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First Time Runners - No Proof of Time

And hey, if you really want to know if we're committed or not we put together a facebook group for that very reason - to find others who are also doing the run to share tips and encourage everyone over the year. You're more than welcome to join and stay connected with us as we all train for this! (oh, and even though it says Dopey Challenge we certainly aren't being exclusive :earboy2:)

Challenge and invitation accepted! :-)

Every runner regardless of experience is going to encounter challenges. For me, I struggle balancing time with family and nutrition. For others, it may be a nagging injury, endurance, etc. You'll encounter challenges and will persevere potentially inspiring others along the way. We all started running someplace.
 
my dad did the goofy without really running before. I was the one slowing him down. He followed the galloway plan and did just fine. If you are committed to training and believe in yourself you should do fine.

I agree you should run some local races so you have better idea of how to manage race day

Just remember "If you can dream it, you can do it"
 
I also seem to be sending out the wrong message - I'm trying to show that our time is not a concern for us and not our main focus, that training properly and focusing on form is. Just completing the race and being part of the Dopey Challenge in it's inaugural year is what's driving us, and we aren't playing dumb to the reality of the challenge this will be.

Along those lines, my best advice is to take injury prevention and cross training very seriously (not to say you won't do that anyway). I decided to sign up for the 2013 marathon last May after only having done a handful of 5Ks and 8Ks. I got sucked in after they posted the course reveal and over the fact that it was the 20th anniversary year. I stuck to my training plan religiously but was injured in November and ended up being swept at mile 21 of the marathon in January after hobbling for about 6 miles. In hindsight, adding strength training would've made a big difference. While I think your goal is very, very ambitious, it can be done; you just need to really take care of your bodies over the next several months. Weight training and foam rolling are your friends. I don't mean for this to sound condescending, I'd just hate for the same thing to happen to you and your wife that did to me. Not only that, but it will make your recovery much easier.
 
Funny you should mention strength training - we've actually been on a lifting program since February!
 


Challenge and invitation accepted! :-)

Every runner regardless of experience is going to encounter challenges. For me, I struggle balancing time with family and nutrition. For others, it may be a nagging injury, endurance, etc. You'll encounter challenges and will persevere potentially inspiring others along the way. We all started running someplace.

This is great to hear! We're really, really excited to do the Dopey and look forward to sharing tips and encouraging each other all year!
 
Injury free training will be your doorway to victory. Speed is great but too fast-too soon can lead to failure by way of injury.

Having only walked the 2010 Marathon Weekend 5K with DW, I decided to go unofficial Dopey in 2011. Unable to jog or run, I trained by walking and bicycling. Events entered before the 2011 Dopey were W&D Relay, walking the 8.3 mile portion and walking the Space Coast Half Marathon with DW.

Walked the 2011 5K and Half Marathon with DW then walked my first marathon on Sunday by myself in 4:56:28. Not fast by any means but did so injury free and completed the Dopey as a 60yo beginner. At the time I would have been able to do a 10K also only because of proper preparation and knowing my pace limits.

Train wisely, stay safe and healthy and above all, have fun.

Good Luck to both of you.

McFlurry John
 
Oh I would say one of my saving graces for completing the Goofy this year was not the speed training but strength training. I did a half last year in about 2:35 and my quads were killing me! I knew then that that is what I seriously needed to train.
I live near a park with long winding very hilly foot paths and I used that as my training field...walking. That did more for me than most anything else.

This year I have to incorporate other activites...more cycling for the legs...get into p90x...only issue is that it requires me to be inside doing that and I hate training indoors in the warmer weather.

Speed is one thing but I believe having strong legs, core and even upper body is best...I want to cross the finish line in an upright position!
 


One other piece of advice I'd offer as you begin the journey, stick to the training plans and don't get overly ambitious with mileage early on. At a certain point you start to feel really good about how you are doing and you get tempted to add on mileage too quick and end up overtraining. I speak from experience. :) I ended up doing that (against similar advice as I'm offering) and got a terrible case of shin splints that took me weeks to rehab. Slow and steady in building up your mileage is the key.

I remember the first time I headed out for a 8 mile run and caught myself saying, "oh well, it's only 8" and being shocked at how far I'd come and how quickly. I envy you that journey right now because each time I'd hit a new personal long distance in my training was a huge inspiration to hit the next one. My year of initial training and my first half and then my first marathon were such huge accomplishments and such a high. Let yourself really enjoy the journey as well as the final goal of completing a Dopey.
 
...get into p90x...only issue is that it requires me to be inside doing that and I hate training indoors in the warmer weather.

Funny you should mention that: we're currently just over halfway through Body Beast (also own p90x but don't have it on our training schedule this year). We're planning to do Insanity in mid May after Body Beast, and going to create a Les Mills Pump/Combat Hybrid program for the fall. Personally, I think I'll continue to lift all throughout Insanity just so I can keep my strength up while building cardio. I'm not sure if DW will do the same but I'm sure she'll throw some weight days in.

ZellyB: Great advice, thank you. One thing I'm always pushing us to do is go just a little farther, so DW will be happy to hear that she was right lol! Do you recommend ending runs with a walk (be it short or long), or is it best to just do the run?
 
For a new runner, I would definitely stay as far away from P90x or other strength programs as I could. Building strength is important, but not for a new runner who is about to risk injury.
 
For a new runner, I would definitely stay as far away from P90x or other strength programs as I could. Building strength is important, but not for a new runner who is about to risk injury.

Not sure I understand how adding muscle would be a negative - could you please elaborate?
 
Not sure I understand how adding muscle would be a negative - could you please elaborate?

Adding muscle is great. The way you go about it is important. I would be much more inclined to do strength training in a yoga class or with a trainer than a "fad" workout program.
 
Adding muscle is great. The way you go about it is important. I would be much more inclined to do strength training in a yoga class or with a trainer than a "fad" workout program.

Sorry, don't really have the confidence or desire to go to a gym and workout around people, or the money for a trainer. This "fad" program works for me, fits my needs, and so far is working just fine.

Provided strength training (obviously without overtraining or overexertion) is going to be a benefit we're going to keep with our schedule for the year.
 
ZellyB: Great advice, thank you. One thing I'm always pushing us to do is go just a little farther, so DW will be happy to hear that she was right lol! Do you recommend ending runs with a walk (be it short or long), or is it best to just do the run?

We've done both. Just depends on our time and if we felt like adding on some additional walk time. Most of the time though we'd just finish out our distance and call it a day.
 
Sorry, don't really have the confidence or desire to go to a gym and workout around people, or the money for a trainer. This "fad" program works for me, fits my needs, and so far is working just fine.

Provided strength training (obviously without overtraining or overexertion) is going to be a benefit we're going to keep with our schedule for the year.

You say you don't have the money for a trainer but I would encourage you to think about one as you have set about an ambitious goal and they can help you get there without injury.

You don't need a trainer to stand by you all the time but you do need a trainer to help you with correct form. Paying for a couple of sessions now and then a few more late summer and a few more in the winter will help you to know what proper form is and increase you strength and decrease your chance of injury.

I am fortunate enough to have the money for a trainer and it has made a world of difference for me. I have avoided many a possibility of injury because of what he has shown me.

The right trainer and coach is worth their weight in GOLD.
 
One other piece of advice I'd offer as you begin the journey, stick to the training plans and don't get overly ambitious with mileage early on.

To piggyback on this, I'll also say that most training plans will include a cut-back in mileage every two to three weeks (and if yours doesn't, get a different plan!). For example, you might have a long run of 8 miles one week, 10 miles the next week, and then just 5 miles the following week. Don't be tempted to ignore these and run more miles just because you can. Your body needs time to recover from those big miles - and this is true for experienced runners as well as beginners.

I'm all for strength training, my only concern would be puzzling it all together with your running schedule. For instance, don't do a workout that focuses on the lower body on a day adjacent to your long run. I'd focus mainly on core work and upper body, along with areas that help support the run like hips and glutes (which can tend to be a weak spot for runners). I've never done those video series like P90X or Insanity, so I can't really speak to them specifically.
 
I waited a day to reply to this post to digest the post and to see what other advice you would get.

I think you will notice two distinct viewpoints on this issue and if you pay attention to who is offering the advice you will understand why those viewpoints differ. Newer runners will take the "great, you can do it!" attitude. More seasoned runners will take the more cautious attitude. We have the experience to know that this is not a joke and you are setting yourself up for injury and failure. Even if you somehow make it across all four finish lines in January, at what cost will it be? Distance running requires hours of training that you have never had to carve out of your life. Do you know how long a 20 mile long run takes? Do you realize that you will have one Christmas weekend? For two months you will need to carve out 3-5 hours to run. Every weekend. Then there is the physical aspect. You say you are in good shape, have you ever worked out for 2 hours straight? 3 hours? 4 hours? 5 days a week? For a year, continuously? You are getting ready to ask a lot of your body. Running for 40 minutes at a time is no comparison to running for even 90 minutes at a time and then getting up the next day and doing it again. Working out for an hour with weights is not the same as running non-stop for an hour. You will hurt in places that you didn't know you had, and it will be awesome, but it is a huge adjustment and can be mentally draining in addition to physically exhausting.
Reading your posts, you clearly have not thought this through as you have no clear training plan, you didn't even think to set up practice races prior to the races and are going to wait for an online training plan. This is because you have no experience and have no idea what you are doing. I know I am being harsh, but the fact is, somebody needs to be because you have just sunk over $1000 between you and your wife into a race that you are completely unprepared to run. I also find it interesting that you say you can't afford a trainer, yet you just signed up for the most expensive race in the country.:confused3

If you really want to be prepared you need to start training now and that includes going to your local running store, buying an appropriate pair of running shoes that have been fit to your gait (not big box store) and then joining your local running club and finding a coach. You need a training plan that is personalized to you and I strongly advise against waiting for Galloway (or any other online program) for a few reasons.
1. Online programs are not going to be able to evaluate your specific needs
2. For the Dopey specifically, Galloway will assume you are a seasoned runner and start the plan where you are not ready.
3. Galloway does not actually approve of even the Goofy, I can't imagine the head explosion he is having over this race challenge. If you choose to do one of his other programs you will not do better, as he doesn't like to have you run more than 2 days in a row (you definitely need to practice running multiple days in a row at least a few weeks this year)
4. If/when you have injuries, you need a local in-person coach who can help you get through the issues.
5. A local coach can set up long run routes for you and your wife and be a motivation for you that an online program cannot provide. Since you don't know how you will react to the new demands to your time, being held accountable will help keep you on track and keep your training on schedule. This will also help keep you injury-free and keep you from over-training.

After finding a local running coach, you need to sit down with them and find at least: a local 5K as soon as possible, a 10K in the summer/early fall and 1/2 marathon in the fall (preferably in the beginning of October) that you can run as training races. If you can find another 10 miler-1/2 in late November to December that would be helpful too. These will help you learn about getting up early, fueling on the run, grabbing cups in water stops, dealing with race morning jitters, porta-potty lines, what you need in your bag, etc. Local races usually are fairly inexpensive and can be really fun (and are really what you should have focused on first, but I will let that go now:goodvibes). I would try to race these runs with the exception of the last one, you will have plenty of time to recover from an October race and your risk of injury is already bad, a race isn't really going to be that big a deal if you are training properly at that point.

And FWIW:
1. They do sweep.
2. It is timed, and you are supposed to finish in the allotted time for each race. If you don't, please be man enough to own up to that and not accept a medal you did not earn. That is a pet peeve of mine with the Goofy runners in the past. You paid for the opportunity to attempt the Dopey, not the guarantee of the medal.
3. You are allowed to bow out gracefully and we will as true runners respect you and your decision because we all have had a bad race and we all have had a race when we made a bad decision but in the long run we all want to be able to race another day. We are out there for the love of running and at least for me, the biggest frustration is when someone is ill prepared for a race and then "hates" running because of it (kind of like the Disney haters who show up to the parks with no plan and are surprised that they have to wait in line and can't eat in the Castle:love:). There is a saying in ultarunning "DNF = Did Nothing Fatal":thumbsup2
 
Ill tell you what i did for my first Goofy and full marathon this past january. You can see my running history in my sig and can see Im not super experienced in running.

I trained run/walk 3 times a week. If i had to skip a run, i made sure it was a short run. If i felt a minor injury coming on i took a break from running for a bit. Minor injuries can become major injuries over a long run. Be ready to buy lots of shoes. I burned through 4 pairs in a year. I never used a trainer or a running club. I lifted heavy 2-3 times a week (not great for running, i just like lifting). Just keep in mind that everyone is different and listen to your body. I have very few issues running back to back days, but for some it is very tough.

Take my advice with a grain of salt. I am definitely not a veteran runner. This is just what i did to finish goofy. Good luck with training and ill be running all four races with you guys. Welcome to the addiction.
 
Oh I believe the o.p. will train for the Dopey or whatever race they end up doing.
I know one thing that helps is advice that was already given...sign up for races now and yes starting with the 5k.
My first race ever was a half marthon and I had several mos to train for it. Saying that, I was always pretty active anyway.
This year I did the Goofy and aside from walking/jogging a very hilly trail nearby I signed up and ran about 9 half marathons throughout the 2012 year.
I did not have a personal trainer though I think its a great idea.

Keep a diary of what you do each day. That helps. It sets goals for you to improve on what you already did. You can also track how much faster and further you are going. Noting what muscles hurt.
 
I just realized i neglected to answer the original question. I did a half in the fall to get a proof of time. It will definitely help if the marathon is as hot as this past one. The sooner you start the race, the earlier you can finish, and the cooler the back half will be. Hope this helps.
 

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