Marathon Weekend 2019

[CDKG]

Marathon weekend kicks off in just over 21 weeks, which means most of us will start official training in the next month (if you haven't started already!). With that in mind, this week's Sundays are for Disney is a paraphrased guest question from @CDKG - What is your training strategy? How many weeks? Run/walk or only running? How many miles are you topping out at for your long run?

I will be training for the WDW marathon using Hal Higdin's Intermediate 1 plan. It is a 18 week plan capping out with two 20 mile runs in December. I am just finishing his comparable half marathon plan for my second half marathon this summer. While adding that midweek semi-long run took some adjustment, it has been working well for me.

Currently, I am somewhere in between a run/walk and continuous runner. During training I walk the first minute of every mile (during races I take a one minute walk break at each mile marker). My race pace is usually between 10:30-11 min/mile. Making the leap from half marathons to a full marathon, I want to set myself up for success. One way to do this is to increase walk breaks. So, I think I am going to try 5 min/30 sec intervals as my miles begin to exceed 13.1. That way I can take walk breaks twice as frequently without sacrificing pace. Has anyone else tried a similar strategy when making this leap?

 

[CDKG]

Duplicate... Old iPad issues...

 

[AFwifelife]

What is your training strategy? How many weeks? Run/walk or only running? How many miles are you topping out at for your long run?

Higdon plans mostly with a couple weeks of Hoedl's dopey plan mixed in while I'm doing solo parent ops. I actually started back at the end of June to build up a nice base for Higdon's dopey plan and I'm also doing the W&D half. So overall it's about 29ish weeks. I've been running only but I do want to add in some walking because I know I won't be running the whole marathon (and plan to take the 5k through half really easy). Higdon has you top out at 20 miles and I'll only have one of those during the mock dopey weekend.

 

[lahobbs4]

Good morning, runDisney all-stars!

Marathon weekend kicks off in just over 21 weeks, which means most of us will start official training in the next month (if you haven't started already!). With that in mind, this week's Sundays are for Disney is a paraphrased guest question from @CDKG - What is your training strategy? How many weeks? Run/walk or only running? How many miles are you topping out at for your long run?

Another @DopeyBadger plan over here! We are finishing a HM plan through Sept and then I will start on whatever he comes up with for Dopey after that! So I assume my longest run will be 3 hours or so? That might be 16-17 miles for my longest run. I'm 100% trusting his training plan to get me prepared because the thought of running 20+ miles anywhere other that WDW just sounds like torture.

I run/walk: always have and always will! Bad knees from years of gymnastics and I want to keep this running thing going for years to come.

 

[Smilelea]

I'm in the @DopeyBadger training plan group. I have 2 more weeks left on my current plan. I'm assuming the new plan will be for 14-15 weeks of training and I honestly don't know what my long run will top out at. I do plan on continuous running.

I do have to say that I've accomplished runs on this current plan I never before thought possible. I'm excited (like Christmas morning excited) to see what the new plan has instore for me.

 

[cavepig]

Training Strategy - - After my September marathon I'll take a few weeks to recover then build back up based on Hanson's mostly. I'm not sure how many weeks I haven't even planned it out. I'm not sure what my long run will top out at, but I like to keep it at 3 hours or less. I did 17 this week for the marathon in 5 weeks, so next week I'll cutback, then I may do 18ish as long as I'm under 3 hours, then taper. So, for Disney it will be roughly the same idea unless Mother Nature throws extreme cold at us again, then it's whatever I can deal without before turning blue as I don't do the treadmill. The humidity is rough now, but honestly I dread the freezing cold. I don't cross train really (swimming sort of)& I do weights/leg work, things like that.

I'm going to answer my husband's plan which is a non-plan. He runs when he can run. He's spending lots of time outdoors lately and is doing some shorter runs with a weighted vest. He'll probably top out around 16 miles for his long run.

a weighted vest in your Florida heat sounds um fun or actually very exhausting

 

[baxter24]

I’m five weeks into an eighteen week Higdon plan for my marathon in November. Longest distance tops out at 20 miles. After that, I’m not sure of what my plan will be to maintain until Goofy but I know I will incorporate back to backs on the weekends. The humidity is currently kicking my butt and I dread waking up for runs because I know it will be so gross outside.

 

[steph0808]

Good morning, runDisney all-stars!

Marathon weekend kicks off in just over 21 weeks, which means most of us will start official training in the next month (if you haven't started already!). With that in mind, this week's Sundays are for Disney is a paraphrased guest question from @CDKG - What is your training strategy? How many weeks? Run/walk or only running? How many miles are you topping out at for your long run?

Another @DopeyBadger plan user here!

I am already on a plan for an "A" half marathon at the beginning of November, so, since I decided to "just" do the Half at WDW Marathon Weekend, I will follow whatever continuation of the plan DB chooses for me.

I ran two marathons last year on his plans, so I trust whatever he tells me to do.

 

[Keels]

After surgery, if all goes well I should be able to start running in mid-October. So, that's 12 weeks to try and get some decent mileage in. #YOLO

 

[rteetz]

After surgery, if all goes well I should be able to start running in mid-October. So, that's 12 weeks to try and get some decent mileage in. #YOLO

It could be worse! We believe in you Keels!

 

[Keels]

It could be worse! We believe in you Keels!

Probs gonna buy me some wheelie sneaks just as a backup plan.

 

[SarahDisney]

Probs gonna buy me some wheelie sneaks just as a backup plan.

Just make sure you get light up ones. Wheelie sneakers that dont light up just suck.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Probs gonna buy me some wheelie sneaks just as a backup plan.

Whatever works!

 

[apdebord]

I don’t feel like my marathon training is truly going to begin until early November, when I do my first ever run over 13.1 miles. The 14 mile day conincides with the Richmond half, so I’ll either finish the .9 somewhere, or just be content that racing 13.1 is just as hard as training 14 miles. I’m using the training plan from the Shamrock Marathon, just backdating and adjusting days to fit my schedule.

I run/walk for anything over a 5K. I’m a little out of shape, so I dropped to doing 2/1 intervals but I will be building back to 3/1.

 

[Bree]

SAFD: Another @DopeyBadger Plan user here. I’m still on my summer speed work training plan that ends at the beginning of September. Not sure what my Dopey plan will look like, but it will be all continuous running. I really like the challenge of speed work so I hope to have that worked in. Not sure on the mileage I’ll max out on for my long runs yet. I’ll find out when I get my plan

 

[bovie]

One of my minor goals for this training cycle is to post more on the boards! I feel like I learn so much from reading here. My plan for this race is to do whatever @DopeyBadger says haha. I'm doing a late October half to get an idea of where I stand.

 

[roxymama]

It’s a very busy fall season for me, so I’ll get the easy piece out of the way. I prefer only running, but will use run/walk if I’m injured or sick to keep moving and get through. At some point I’ll probably switch to run/walk permanently to allow me to extend my running life, but I’m not there yet.

Marathon Weekend is a secondary event for me this year, so in terms of strategy, it’s mostly going to be peak and maintain. Right now I’m a little over halfway through an @DopeyBadger which maxes out at 16 miles getting ready for the Chicago Marathon which is my goal race. The plan is kicking my butt with the heat and humidity right now.

After Chicago I am planning to do the Tuna Run, a 200 mile relay, of which I’ll probably end up running 15-20 miles across 3-4 legs at the end of October. From there, it’s on to the Seashore Nature Trail 50k, my first ultra, in mid-December. After that, Marathon Weekend will be next. I’m also considering finding a half to run in November sometime. I wanted to run my 20th half this year and I’m running out of time on that. It wouldn’t be the worst thing to let the Goofy half be #20, though. The only race in this set that I’m worried about a time goal is Chicago, so hopefully I can just bridge my Chicago fitness sand take it easy to avoid injury. Fingers crossed!

Another member of the Badger Blasers here. I'm in the same boat as @camaker with less than two months until Chicago and running basically all the time. So once I complete that I'll only have the hot chocolate 15k for fun and then WDW weekend for fun.

My race strategy for the disney race will be to use the "fun stops" as turbo boosts of happiness and endorphins. And to not care about how long the total thing takes but be happy about my pace while not in a line for something. Seemed to work for all my other dis races.
Chicago is more of a "just keep swimming" philosophy. Aka a goal race.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I'm currently using a @DopeyBadger plan for my upcoming San Francisco Giant Half Marathon. While that race is about a month out, I also essentially consider it just part of Dopey training. I may not have even registered for it at all if I wasn't running Dopey. I'm still working on wrapping my head around a long run for a marathon capping off around 3 hours, which is my usual long run for a half, but I think I'm beginning to understand how it will work. I ran 3 miles on Friday and 4 yesterday and the end of that run felt a bit tougher than my usual 4 mile runs so I'm hopeful that's the cumulative fatigue beginning to show.

The thought of so many 20+ mile runs scared me out of thinking about a marathon. I always felt kind of burned out near the end of a training plan for a half. At the same time, a long run for a full capping out around 3 hours (12-13 miles for me at current fitness) also terrifies me. But I realized that testing this strategy on a half marathon is a way to try out the plan and see if it works for me.

Now, having laid out my fears and concerns, I can genuinely say that I find myself looking forward to my runs more than I used to. So the new plan is reenergizing me.

 

[lhermiston]

I probably should’ve warned @DopeyBadger that he was going to get tagged dozens of times with this SAFD question...

Anyway, I am also #BadgerTrained ... just don’t tell my colleagues at the University of Iowa.

 

[huskies90]

What is your training strategy? How many weeks? Run/walk or only running? How many miles are you topping out at for your long run?

I will be starting a rough plan in September. This will be my own modified plan based on info I’ve read and a hybrid of many plans I’ve seen online and what I’ve read in this forum - mostly what I’ve gleaned from all of @DopeyBadger ’s posts. I have sorta done a dry run on the plan this summer as I have been building miles, mixing different distances and tempos during the week with a long run on the weekend where I’ve increased the distance by 1 mile every other week. I did 17 miles today and I will top out on 18 in two weeks. Then I will take some time off from training and building miles and I will start over in mid September - bringing my mileage way down and slowly rebuilding.

I am doing Goofy and this will be my first marathon. My goal is simply to finish and have fun. Based on how far I’ve come this summer I am pretty positive I can achieve my goal. The only mental challenge I’m dealing with in my head is “how much energy is the half marathon going to drain from me the day before?” I am planning to run it with my wife who is not a runner and will most likely walk a good chunk of it. But it is still 13.1 miles the day before I’m doing my first marathon and that is kinda making me nervous.