I won't give in till I reach the end... and then I'll start again (comments welcome)

[azrivest]

I was going to write this morning about how miserable December has been up here. We've had about 4 inches of snow since Saturday and today is forecasted to be 2 inches of rain. But I went for a run this morning and it wasn't that bad. Temps were over the freezing mark so not that cold and I ran mostly on asphalt and not much ice. I'll take that as a win.

I would appreciate any encouragements or advice for my 16-mile run, including 6 miles at goal marathon pace, planned for Sunday. Temps are forecasted to be in the low 10s (-11C) Sunday morning (it should warm up to mid 20s in the afternoon, but DD has her last cheer practice before the xmas break) and I don't know how easily I can find stretches of clear roads. I will probably not be able to hit my planned long run pace at all. Do I stick with the distance or the equivalent time?

I just cannot fathom doing that run on the treadmill. I just can't

 

[The Expert]

I was going to write this morning about how miserable December has been up here. We've had about 4 inches of snow since Saturday and today is forecasted to be 2 inches of rain. But I went for a run this morning and it wasn't that bad. Temps were over the freezing mark so not that cold and I ran mostly on asphalt and not much ice. I'll take that as a win.

I would appreciate any encouragements or advice for my 16-mile run, including 6 miles at goal marathon pace, planned for Sunday. Temps are forecasted to be in the low 10s (-11C) Sunday morning (it should warm up to mid 20s in the afternoon, but DD has her last cheer practice before the xmas break) and I don't know how easily I can find stretches of clear roads. I will probably not be able to hit my planned long run pace at all. Do I stick with the distance or the equivalent time?

I just cannot fathom doing that run on the treadmill. I just can't

I was about to say "hey, that's our weather too!" and then I remembered you're just up the road! For your long run, could you find a safe, short loop to do the 6 miles outside, then tackle the rest on the treadmill? I do a lot of long runs on the tread and I just turn on sports, binge a guilty pleasure series, or watch Christmas movies and zone out. Not ideal, but better to be safe and not injure yourself a month out from the race.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Time and effort. So if conditions are bad, pace will slow, but effort remains the same, then equivalent time is roughly the same workout. Just be mindful of cutting any CD short if you work up a sweat after the tempo miles.

 

[jmasgat]

I just cannot fathom doing that run on the treadmill. I just can't

I get it. I have done 15 miles on TM at the gym. My strategy was to break it up into 3 5-mile runs and switch TM in between. Obviously you have just one, but if you are forced to do that, maybe you could find some discrete chunks that work for you.

For times when the road conditions have not been great, as @DopeyBadger points out, I have just slowed down and run for rough time.

 

[azrivest]

I get it. I have done 15 miles on TM at the gym. My strategy was to break it up into 3 5-mile runs and switch TM in between. Obviously you have just one, but if you are forced to do that, maybe you could find some discrete chunks that work for you.

For times when the road conditions have not been great, as @DopeyBadger points out, I have just slowed down and run for rough time.

I've thought about seriously getting a gym membership only for the next 2-3 weeks, to be able to run somewhere that isn't my basement.

Did no one mind that you did a 15-mile run at the gym? I would be afraid that they'd tell me I've been there too long.

 

[jmasgat]

I've thought about seriously getting a gym membership only for the next 2-3 weeks, to be able to run somewhere that isn't my basement.

Did no one mind that you did a 15-mile run at the gym? I would be afraid that they'd tell me I've been there too long.

The gym had 10-ish treadmills, so I was only on any given treadmill for 5 miles. And the TM were very rarely at 100% utilization. Never had a problem in all the time I had my membership with my runs, could be cause I was always there in the mornings.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I've thought about seriously getting a gym membership only for the next 2-3 weeks, to be able to run somewhere that isn't my basement.

Did no one mind that you did a 15-mile run at the gym? I would be afraid that they'd tell me I've been there too long.

Nope. Don't do that! Unless it's a gym that has rules about being on certain equipment for too long. You are allowed to use stuff!

 

[azrivest]

I'm getting there! I won't be 100% trained, but I feel I've done enough to at least finish my marathon on Jan 12th

Only thing is I am really falling off the strength training wagon, except for the occasional 10-minute band exercise from RunFitMama. My ankle has improved a lot, which I believe is because I've switched over to my winter GTX running shoes. My regular shoes might be getting too worn out...

Week of December 2nd:
Mon - Strength
Tues - 67 minute run
Wed - Strength
Thur - Pushed my goal pace run to the next day as I had a dentist appt and we had about 4 inches of snow. Did a very slow 40 minute run in which I fell on the ice twice.
Fri - Plan had me doing 8 miles at Goal Marathon Pace. Only managed 6k total. I did what I could that day. Had my office xmas party that evening.
Sat - Strength + 90 minute thirds progression run. Amazing I managed to do it all considering I partied pretty hard the night before.
Sun - 40 minute run

Week of December 9th:
Mon - Strength
Tue - 35 minute run on the dreadmill, since we had freezing rain overnight.
Wed - 32 minute run
Thu - Yasso 800s: I did it. Can't believe I managed 8 repeats. Temps went up high enough that the freezing rain melted.
Fri - 52 minute run on the dreadmill watching Survivor 47.
Sat - DD had her first cheer comp of the season so very high stress and very little sleep meant no running whatsoever that day. They finished 5/8 in their division and were 2 points away from the podium. Their best result ever. Cheer moms were elated.
Sun - 15 miles/3h00 with the last 7k at GMP. I went outside and did it, with the -10C/14F temp. Gave myself grace to stop when it became too much, with the cold and the exhaustion of the previous day. First hour with the sun in my face felt great. Second hour with the wind in my face felt cold. Last hour felt terrible.

We still have 4 weeks until the marathon. I have an 18-miler on the 22nd and a 14-miler on the 29th. It's predicted to be even colder on this Sunday. Silver lining is that kids get off school on Friday, which means I'll have much more flexibility with my schedule. I might push my long runs around a bit to find better weather.

Who ever said marathon training was hard? Easy peasy.

 

[GollyGadget]

Sorry you're also dealing with this crummy weather. We've had a few cold days but it's been the precipitation that's kept me inside more than I would like.

 

[azrivest]

Peak week is over! Yay!

Coldest week of the season so far! Boo!

Week of December 16th:
Tue - 37 + 35 minute run & Yoga & Strength.
It was raining and there were icy patches on the ground. I did half my run outside, which wasn't unpleasant except that I was soaked. Then watched an episode of the Mandalorian on the treadmill.
Wed - 32 minute run.
Temps were still above freezing, a win!
Thu - 12 miles at GMP
Roads iced up overnight. I had a 1-mile stretch near my house that was on asphalt. Went up and down that stretch 5 times for 10 total miles.
Sat - Very slow and very icy 45 minute run with my running group. My only goal was to not fall and hurt myself.
Sun - 17.72 miles/3h30
Like the week before, I went outside and did it. Garmin is telling me it was 6.8F with a feels like of -4F. I feel like such a bad... I'm glad I checked off that 18 mile run for marathon weekend, now I mentally feel ready.

At the end of my run, I noticed my shoes were dirty, which is habitual with the grime and calcium of winter running. Then I realized it was blood from my toenail digging into my other toe. Anybody know how to wash running shoes?

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Peak week is over! Yay!

Coldest week of the season so far! Boo!

Week of December 16th:
Tue - 37 + 35 minute run & Yoga & Strength.
It was raining and there were icy patches on the ground. I did half my run outside, which wasn't unpleasant except that I was soaked. Then watched an episode of the Mandalorian on the treadmill.
Wed - 32 minute run.
Temps were still above freezing, a win!
Thu - 12 miles at GMP
Roads iced up overnight. I had a 1-mile stretch near my house that was on asphalt. Went up and down that stretch 5 times for 10 total miles.
Sat - Very slow and very icy 45 minute run with my running group. My only goal was to not fall and hurt myself.
Sun - 17.72 miles/3h30
Like the week before, I went outside and did it. Garmin is telling me it was 6.8F with a feels like of -4F. I feel like such a bad... I'm glad I checked off that 18 mile run for marathon weekend, now I mentally feel ready.

At the end of my run, I noticed my shoes were dirty, which is habitual with the grime and calcium of winter running. Then I realized it was blood from my toenail digging into my other toe. Anybody know how to wash running shoes?

This is why all my threats to move to Canada are spurious

 

[The Expert]

Ouch! Sorry about your toe. I guess better to catch that now than during a race?? As for cleaning, I'd try hydrogen peroxide or vinegar/water mixture.

 

[azrivest]

Reading the marathon weekend thread... I'm relieved I opted to do those cold weather runs outside in the last three weeks. Temps in the 30s are going to be fine after running in negative feels like. Sorry for all the warm blooded folk on the forum, but it makes the last few weeks so much more validating for me. I wasn't completely crazy for doing this, as my husband sometimes implies.

Week of December 23rd:
Tue - Slow 60 minute run on the tread.
We had a few inches of snow overnight and roads weren't well plowed in the morning.
Wed - took xmas day off
Thu - 70 minute uphill/downhill workout
Didn't quite hit my expected paces with the snowy hills.
Fri - 40 minute run
It was 15 degrees out. Not so bad.
Sat - 12.5 miles/2h35
This was supposed to be 14 miles with 6 miles at GMP but conditions were terrible. Garmin is telling me it was 15 degrees with a feels like of 7. I was much slower than usual. Chose to end my run after 2h30 since Billy said to go by effort.

I've been feeling quite bad physically after my long run, kinda like the feeling you get when a cold is coming on. If I'm going to be sick, better now than in 12 days!! I think I also squeezed a nerve, my sciatic nerve feels irritated. I chose to take today off as well. Is this taper madness already?

 

[azrivest]

The hay is in the barn for me now, for real. I don't want to run another meter until I'm on property.

I didn't run Sunday because I could barely walk, my hip was hurting so bad. I felt sure it was sciatica since the pain really felt like somebody pinching a nerve. I know it's taper time so it isn't about building fitness. But I felt so anxious about the pain and thinking I wouldn't be able to run a whole marathon that I went anyway.

Week of December 30th:
Mon - Temps went all the way up to mid 40s. I could not not go run even if my leg hurt. My 60-80 minute run turned into a slow 36 minute jog. My gait was too impacted.
Tue - Again, had trouble walking. Went for a few walks with the family and the dog to make my leg move. And to get the Garmin New Year's Eve badge. Also did a good 20 minute strength workout to work my hamstrings.
Wed - Family did a 1h30 hike in the mountain for New Year's Day.
Thu - Another good strength workout to work my hamstrings. I have now been not running for 3 days because of my leg and am panicking.
Fri - Decided to try my planned Thursday workout: 3 x 1600 meters with 3 minutes recovery jog followed by 3 times 200 meters with 200 meter recovery jog
I managed to barely hit my paces for the 1600m intervals. My leg felt stiff but okay. I stopped my watch for the 200m strides, there was no way my stiff leg was going to run fast.

Had an appt with my osteopath that evening and she said it was probably more my hamstring than the actual sciatic nerve. That appt did so much good.

Sat - Another good strength workout to work my hamstrings followed by 20 minutes of theragun therapy. Then did 40 minutes on the treadmill alternating long walking intervals with short running intervals.
Sun - My leg felt much better today. Tried my planned run: 12 miles with the last 6 miles at Goal Marathon Pace or faster. Was able to do 6 miles, go inside to warm up and change my leggings and finish 3.66 at GMP
Garmin is telling me it was 9F with a feels like of -5F. I was so cold, especially the first hour. Marathon weekend is going to feel like spring compared to this.

I'm glad I was able to get some runs in, especially today's. I've been starting to feel nervous. Doing a 2 hour run gave me a semblance of confidence back. I should probably have rested more than I did. But it felt good knowing I could do the miles at GMP and not push too hard.

I have no intention of running until I get to WDW to let my hamstring rest. I don't think I should do any more strength training either, right @WillRunForPizza ? My plan has this instruction "We'll avoid strength training in race week. We want all our energy stored up for the race itself. Instead, focus on your mobility work, relaxation and visualization."

ETA; I feel like I'm in a good place right now. My post might have seemed defeated, but I'm actually happy that my leg is starting to recover and I'm confident I'll be able to run the marathon. Sorry if I appeared too negative.

 

[nancipants]

Great job on all your training and I hope we get to say hello before the marathon!

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Glad you're feeling better! Hopefully you continue to improve!

I don't think I should do any more strength training either, right @WillRunForPizza ?

It is definitely okay to skip strength training during race week. Bodyweight strength and/or mobility is good too if you want some kind of stimulus.

 

[GollyGadget]

Glad your leg is feeling better. I was very worried when I started reading your post. Recovery is the most important thing right now so just try to keep the cats out of the barn.

 

[azrivest]

2025 WDW Marathon race report, in which I realize I am really bad at racing smart.

I finished! And that's what matters.

My goal for the marathon was to shoot for sub-5, knowing it was going to be hard and giving myself grace to try for anything between 5 - 5:15 if it got too hard. I got appropriately placed in corral C and funny enough, started in the corral right next to the 5h pace group. So I decided to follow them as best as I could. It wasn't always easy since it was a big group, but I managed pretty well until Magic Kingdom. Even in the crowded Grand Flo walkway.

MK went by in a flash since I was on pace. My brain was starting to wonder if this was all worth it. I had to distance myself from the group for the castle picture and then hurry to catch up. Why was I doing this? Isn't a marathon at WDW supposed to be fun, at least for a marathon? But I kept up anyway and managed as well as I could to stay on pace. And I got a great pic


Then when we were leaving the Contemporary, it all fell apart. That hamstring that I injured two weeks before started to hurt. I was falling further and further behind from the pace group. I knew I wouldn't hit that sub 5. I texted my husband "Well I won't succeed in sub 5 so I might as well have fun". Took my first character pic:


After those lovely TTC/parking lot miles, we hit Star Wars alley and unlike others, I really did not like it. After sunrise, it was basically smoke and a Darth Vader pic. At least I knew i was further into the race than last year. In 2024, we hit the midway mark on Bear Island rd but this year we had already crossed it before. And then the road went on, and on, and on, and I was hurting more and more and I was slowing down more and more.

When the 5:15 pace group passed me, I got to my lowest point of the race. I had trained so hard for this, in spite of all my injuries.

And then, cue the angelic music, I heard my name being called about a mile or so before coming into AK and realized through my brain fog it was SheHulk. She told me she was struggling and could she run with me for a bit? Are you kidding, absolutely! I've told her this but I don't think she really knows how much she helped me at that exact moment.

You can see in the next picture we both look much happier:


Since I had decided to stop running for time and have fun, I convinced my new running partner to jump into the EE queue. It said 20 minutes at 8:17, but it was less than 10. It wasn't the smartest move for either of us, but we slowly got running again after riding the rollercoaster.

SheHulk's costume was getting recognition everywhere, whereas I was "and partner". We laughed a lot about that.

After AK, I was just concentrated on getting to the end. My hamstring/knee hurt really bad and I could feel a slight twinge from my left ankle. Basically every injury I had in this training cycle decided to say hello during the race. I had been naive enough to think I could push through the training cycle and run despite being hurt. It bit me in the behind when it counted the most, at the race.

It was really weird for me to realize that we left Blizzard Beach after mile 22. Like, barely 4 miles left and we still needed to cross HS and Epcot again?

In HS, I just spotted at the last minute the photopass photographer, who was to the side.

I know some people struggle with the last 5-10k but at that point I was fine. In the sense that everything hurt, but everything had been hurting for 8 miles at that point and I knew I was going to finish no matter what.

SheHulk was indulgent enough to let me take a few more pictures with ppl I crossed that I knew and things like that. She was great the whole race, letting me go at my pace with my intervals, even though she robably would have been much faster without me. It was so nice having someone to support me.

One last picture in front of the ball:


I stopped at the finish line to say hello to John Pelkey and get him to sign my Pelkey Running Club cap. And finally I finished my 3rd marathon:

 

[azrivest]

I am really proud of finishing this marathon. I "just" ran the marathon this year and it felt harder than Dopey. With my difficult training in crappy winter weather and all these injuries, I'm relieved I got to the finish line. I'm also happy I didn't do Dopey, since I was able to rest a bit between the 10k and the marathon. It was a smart move for me. But I ask alot of myself and I'm still disappointed I finished so far from my A-goal.

I loved my experience at Marathon Weekend. I also told my husband to take my credit card away if I talk about registering for next year Marathon training is too big a commitment in my life to do it for a 4th year in a row.

 

[SheHulk]

You are so generous Anne. Talk about cue the angelic music: I was just as happy to see you, as you were to see me, heading into Animal Kingdom! I was in a mental fog myself so not great company but we did pull it through. Meeting up with you really did make all the difference in my experience and my processing of it afterward. I hadn't noticed your Pelkey Run Club hat until you posted pics! I am glad he was at the finish and got to see you.