Training Talk - No Disney Race Planned for Awhile

[Keels]

Personally, I recommend beating @FFigawi down with all of your training-related questions every day and at all parts of the day! It's worked well for me!!

 

[bellrae]

Well I bit the bullet and decided to sign up for a coach. It wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be (6 months cost me less than a runDisney challenge registration! ). He has encouraged me to pick a goal race or two in the next six months, so I have signed up for a half marathon here in Australia and another in Switzerland (I was going to Europe anyway in a few months and managed to find one that worked with my dates after some serious internet sleuthing). I am pretty impressed so far, he has asked a lot of questions about my life (to work out when the best times are to set long runs and speed work and things) and he is building mileage in a way that works with being ready for both races (and respecting when I am on holidays and traveling for work and may not be able to get training in). My hope with having a coach is that I can get faster and stronger. I put so much effort into getting myself to a point where I could run 21kms (14 months ago I could barely run 200 meters without stopping!) that I didn't know where to take it from here.

I am still hoping to do W&D again this year (I really want to be able to say I have done that race, and given 2015 was my only attempt I feel I need to do it again) so hopefully these two races in the first six months of the year, with the help of the coach will give me a great POT for W&D (assuming registration is not insane again in March and I miss out!).

 

[Chaitali]

Well I bit the bullet and decided to sign up for a coach. It wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be (6 months cost me less than a runDisney challenge registration! ). He has encouraged me to pick a goal race or two in the next six months, so I have signed up for a half marathon here in Australia and another in Switzerland (I was going to Europe anyway in a few months and managed to find one that worked with my dates after some serious internet sleuthing). I am pretty impressed so far, he has asked a lot of questions about my life (to work out when the best times are to set long runs and speed work and things) and he is building mileage in a way that works with being ready for both races (and respecting when I am on holidays and traveling for work and may not be able to get training in). My hope with having a coach is that I can get faster and stronger. I put so much effort into getting myself to a point where I could run 21kms (14 months ago I could barely run 200 meters without stopping!) that I didn't know where to take it from here.

I am still hoping to do W&D again this year (I really want to be able to say I have done that race, and given 2015 was my only attempt I feel I need to do it again) so hopefully these two races in the first six months of the year, with the help of the coach will give me a great POT for W&D (assuming registration is not insane again in March and I miss out!).

I look forward to hearing about how your experience working with a coach goes! I've heard people talking about it before but I'm not sure what it really involves. How did you decide who to go with?

 

[bellrae]

Well I got the plan from the coach this time last week. It is currently all printed out and stuck on the wall. He has me doing something 4 days a week. On two days I have a short run, one day is a long run, and on the fourth I have a range of different sprint interval training to do. It is fairly structured (which I like) and I need to report key stats back to him every two weeks so that he can set goal times and distances for the upcoming workouts. So far so good, though I think I got a little complacent with the first "easy" 30 min run. When I backed up two days later to do the sprints I almost died I was in pain for days after that but hopefully it just means it is doing me good

 

[Waiting2goback]

I did the marathon this past weekend and that thread will unfortunately die down so I think I will jump in here and see how things go. I would love to the do the marathon again next year (maybe even Goofy or Dopey) but at this point it isn't definite I will be able to.

I will do a few local races again this year. I want to focus more on my cross training this year in an attempt to lose a few more pounds and to try and improve my time.

 

[afan]

I did the marathon this past weekend and that thread will unfortunately die down so I think I will jump in here and see how things go. I would love to the do the marathon again next year (maybe even Goofy or Dopey) but at this point it isn't definite I will be able to.

I will do a few local races again this year. I want to focus more on my cross training this year in an attempt to lose a few more pounds and to try and improve my time.

I'm trying to get back to the cross training while I train for a 12k. I skipped a lot of that when I trained for the 10k I did in December. When I first started going to the game in 2012 I was good about doing it all but even before I started training with any race in mind I had started slacking on cross training, mostly because I don't like how crowded the gym gets and having to wait for things. My old gym was better in that way.

 

[Anisum]

I'm bowing out for a bit after the PDC in May. The friend a run with is getting married so she won't be able to afford Disney and I only have a few more years of travelling internationally before I really settle down so for now I'm going to go back to local for a while. Maybe learn to ride a bike that's actually fitted to my body and train for a tri.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

I'm bowing out for a bit after the PDC in May. The friend a run with is getting married so she won't be able to afford Disney and I only have a few more years of travelling internationally before I really settle down so for now I'm going to go back to local for a while. Maybe learn to ride a bike that's actually fitted to my body and train for a tri.

I find that triathlon is a great way to stay healthy...my body loves having three different disciplines to train for as your muscle groups get some time to recover even though you are still training. Good luck!

 

[Waiting2goback]

I'm trying to get back to the cross training while I train for a 12k. I skipped a lot of that when I trained for the 10k I did in December. When I first started going to the game in 2012 I was good about doing it all but even before I started training with any race in mind I had started slacking on cross training, mostly because I don't like how crowded the gym gets and having to wait for things. My old gym was better in that way.

I have a gym membership but I don't go. I got it for the treadmill during the winter but I found running on the treadmill actually hurts my shins so I have just sucked up the cold temps and I have stuck to outdoors. For cross training, in the nice weather I also ride my bike, but I will be starting P90X on Monday. I may so P90X3, I'm not sure, but I will do one of them. I will also be back to tracking my calories. I didn't at all last year but I really want to lose about 20 more pounds so I need to again.

I'm bowing out for a bit after the PDC in May. The friend a run with is getting married so she won't be able to afford Disney and I only have a few more years of travelling internationally before I really settle down so for now I'm going to go back to local for a while. Maybe learn to ride a bike that's actually fitted to my body and train for a tri.

I find that triathlon is a great way to stay healthy...my body loves having three different disciplines to train for as your muscle groups get some time to recover even though you are still training. Good luck!

I would love to do a triathlon but I have never been a good swimmer so the idea of swimming a mile or more is not all that appealing. I think I would be exhausted after the first leg of the race.

 

[Chaitali]

Yeah, the swimming portion of a tri scares me too. I've been running outside with my training for the March Rock and Roll half in DC and it's been going ok but the really cold temperatures this week have made it tough. I'm still enjoying the gym for cross training with body pump. I definitely feel like I'm getting stronger and hopefully that helps with the running.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

I would love to do a triathlon but I have never been a good swimmer so the idea of swimming a mile or more is not all that appealing. I think I would be exhausted after the first leg of the race.

Yeah, the swimming portion of a tri scares me too. I've been running outside with my training for the March Rock and Roll half in DC and it's been going ok but the really cold temperatures this week have made it tough. I'm still enjoying the gym for cross training with body pump. I definitely feel like I'm getting stronger and hopefully that helps with the running.

A lot of triathlons will offer a duathlon as an option as well if you want to give multisport a try...a Du is usually a run/bike/run and is a great way to get into the sport without the anxiety of the swim

 

[wilkeliza]

Well I thought I wasn't doing a runDisney event this year haha. I ended up signing up for the Dark Side Challenge. I'm a few weeks behind in training but am starting again very soon.

 

[Chaitali]

A lot of triathlons will offer a duathlon as an option as well if you want to give multisport a try...a Du is usually a run/bike/run and is a great way to get into the sport without the anxiety of the swim

Oh, that's an interesting idea. Thanks!

Well I thought I wasn't doing a runDisney event this year haha. I ended up signing up for the Dark Side Challenge. I'm a few weeks behind in training but am starting again very soon.

So jealous! I'm thinking about that one next year. Let us know what you think of it

 

[FFigawi]

I would love to do a triathlon but I have never been a good swimmer so the idea of swimming a mile or more is not all that appealing. I think I would be exhausted after the first leg of the race.

Look into a sprint distance tri. The swim leg is usually 500-750 meters, a much more doable distance for novice swimmers than the ones required for an Olympic or half iron race.

 

[ZellyB]

I started up a training spreadsheet for 2016, so I'm using that to keep myself on track. Plus I like seeing how many miles I've logged in total by the end of the year. I'd generally like to maintain my fitness level so I can be at a fitness level for a half at any time. I love me a good spreadsheet and I find that just having a number on a spreadsheet next to a date is enough to keep me on track for the most part. We do have a half that we will likely be doing the first weekend in April, so I want to be sure I don't drop off any on my fitness during these long winter months. Come spring, I'll be starting to work toward marathon training for our local race in November. Hoping that will be the first leg in a marathon maniac qualifier.

 

[FFigawi]

I used to use a spreadsheet too! I've got several of them floating around from prior training periods. I finally moved over to Training Peaks, though. It offers Garmin upload and graphs that very helpfully display my current fitness level (or lack thereof). Plus, it allows me and my coach to schedule and discuss workouts.

 

[Waiting2goback]

A lot of triathlons will offer a duathlon as an option as well if you want to give multisport a try...a Du is usually a run/bike/run and is a great way to get into the sport without the anxiety of the swim

Look into a sprint distance tri. The swim leg is usually 500-750 meters, a much more doable distance for novice swimmers than the ones required for an Olympic or half iron race.

Sorry for all the questions. I have no problem trying one of these races. I was scared to start running too. I did it to get out of my comfort zone, so I am willing to push myself further out. One of my biggest issues is the logistics. I have nobody to help me at races. Don't you need someone to help you with watching the bike and with transitions?

 

[FFigawi]

No, you don't need anyone to watch your bike for you. All of the bikes are guarded overnight by security guards or volunteers for races where you have to check them in the day before. For those races where you check in that morning, there are volunteers watching the transition area all day long. In transition, the only help you might need is getting your wet suit off, and there are volunteers to help with that too. The rest is pretty straightforward - bike shoes on, helmet on, sunglasses on, grab bike & go. Coming back from the bike is the reverse. Rack bike, helmet off, change shoes, and go.

 

[Waiting2goback]

OK, thanks. That was my biggest concern. I live near a lake so I can just do a run in the summer to the lake, get in some swimming, then run home. I found one last year that had a 1/2 mile swim, 25 mile bike, and a 10K run if I remember correctly. I think I could do that. I may have to seriously look at that race again this year. We shall see. Thank you for the info though. Very helpful.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

No, you don't need anyone to watch your bike for you. All of the bikes are guarded overnight by security guards or volunteers for races where you have to check them in the day before. For those races where you check in that morning, there are volunteers watching the transition area all day long. In transition, the only help you might need is getting your wet suit off, and there are volunteers to help with that too. The rest is pretty straightforward - bike shoes on, helmet on, sunglasses on, grab bike & go. Coming back from the bike is the reverse. Rack bike, helmet off, change shoes, and go.

I think what you meant to say was "Rack bike, helmet off, change shoes, and run like your legs are Jello"