helps.

A couple people have mentioned struggling to get out the door and on this I always ask myself "how bad do I want my goal (whatever the current goal is)?" On race day, do I want to be looking back at my training and asking "I wonder what would happened if I had done all of those missed workouts?" The answer is usually no. I've done that once and it is pretty awful.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

SAFD: I have a few different strategies for dealing with difficult runs depending on where I'm at in the training cycle.

The nature of my work means that sometimes I either train very sporadically or not at all during certain times of the year with no race on the immediate horizon. This contributes to a resetting of my training fitness in which I have to start all over from scratch sometimes.

So when the early runs after I've started all over again are difficult, I remind myself that I don't need to run the race distance today, but powering through today prepares me to be ready for the distance when it matters most.

Once I'm back in the habit again, my challenge tends to be more related to not wanting to go out there and do it because laziness reasons. Interestingly enough, this happens on the shorter runs instead of the long runs. But when this happens, I tell myself that I'm really at mile 10 of the half or mile 22 or 23 of the marathon and I didn't come this far to quit now. As a side note, I find that this approach pays off very well during the actual mile 22 or 23 of the marathon because I then tell myself that I've practiced these last miles many times and will finish the task.

 

[BigEeyore]

SAFD: I try to run with friends, especially for long runs, as they keep me going and conversation distracts me from the pain. When things get difficult, I try to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to run, as there are many people who can't.
Reading all of the responses on this topic is a reminder that running is HARD, and no matter how long you have been doing it, it's still difficult! And it's nice to know that I'm not the only one who feels that way!

 

[accm]

SAFD: my biggest struggle usually is getting started, and that's usually more mental than physical. So I tell myself I *only* need to do "blank" and then reassess. Usually the only turns into the whole workout, but every once in a while, I let myself cut a workout short. I want running to be something enjoyable, that's not a chore. I find letting myself miss or cut short a workout keeps it in the "I get to" vs "I have to".

 

[Novatrix]

"SAFD: Sometimes a run gets very tough, how do you work through the tough times? Ironically this is late because I forgot to send before my run and I lived today’s question - it was a tough one!"

I tend to be less dedicated than a lot of the other runners on here when runs get tough.
It might just be rationalization, but I have a fairly active job (regularly walk 5+ miles a day in heavy safety shoes) and sometimes I'm just too spent or too hungry to complete a run after work, and I'm not enough of a morning person to always run before work. If I get 20 minutes into a run and I still don't feel better, it's time to stop.

 

[nekonekoneko]

For those of us that like to fly on Southwest, their flight schedule to get down to Orlando will open up on May 4.

(And return flights for anyone leaving on or before Sunday)

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

SAFD: You can add me to the "I have to get this done so I'll do whatever it takes" camp for the most part, unless it's injury territory or my body just says no. For both of my marathons, I have had to bail out of one long run during training (ironically it was the same 16-mile run for both plans) because my body was just completely spent and I felt like I had the flu. But, mentally, I have gotten very good at willing myself to keep going because failure haunts me constantly. Good music usually does the trick; my running playlists are everything to me for endurance.