*Official 2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon Runners' Thread!*

[cewait]

That actually sounds like it works out well!

Something I've never even thought of.. fueling up. What is Gu??

It's a gel like substance that is about the constancy of cake icing. Mainly a mix carbohydrates with some electrolytes added in. Packages approximate 100Kcal of energy.

They are used to help keep glycogen (sugar) levels in the blood stream up during long periods of exercise. The body only has enough glycogen in the system to allow 90 minutes of hard work. Once the levels get too low, the brain starts to kick in and say stop to the body since the brain can only burn glycogen as a fuel.

So in a long duration event or training period lasting more than 90 minutes, one would start to take in gels, or other carbs around 45 minutes in and then once every 30-60 minutes. Gels are one of the better choices since it is near liquid and the GI tact has a problem with solids once the body starts to work hard. Undoubtably, you will find many responses noting the yuck factor of gel. Before giving up, try a bunch of different brands and flavors.

 

[TinyDancer]

Good to know!

I love sugar so I could probably deal with it!


I wanted to add.. the TR that I read here is what inspired me and made me realize that I wanted to do this

Dismagiclover is the Dis'er's name.

 

[VernRDH]

I once had a runner in Australia. It's simple with email and internet based services.

As far as you eating in a race, there are still work around for the full. Not as nice and easy as gel, but still there.

We tried a few things with my half training this summer, but I think I just have to get over the texture of Gu and suck it up (literally). I may try a bunch of different gels for taste and texture BEFORE I start training though.

 

[TinyDancer]

I'm going to run intervals this morning. 3 x 1 mile


Also... I got to make my ADRs this AM for my Sept trip!!

 

[cewait]

We tried a few things with my half training this summer, but I think I just have to get over the texture of Gu and suck it up (literally). I may try a bunch of different gels for taste and texture BEFORE I start training though.

While I am not a proponent of gelling before intervals, that is a great way to test a gel. Take it, a little water then hit the track or street hard.

A lot of what you face with the consistency can be overcome. Here are a couple workarounds. Take a sip of water and then the gel. Wetting the mouth first thins out the stuff. Oh, if cold, hold the gel in your hand for a bit to soften it up some. Finally, many folks just cannot take the whole gel at once. Try this. Take the half the gel at one stop, roll the top over then run to the next station and then take the remaining gel.

 

[VernRDH]

While I am not a proponent of gelling before intervals, that is a great way to test a gel. Take it, a little water then hit the track or street hard.

A lot of what you face with the consistency can be overcome. Here are a couple workarounds. Take a sip of water and then the gel. Wetting the mouth first thins out the stuff. Oh, if cold, hold the gel in your hand for a bit to soften it up some. Finally, many folks just cannot take the whole gel at once. Try this. Take the half the gel at one stop, roll the top over then run to the next station and then take the remaining gel.

Thanks for the suggestions Coach! Once I start training again in a few weeks, I will try them out.

 

[TinyDancer]

I ran my intervals this am. I did 3 one miles. My goal was 11.5-12 minute miles.

My first mile was 9:56, 2nd was 9:46, 3rd was 9:56. I did much better than I expected!

 

[pinkle]

While I am not a proponent of gelling before intervals, that is a great way to test a gel. Take it, a little water then hit the track or street hard.

A lot of what you face with the consistency can be overcome. Here are a couple workarounds. Take a sip of water and then the gel. Wetting the mouth first thins out the stuff. Oh, if cold, hold the gel in your hand for a bit to soften it up some. Finally, many folks just cannot take the whole gel at once. Try this. Take the half the gel at one stop, roll the top over then run to the next station and then take the remaining gel.

I am new to running....and I need to start training...at the moment I am only up to 5-7 km......what does the gel do and when would I use it.....I have no idea how I am going to work up to a marathon (or half!!)

 

[cewait]

I am new to running....and I need to start training...at the moment I am only up to 5-7 km......what does the gel do and when would I use it.....I have no idea how I am going to work up to a marathon (or half!!)

Carbohydrate based supplements are used to keep blood glycogen levels up during endurance events. They can range from real food like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to candies to a relatively new substance, gels. The issue with solid/real foods is that blood and liquids are shunted from the stomach during high intensity activities. So if one was running at a high end aerobic rate and ate a sandwich, the food would sit in the stomach like a lump. It would make one feel ill, but worse, it will start to pull liquids out of the stomach to start the digestion process. This creates a huge dehydration issue.

In the 1980’s a gooey bard was created – it is now called the PowerBar. In racing jargon we called it a putty bar since it had the consistency of putty. It was really a combination of different types of carbs with some electrolytes added. This works well on a bike but leaves a gooey mess in your pocket. Next were the gels. Gu is a common name, but is not the only manufacturer. Disney uses Cliff’s ClifShots.

Gels are really liquefied putty bars, or as liquid as you can get them. They have the consistence of cake icing. Again, the better brands will have 2-3 types of carbs in their formula.

So the purpose of supplementation is to keep blood glycogen level up during a longer activity. The body has a very limited supply of glycogen (sugar) in reserve. Once blood levels fall, the body will shut the activity down – this is due to the brain using sugars exclusively for fuel. So, once your activity passes 90 minutes duration one should start to look at supplementation of carbs. You can usually make 90 minutes with little issue. To process generally follows taking your first gel (or other supplement) around the 45 minute mark of activity then once again every 30-60 minutes. Note that depending on you, the first use can range from 30 minutes all the way out to 60 minutes. The subsequent use generally follows the same interval. It is all trial and trial on the exact period. You will read that folks take them after such and such distance… go by time as your pace and their pace are not the same, nor is you bod’s use of sugars. Finally, as you prepare for an event, look at the water stop intervals/locations. Start to time you gelling to the water stops in the last couple months of training. You want your training to mirror the race as much as possible. For example, I generally need to take on my first gel in the 45-50 minute range. Du to my pacing and the spread of water stops at Disney, I gel early at mile 4. I would regularly gel at mile 6 given the stops but the second gel occurs at a point where no water exists…

 

[mittmee mouse]

Congrats on your goal TinyDancer! I have one October baby, and I think it's the best time of year to have a baby!

I've recently set a goal of doing the Princess Half in 2012. One of my friends (and fellow DISer) is doing it with me. I'm really nervous but also excited about it. I used to run regularly for fitness, never racing, through my first pregnancy, but since having 3 kids in 4 years, my running days have been few and far between.

Any advice on how to get started training for my first race? I know I have until next Feb, but I've never even run in a 5k (I used to run consistently 3-5 miles for fun/fitness.) I appreciate all the advice already given! Any websites that someone could recommend?

 

[Kurby]

we're planning on being there that month anyways and dh just texted me this morning saying he wants to do it (he's done 10 wdw marathons) but i'm not sure if it's going to end up being the day we leave.

anyone know what the dates will be?


would it be really bad to have dh run the marathon then only a few hours later head off to the airport?

we're planning a trip from Dec 27th to Jan 13th but was planning for a late flight that day anyways

 

[cewait]

Congrats on your goal TinyDancer! I have one October baby, and I think it's the best time of year to have a baby!

I've recently set a goal of doing the Princess Half in 2012. One of my friends (and fellow DISer) is doing it with me. I'm really nervous but also excited about it. I used to run regularly for fitness, never racing, through my first pregnancy, but since having 3 kids in 4 years, my running days have been few and far between.

Any advice on how to get started training for my first race? I know I have until next Feb, but I've never even run in a 5k (I used to run consistently 3-5 miles for fun/fitness.) I appreciate all the advice already given! Any websites that someone could recommend?

If you are not running the couch to 5k plan is a good start. Also look at marathoning for mortals and Jeff Galloway’s books and websites for lots of help.

The best thing I will offer in general is to get out and just start. Start with a run/walk method of running where you run a minute then walk a minute. Try to go 30 minutes the first day/week. Run 3-4 times a week. Many plans will have you out the door more, but it is a ticket to injury or burnout if not careful.

Get a new pair of shoes and track the miles. Go to a running store for the shoes so you get the best fit you can. Also, running shoes are for running, avoid using them for knock around shoes until you retire them.

Not mandatory up front, but looking into dry-release tech fabrics for running. Avoid cotton. Again, in the first few weeks not important but will soon be as temperatures increase.

Most important !!! Have fun. This is not a job, nor a mandatory I got to do this activity. There will be days when you just do not want to run. Make a pact with yourself now for when one of those days comes… get out the door anyway and run for at least 15 minutes. Then if you still do not want to train, head to the shower. Almost gurenteed that you will make the run once you get warmed up.

 

[cewait]

.....
anyone know what the dates will be?


would it be really bad to have dh run the marathon then only a few hours later head off to the airport?

we're planning a trip from Dec 27th to Jan 13th but was planning for a late flight that day anyways

12th and 13th; unless Disney does something different than historical dates

 

[FireDancer]

Hello everyone!!

I realize that January '13 may seem like a long way off from NOW.. but I simply will not be able to run the '12 Marathon (I'm having a baby Oct '11, see what I mean?) so I am planning on 2013. I have a few people that are willing to join in with me on this journey. My mom, sister, aunt, two cousins, and several friends. I believe there will be 10 of us in all.

We have all just started training and running local 5ks. I love it.. well, I hated it at first but now that I CAN run three miles without stopping, I love it.

So, is anyone else already planning on the full or half in 2013?

Don't sell yourself short. Kara Goucher had a kid in October and finished 2nd overall in the Rock N Roll Arizona half so anything is possible. Just kidding, I think being an Olympic athlete might have had something to do with it.

Baring a real change in circumstances I am out for 2012 but for 2013 I might find someone to do the relay since I don't have that medal yet. I anticipate doing the Wine & Dine or the new race they are announcing before doing the full or half in January again.

Good luck though. You have plenty of time to get up to the distance and Coach Charles has a lot of good info.

 

[johde]

If you are not running the couch to 5k plan is a good start. Also look at marathoning for mortals and Jeff Galloway’s books and websites for lots of help.

The best thing I will offer in general is to get out and just start. Start with a run/walk method of running where you run a minute then walk a minute. Try to go 30 minutes the first day/week. Run 3-4 times a week. Many plans will have you out the door more, but it is a ticket to injury or burnout if not careful.

Get a new pair of shoes and track the miles. Go to a running store for the shoes so you get the best fit you can. Also, running shoes are for running, avoid using them for knock around shoes until you retire them.

Not mandatory up front, but looking into dry-release tech fabrics for running. Avoid cotton. Again, in the first few weeks not important but will soon be as temperatures increase.

Most important !!! Have fun. This is not a job, nor a mandatory I got to do this activity. There will be days when you just do not want to run. Make a pact with yourself now for when one of those days comes… get out the door anyway and run for at least 15 minutes. Then if you still do not want to train, head to the shower. Almost gurenteed that you will make the run once you get warmed up.

Great advice Charles. I can only think of a couple of additional piece of advice that I've picked up as a beginner myself.

First, don't race your training runs. Most of your training should be at a "conversational pace". This is especially true on your long days. You need to go at goal pace or faster only occationally. When I first started, I wanted to know if each time out was faster than the last one. Going fast all the time can lead to injury.

Second, in additional to tracking shoe mileage, I would keep a training log. I didn't start doing this until I got my Garmin last April, so I'm missing almost a years worth of data as a walker. There are plenty of good websites and software you can use that are free. A notebook would also work fine. It's good to be able to look back and see where you came from.

For people looking at the full marathon in 2013, I would consider a half marathon this fall or next spring, if not both. I've done 2 half marathon and my third is in 2 week. I'm just now beggining to think about increasing my mileage above 13 miles. You want to give your body time to adjust to the higher mileage.

You mentioned the most important thing. Having fun.

 

[cewait]

great advice charles. I can only think of a couple of additional piece of advice that i've picked up as a beginner myself.

First, don't race your training runs. Most of your training should be at a "conversational pace". This is especially true on your long days. You need to go at goal pace or faster only occationally. When i first started, i wanted to know if each time out was faster than the last one. Going fast all the time can lead to injury.

Second, in additional to tracking shoe mileage, i would keep a training log. I didn't start doing this until i got my garmin last april, so i'm missing almost a years worth of data as a walker. There are plenty of good websites and software you can use that are free. A notebook would also work fine. It's good to be able to look back and see where you came from.

For people looking at the full marathon in 2013, i would consider a half marathon this fall or next spring, if not both. I've done 2 half marathon and my third is in 2 week. I'm just now beggining to think about increasing my mileage above 13 miles. You want to give your body time to adjust to the higher mileage.

You mentioned the most important thing. Having fun.

exactly

 

[TinyDancer]

Congrats on your goal TinyDancer! I have one October baby, and I think it's the best time of year to have a baby!

I've recently set a goal of doing the Princess Half in 2012. One of my friends (and fellow DISer) is doing it with me. I'm really nervous but also excited about it. I used to run regularly for fitness, never racing, through my first pregnancy, but since having 3 kids in 4 years, my running days have been few and far between.

Any advice on how to get started training for my first race? I know I have until next Feb, but I've never even run in a 5k (I used to run consistently 3-5 miles for fun/fitness.) I appreciate all the advice already given! Any websites that someone could recommend?

Thanks! This will be my 2nd October baby!

GL in the Princess Half! I would love to do a half marathon in '12 before I do the full in '13. I think that will be my goal!

I love this thread already, there is so much knowledge and information here!

 

[TinyDancer]

Well.. I've decided to do the Food & Wine half in 2012!!


Will someone fill me in on this race?

 

[neptunerain]

Found you!!!

 

[TinyDancer]

Found you!!!

Yay!

Yesterday I ran a little over 3 miles and the first mile was uphill! That was killer and I had to walk quite a bit.. but the run back down the hill was nice!

This evening I'm running at least 3 miles, possibly more.