2016 WDW Marathon Journey (Comments Welcome)

[roxymama]

It's a gamble I guess with starting her out at 3. She may think its great or be like one of the small children I see screaming. I started out with 3-4 mile runs as soon as she was big enough to do so. When I run longer runs with her I will stop ~ every 4 miles or so. Let her run around and look at the ducks, or mike the tiger.. or something she will find interesting. When we get going again, I give her a snack. So far, the plan has worked well. It could change any day I guess but I have been lucky to not have the screaming child and be 3 miles or more away from our vehicle. Depending on model you can put up to 70's lbs on the version we have. It does increase the difficulty of the run, but it makes the runs without out it much easier. It is also the stroller we are bringing to WDW for the marathon and park activities. a good amount of storage underneath and very easy to move around and folds up very easily. You could probably find one on the secondary market, as runners usually take could care of their stuff it should be in good shape. Hope some of this was helpful.

Yes this was very helpful. I have some things to think about...but finding one on the secondary market never entered my brain for some reason. Maybe I will first attempt a 3 mile walk with her regular stroller just as a test. Maybe take a really long way to the park, let her play and then walk home. The halfway snack is a good idea too!

 

[LSUlakes]

Running Week Recap 9/13 - 9/20
9/14 - 8 Mi W/ 8x00m Strides @ 8:10 pace +
9/16 - 10 Mi TM @ 8:20 pace +
9/18 - 5 Mi @ 8:18 Pace +
9/19 - 13 Mi W/ 8 at MRP. 8:38 Pace (-) (Only hit one GMP mile)
Week Total = 36.02
September Total = 94.69
Another ~ 7 miles on the bike Saturday after the run = 18.21 mile total

It was warm Saturday and the run just did not go well. Other than that, the other runs went well. Moving onto week 3 of the training plan. I will be back to running 5 days a week and should only have one week between now and the taper weeks below 40 mpw. Purchased a new pair of shoes this weekend, and will start rotating them in on shorter runs to get a feel for them. The Tigers had a very nice game this weekend, and it was very hot in the stadium. I was lucky enough to get tickets that provided shade for this game. #7 is a man amongst boys on the field, and it is just very impressive watching him run the ball.

 

[LSUlakes]

Running Week Recap 9/21 - 9/27
9/21 - 10 Mi TM @ 8:38 pace -
9/22 - 4 Stroller Miles @ 8:06 pace +
9/23 - 8 Mi w/ 4 @ HMRP (7:38, 7:41, 7:38, 7:30) Ave pace = 7:59 +
9/25 - 4 Stroller Miles @ 8:31 pace +
9/26 - 14 Mi @ 8:49 pace +
Week Total = 40.17
September Total = 134.86

I am pleased with week 3's runs and I am very encouraged by the 8 miler. I am 3 weeks away from my first half of the season and early indication point towards a PR. The weather is improving some, and it looks by the weekend we should at least have morning lows in 60-65 range.

 

[LSUlakes]

September Review:

A little recap on this past months running. For the month I ended up with 158.2 miles compared to last years 129.99 miles. A nice improvement in miles for the month. Started marathon training and had some difficult runs with the weather being warm, but as October rolls around the weather becomes a little more favorable for the longer runs. I have a spread sheet where I track my best times for each distance I run that are training runs and in September I improved my 8 mile time twice, and for the first time got my overall pace below 8 min/mile. In total I took off 2:44 at that distance.

Looking forward to October. I will have my first race of the season (A half on the 18th). October will also start 3 months of 200+ miles per month. Lets hope for cooler temps and a October of injury free running as well as a nice PR for the half!

 

[dancingtodisney]

September Review:

A little recap on this past months running. For the month I ended up with 158.2 miles compared to last years 129.99 miles. A nice improvement in miles for the month. Started marathon training and had some difficult runs with the weather being warm, but as October rolls around the weather becomes a little more favorable for the longer runs. I have a spread sheet where I track my best times for each distance I run that are training runs and in September I improved my 8 mile time twice, and for the first time got my overall pace below 8 min/mile. In total I took off 2:44 at that distance.

Looking forward to October. I will have my first race of the season (A half on the 18th). October will also start 3 months of 200+ miles per month. Lets hope for cooler temps and a October of injury free running as well as a nice PR for the half!

Very productive month! Good to see improvement over last year as well, your mileage is so high! I'm preparing for my first ever 20mile run and now I've been hit with a cold!!

Great to see time improvements as well... I'll be eager to see how your half goes! Best of luck with your training this week.

 

[LSUlakes]

Very productive month! Good to see improvement over last year as well, your mileage is so high! I'm preparing for my first ever 20mile run and now I've been hit with a cold!!

Great to see time improvements as well... I'll be eager to see how your half goes! Best of luck with your training this week.

Thanks!. Sorry to hear about your cold and I hope you recover soon. First 20 miler is exciting! And just think after you finished that, you only have a little 10k left to go... Crazy we only train to 20 miles for a 26 mile race. It gets the job done though, so don't worry about it. The hardest part of the marathon is miles 19-23. Once you realize you have a little over a 5k to go a few things happen... 1 only 3.1 to go, 2. it's very likely you are going to finish, 3. crowd support is usually at its highest. Those are some big mental motivators, and at that point of the race, that's all it is... mental.

 

[LSUlakes]

Running Week Recap 9/28 - 10/4

9/28 - 8.31 TM Mi @ 8:26 pace +
9/29 - 5 Mi @ 8:20 pace +
9/30 - 10 TM Mi @ 8:40 pace -
10/2 - 4.1 Mi @ 8:11 pace +
10/3 - 15 Mi @ 8:34 pace +
- 9.63 Bike Mi
Week Total = 42.44 Mi
October Total = 19.1 Mi

The first part of the week was still warm, but the weather was great for Friday and Saturday! Took DD to see the Tigers this weekend and she had a blast. This upcoming week my runs will have a bit more speed to them with two of the runs at HMRP or MRP. I am looking forward to the challenge and hopefully the weather will stay nice. One thing I need to get control over is eating. My diet is garbage at the moment and before it gets out of hand I need to make some changes. Hopefully I can made some progress with that this week.

 

[girliea]

Your times look pretty awesome to me! Keep up the great work. I'm loving running at the lakes btw!

 

[LSUlakes]

Your times look pretty awesome to me! Keep up the great work. I'm loving running at the lakes btw!

Thanks! Glad you are enjoying the area. Have you ventured out away from them any or just sticking to the paths/road following the lakes? For the last few years a large flock of white pelicans make a stop at the lakes sometime around November. They are bigger than our state bird the brown pelican. Hopefully they make it here again this year and you will get a chance to see them. Not sure what time you have been running, but if you are out before sunrise I have a little red fox between Stanford and May St on E. Lakeshore Dr. or maybe it was out S. Lakeshore Dr. .... So a 2 mile range isn't really narrowing it down at all. Either way, thanks for stopping by and hope you continue to enjoy the lakes. Gulf Coast Half and 10 miler are just around the corner. How are you feeling about it?

 

[SarahDisney]

One thing I need to get control over is eating. My diet is garbage at the moment and before it gets out of hand I need to make some changes.

Sometimes it can be really hard to get control over your diet. Remember to take it one step at a time and not beat yourself up if you make a few mistakes. Getting your eating under control is a lifestyle change and you don't want to try to make any changes that you can't sustain.

 

[LSUlakes]

Sometimes it can be really hard to get control over your diet. Remember to take it one step at a time and not beat yourself up if you make a few mistakes. Getting your eating under control is a lifestyle change and you don't want to try to make any changes that you can't sustain.

I agree with you. I do well during the week, but tailgating for LSU football games will be the death of me.

 

[girliea]

Thanks! Glad you are enjoying the area. Have you ventured out away from them any or just sticking to the paths/road following the lakes? For the last few years a large flock of white pelicans make a stop at the lakes sometime around November. They are bigger than our state bird the brown pelican. Hopefully they make it here again this year and you will get a chance to see them. Not sure what time you have been running, but if you are out before sunrise I have a little red fox between Stanford and May St on E. Lakeshore Dr. or maybe it was out S. Lakeshore Dr. .... So a 2 mile range isn't really narrowing it down at all. Either way, thanks for stopping by and hope you continue to enjoy the lakes. Gulf Coast Half and 10 miler are just around the corner. How are you feeling about it?

We have ventured out a little bit. The more we go, the more adventurous we are. It's just so scenic and fun to watch all the folks with pets and stuff, and it's always nice to be close to the campus. I'll have to look for the white pelicans...sounds awesome! I haven't seen the little red fox, will have to watch for him.

Yep, the 10 miler is next weekend. It will be my first race of that distance so I am nervous-excited! I think I'm ready though, I guess I better be!

Keep up the great training! Oh and diet down here (in south La) is just hard, it's definitely something I struggle with almost everyday!

 

[LSUlakes]

We have ventured out a little bit. The more we go, the more adventurous we are. It's just so scenic and fun to watch all the folks with pets and stuff, and it's always nice to be close to the campus. I'll have to look for the white pelicans...sounds awesome! I haven't seen the little red fox, will have to watch for him.

Yep, the 10 miler is next weekend. It will be my first race of that distance so I am nervous-excited! I think I'm ready though, I guess I better be!

Keep up the great training! Oh and diet down here (in south La) is just hard, it's definitely something I struggle with almost everyday!

The first big race of double digit miles is a exciting experience. Trust in your training and take it one mile at a time. You never know what will happen and may surprise yourself. Current forecast has a low of 51 on race morning and sunny. Hopefully that will be the case and we will all have a good run! Good luck!

 

[LSUlakes]

So I switched my long run day around some to open up some time for the weekend. I am getting in my long run this afternoon around 4:00pm. Lucky me... Its going to be the hottest day this week getting up to 92! To make it better it's 16 miles with 10 at GMP. Since hitting an accurate pace is important, the TM is not an option. I hope some clouds role in or this already difficult run will be very difficult to pull off.

 

[girliea]

I'll keep my fingers crossed for cloud coverage!

 

[LSUlakes]

Running Week Recap 10/5 - 10/11
10/5 - 9 Mi w/ 5 Mi @ HMRP (7:39, 7:40, 7:45, 7:35, 7:32) Overall pace 8:00 +
10/6 - 5 Mi @ 7:50 pace +
10/7 - 10 Mi @ 8:24 pace +
10/9 - 16 Mi @ 10:11 pace - VERY BAD!!!!

Weekly Total = 40.03
October Total = 59.14

Well, the week started off great and then went south in a hurry. I felt so bad after Fridays run, I skipped Saturday. I am so disappointed about Fridays run and then not getting in the last 5 miles on Saturday. A few important things I learned and why I will never do my long runs on a Friday afternoon again. First problem was sleep. I was only getting 5-6 hours of sleep leading up to Friday, and on Friday I woke up early to go to work to leave early to get my run in. 2nd issue... Heat. It was a bit warm when I got started and even though it cooled off as the run went it, it was to late. 3rd thing is nutrition. I did not take in enough water leading up to the run and did not eat properly leading up to the run. So what was supposed to happen Friday was 16 miles with 10 @ marathon race pace. What actually happened was a survival contest. I made the first 6 miles and knew that hitting sub 8 minute miles was not going to happen. I just attempted to try to keep a easy pace. After mile 10 things got worse. I felt sick, so I decided to walk a little. My mouth was very dry and no matter how much water I took in, there was no recovering from it. When I started to try to run again my legs would cramp. I pushed on, but it was awful. I finished the last 6 miles with a run/walk. That run may have been the worse run I have ever had. I know why it happened, learned some very important lessons from it, but that does not change how disappointed I am about the performance. It is also coming at a bad time, where a good 16 miler would have boosted my confidence for my half this weekend. Instead I am a mental case and dealing with a lot of doubt.

This week is a recovery week, but not having reached my weekly goal last week of 45 miles, it will only be a little easier as far as intensity for the mid week runs. I should reach 38-40 miles this week and next week is a big jump up to 50. Again, not getting to 45 and having 50 next week is a big mental thing. Hopefully todays run goes well and I can gain some confidence back leading up to Sundays race. The weather appears to good for this time of year for race day with the lows in the mid 50's. Hopefully that forecast holds up.

A funny story to go along with Fridays run. Im a half mile in and running along like the lakes near LSU's campus. I notice two girls on bikes they rented from the Rec. As one of the girls approach the intersection to the lake area she start to scream. And just like a scene from a cartoon, she ends up in the lake. Her friend neatly falls off her bike from lol so hard at her. Since it happened right in front of me I tried my best to stop laughing at her and then helped her, and her bike, out of the lake. She had no idea how to stop the bike. I wish I had a video of the whole thing, because it would have been a YouTube classic. The girl and bike survived with the only damage being done was to the poor girls pride.

 

[girliea]

Sorry your long run was not what you wanted. Long runs can sure be like that...sucky! But look at all you learned from that one bad run.

And I guess I'll just go ahead and point out the obvious (at least for those of us in this part of the country)...it was hot on Friday afternoon! And man was it cool this morning! So, I'm thinking, hoping actually that it will be this cool for your half this weekend. You are so gonna rock this race!

Poor girl, falling in the lake! I have to admit, I probably would have laughed for the rest of my run though! And as pretty as the scenery is around the lakes, I would NOT want to jump in...although some hot La days could tempt me.

Have a good recovery week!

 

[SarahDisney]

Sorry to hear about your rough run. Rough runs are definitely discouraging, but I think the fact that you were able to learn some lessons from it is a great thing. Now you just have to forget about the run ... you got some miles in, and that's great, even if it didn't feel great. Time to move on to the next run. (I know, easier said than done)

 

[LSUlakes]

Finally went out for a run again Tuesday afternoon. First run since Friday and I have to say without running and following my plan, I find myself in a bad mood. Pleased with the run and I am in a much better mood now. Today is packet pickup for my half this weekend. I am so happy to say ITS RACE WEEK!!! I am not sure how well the race may go for me because Saturday night the Tigers are playing the Gators. We have season tickets and this is a huge game, so no way am I passing up the chance to go. The down part to all of that is I most likely wont get to bed to around midnight and will have to wake up around 4AM to get ready and leave for the half on Sunday. The waking up early part should give me a little insight to how Disney should go.

Goals for the Half: (Current PR = 1:41:43)
1. Finish
2. PR ~ below 7:42 pace
3. Sub 1:40:00 ~ 7:37 pace
4. Sub 1:38:00 ~ 7:28 pace
5. Unrealistic goal - Sub 1:35:00 ~ 7:15 pace

 

[dancingtodisney]

A funny story to go along with Fridays run. Im a half mile in and running along like the lakes near LSU's campus. I notice two girls on bikes they rented from the Rec. As one of the girls approach the intersection to the lake area she start to scream. And just like a scene from a cartoon, she ends up in the lake. Her friend neatly falls off her bike from lol so hard at her. Since it happened right in front of me I tried my best to stop laughing at her and then helped her, and her bike, out of the lake. She had no idea how to stop the bike. I wish I had a video of the whole thing, because it would have been a YouTube classic. The girl and bike survived with the only damage being done was to the poor girls pride.

THIS sounds hilarious!!

Sorry to hear about your bad run but I guess they are inevitable and we all have them.

Finally went out for a run again Tuesday afternoon. First run since Friday and I have to say without running and following my plan, I find myself in a bad mood. Pleased with the run and I am in a much better mood now. Today is packet pickup for my half this weekend. I am so happy to say ITS RACE WEEK!!! I am not sure how well the race may go for me because Saturday night the Tigers are playing the Gators. We have season tickets and this is a huge game, so no way am I passing up the chance to go. The down part to all of that is I most likely wont get to bed to around midnight and will have to wake up around 4AM to get ready and leave for the half on Sunday. The waking up early part should give me a little insight to how Disney should go.

Goals for the Half: (Current PR = 1:41:43)
1. Finish
2. PR ~ below 7:42 pace
3. Sub 1:40:00 ~ 7:37 pace
4. Sub 1:38:00 ~ 7:28 pace
5. Unrealistic goal - Sub 1:35:00 ~ 7:15 pace

Best of luck with you run this weekend.. I can't help but be impressed with your times you are SO FAST.. I think I'll have to start referring to you as 'Fast LSUlakes' from now on... I had a dream once that I was really fast and ran a half marathon sub 2hrs... then I woke up...

I like that you have an unrealistic goal, I think we all have them for every race but we tend to just not tell anyone about them!