Hoping to eventually Run Disney (comments welcome)

[Jennyonecoin]

Hi, I’m an (old) and (new) runner. I ran cross country and track (800, 1600 and 3200) in high school. Was never very fast but l did ok. Ran with a local running club for a few years in high school as well. Was running 6:30-7:00 miles when l was “in shape”

fast forward… 3 kids, 48 years old. Kept up with (mostly) walking and occasionally trained for a race (usually 5k or 10k) if friends were running but never trained seriously enough. Generally gave up and went back to walking only as soon as the race was over.

this past year I’ve lost about 40# and had been consistently walking 3-4 miles 5-7 days a week at a comfortable pace.

my biggest hurdle is feeling guilty about the time I’m spending away from my family to run and or to race. I’ve got three busy, active boys ages 15, 13 and 11. They are all into sports, Boy Scouts,clubs, etc. and none of them drive so I’m always running them somewhere. I also work 2-4 days a week as a nurse and my shifts are 8-12 hours.

the weight loss, coupled with the fact that my oldest son joined cross country this year, renewed my interest in running.

in addition to my 3-4 mile walks on my “off” days I’ve started using the “running with Hal” app and am currently set for the Akron 1/2 Marathon on 9/25 and two possible 10ks in October.

so far I’ve follow Hal’s plan almost exactly (and ccasionslly switching a day here or there but completing the daily activity) with a goal not to get swept for my first ever 1/2 in September. I’m not fast (1130-1500 miles) but I’m out there.
I’d love to eventually do a marathon weekend or princess weekend at Disney!

 

[jmasgat]

Welcome to the "no guilt" zone Think of the example you are setting for your kids--you are taking the time to make sure you become/stay fit and healthy. More importantly, think of yourself and what you need to do for you. You are getting back to something that you can do after your kids are grown. I say this as a person who didn't take up running (at all) until the year I turned 50.

I hope your family supports your effort--they really should be proud of what you are doing.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

I’m not a runner because of knee issues but I do like to play golf. Running and golf have things in common. You don’t need to be an expert to enjoy it, you can enjoy it by yourself or with a partner, it’s a great way to get outside and get away daily troubles for a while. I always feel better after I play a round of golf no matter how bad my score. Don’t feel guilty for doing something for you. Taking care of yourself now will make life more enjoyable in the future.

 

[Jennyonecoin]

Thank you both!
My family kind-of supports me. My husband is overweight and not active at all. He doesn’t mind me running but l would expect him to think l was crazy if l told him l wanted to go to Disney to run a race lol. My 1/2 marathon is the same day as a cross country race for my oldest as well as a football game for my youngest and l imagine he won’t be super thrilled I’ll be gone for part of the day (and l feel sort of bad to miss my sons race but l likely won’t miss any others all season)

my oldest and youngest (both super fit athletes, especially my youngest) are very encouraging. The “good job, mom” l hear from them when they see me come home from a run or compliment my weight loss means the world to me. I know they are proud of me.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Hi, I’m an (old) and (new) runner. I ran cross country and track (800, 1600 and 3200) in high school. Was never very fast but l did ok. Ran with a local running club for a few years in high school as well. Was running 6:30-7:00 miles when l was “in shape”

fast forward… 3 kids, 48 years old. Kept up with (mostly) walking and occasionally trained for a race (usually 5k or 10k) if friends were running but never trained seriously enough. Generally gave up and went back to walking only as soon as the race was over.

this past year I’ve lost about 40# and had been consistently walking 3-4 miles 5-7 days a week at a comfortable pace.

my biggest hurdle is feeling guilty about the time I’m spending away from my family to run and or to race. I’ve got three busy, active boys ages 15, 13 and 11. They are all into sports, Boy Scouts,clubs, etc. and none of them drive so I’m always running them somewhere. I also work 2-4 days a week as a nurse and my shifts are 8-12 hours.

the weight loss, coupled with the fact that my oldest son joined cross country this year, renewed my interest in running.

in addition to my 3-4 mile walks on my “off” days I’ve started using the “running with Hal” app and am currently set for the Akron 1/2 Marathon on 9/25 and two possible 10ks in October.

so far I’ve follow Hal’s plan almost exactly (and ccasionslly switching a day here or there but completing the daily activity) with a goal not to get swept for my first ever 1/2 in September. I’m not fast (1130-1500 miles) but I’m out there.
I’d love to eventually do a marathon weekend or princess weekend at Disney!

Kudos on the training and the weight loss. I did a brisk walk the other afternoon and found that my pace was right around 15 min/mile, so if you can do at least 25% run of the run/walk mix, you should have no worry about being swept.
I hear you on the time, but as I told my sons, I'm doing this so that I can be healthy and continue to keep up with them. And kids do notice (not that they'll say it) when their parent is still active with them and other parents aren't. Stay on it and get signed up for a Disney run. It is truly a fun place to run.

 

[Jennyonecoin]

Thank you! I can run/walk at that pace right now for 12 miles, l think…. It’s just that little fear creeping in.

l appreciate all of the encouragement from everyone. Another day of my run with Hal app down yesterday. Today is a simulated 5k, so hopefully I’ll have a better idea on pacing after tonight’s run.

 

[Naomeri]

Thank you! I can run/walk at that pace right now for 12 miles, l think…. It’s just that little fear creeping in.

l appreciate all of the encouragement from everyone. Another day of my run with Hal app down yesterday. Today is a simulated 5k, so hopefully I’ll have a better idea on pacing after tonight’s run.

Wow! 12 miles?? That’s awesome! I just started training for Disney a couple weeks ago, and my longest is 4 miles so far. Good job and welcome to our section of the DisBoards!

 

[Jennyonecoin]

Wow! 12 miles?? That’s awesome! I just started training for Disney a couple weeks ago, and my longest is 4 miles so far. Good job and welcome to our section of the DisBoards!

Thank you! I was already walking 3-4 miles 5-7 days a week at around a 17-19 minute pace. I’d been doing that for months now.
The farthest I’ve sustained a running pace is about 5 miles but l could go farther, especially if l slowed down. I’m order to not get swept, l have to maintain a pace of 16:00 mile or less. I’m sort-of confident l could do that now, if l had to

 

[Jennyonecoin]

Week 2 of Hal’s 1/2 marathon plan completed and Hal gives me a B+! I changed one day last week from and off day to a run day then switched my run day to an off day but kept the same distance/plan… l guess that’s not good enough for Hal ….

onward and upward to week 3 with the 1/2 marathon less than 50 days away now. I am registered/paid now so it’s my motivation to keep up with my training… l hate to waste money lol

 

[Jennyonecoin]

Recovery run today. Tried out my new new balance. Feet felt great. Also tried out my leg compression sleeves and really liked those as well. Figured I’d try them on a short, slow day so if l didn’t like them l wouldn’t be stuck suffering on a long run.

 

[Jennyonecoin]

This is a longer weekend. 4 yesterday-done, 4 today, 7 Sunday and 4 Monday. Might be a challenge on Monday because of orientation for all 3 boys. Does anyone suggest moving that run to Tuesday? Tuesday is supposed to be an off day. How much difference does that make?

 

[jmasgat]

This is a longer weekend. 4 yesterday-done, 4 today, 7 Sunday and 4 Monday. Might be a challenge on Monday because of orientation for all 3 boys. Does anyone suggest moving that run to Tuesday? Tuesday is supposed to be an off day. How much difference does that make?

I move runs around in my plan when I need to. It's not too bad to move an easy run to a different day, what you want to watch for is moving hard runs (tempo, speedwork, etc) so that they end up back-to-back, or without proper rest afterwards. Also, don't want to have too many run days in a row without a break. But in this case you are switching with a rest day, so depending on rest of the week schedule it may not be a problem.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I'm not the one to help with your training plan question, but I did want to chime in and let you know that I'm another "someday at Disney" runner. If your family is anything like mine, they will support your desire to run in the most magical place on earth even if they aren't all about running themselves. We were planning for this year and then next year, but now we are waiting out the craziness of the pandemic and the 50th anniversary.

 

[Jennyonecoin]

I move runs around in my plan when I need to. It's not too bad to move an easy run to a different day, what you want to watch for is moving hard runs (tempo, speedwork, etc) so that they end up back-to-back, or without proper rest afterwards. Also, don't want to have too many run days in a row without a break. But in this case you are switching with a rest day, so depending on rest of the week schedule it may not be a problem.

thank you. I don’t want to skip so l think this will work. I appreciate the advice!

 

[Jennyonecoin]

I'm not the one to help with your training plan question, but I did want to chime in and let you know that I'm another "someday at Disney" runner. If your family is anything like mine, they will support your desire to run in the most magical place on earth even if they aren't all about running themselves. We were planning for this year and then next year, but now we are waiting out the craziness of the pandemic and the 50th anniversary.
[/QUOT
Thanks! I’m looking at MW 2023. By then, my oldest (cross country runner) should be able to do the 1/2….. my family all loves Disney, so I’m sure they wouldn’t mind tagging along.

 

[Jennyonecoin]

Completed my first long run today, 7 miles. Had to walk 4x for about 30-40 seconds each time. I ran when it was super hot/humid. Finished with about a 14:00/mile pace overall.

at mile 5, when l had looped back towards home and l was hot, tired and wanted to quit my oldest son (who runs cross country) met me at the end of my driveway with a bottle of water. He said “pick it up, ma!” And that kept me going to finish the 7 miles….

 

[Jennyonecoin]

Dopeybadger, tell me more about running to stay in the fat burning/glycogen zone. I’ve lost 40+# but would like to lose 15 more. I think l understand where l need to train to use fat for energy but l want to be certain. Thank you!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Dopeybadger, tell me more about running to stay in the fat burning/glycogen zone. I’ve lost 40+# but would like to lose 15 more. I think l understand where l need to train to use fat for energy but l want to be certain. Thank you!

In my view, it is very difficult to pair running to lose weight and running to make gains in fitness with the expressed purpose of getting faster. Depending on when the "A" race goal is, you may be better off choosing one or the other for each individual training cycle. Because as the mileage increases you need to be fueling the training properly. And sometimes that disagrees with weight loss goals instead of weight maintaining goals.

I've personally walked that tightrope before. Some times everything goes fine, and other times I end up injured possibly because of those choices. So keep that in mind when balancing the two.

I don't specifically train to be in the fat burning/glycogen zone. Rather I train slow in order to race fast. That's not to say that those two things don't overlap to some degree. This post covers many of the same ideas:

What do you use for your running fuel? Carbs, yum, yum, yum! My scientific strategy!



This graph from Ben Rapoport's paper is probably most relevant. It is the % use of fat or carbs as it relates to intensity of exercise expressed as a percentage of VO2max. So the slower you run relative to VO2max the more fat is used as the primary source of fuel. The faster you get, the more carbs is used as a source of fuel.

Rapoport BI. Metabolic factors limiting performance in marathon runners. PLoS Comput Biol. 2010 Oct 21;6(10):e1000960. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000960. PubMed PMID: 20975938; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2958805.

I remember reading/listening to a podcast on Runner's Connect years ago that showed that the relationship above is moveable. And can be moved in as little as two weeks. But I didn't save the link so I can't recollect the exact information.

As a point of reference, these are common distances as they relate to % VO2max per Billat's paper "Interval Training for Performance: A Scientific and Empirical Practice".




So Rapoport's paper says the Fat/Carb cutpoint is 67.5% VO2max, and Billat's paper says Marathon velocity is 75-80% vVO2max. So you can see in order to use fat as a primary fuel source, you would need to be slower than marathon tempo as described by Billat. So the 67.5% area is probably in the area that I describe as LR pace or easy pace. Something like M Tempo + 9-20%.

One thing that some people do to expressly work the fat burning zone is glycogen depletion training. This can be very very tricky. It's not something I recommend unless you've exhausted other options as a means to get faster.

Not sure if that answered your question exactly.

 

[Jennyonecoin]

In my view, it is very difficult to pair running to lose weight and running to make gains in fitness with the expressed purpose of getting faster. Depending on when the "A" race goal is, you may be better off choosing one or the other for each individual training cycle. Because as the mileage increases you need to be fueling the training properly. And sometimes that disagrees with weight loss goals instead of weight maintaining goals.

I've personally walked that tightrope before. Some times everything goes fine, and other times I end up injured possibly because of those choices. So keep that in mind when balancing the two.

I don't specifically train to be in the fat burning/glycogen zone. Rather I train slow in order to race fast. That's not to say that those two things don't overlap to some degree. This post covers many of the same ideas:

What do you use for your running fuel? Carbs, yum, yum, yum! My scientific strategy!

View attachment 597599

This graph from Ben Rapoport's paper is probably most relevant. It is the % use of fat or carbs as it relates to intensity of exercise expressed as a percentage of VO2max. So the slower you run relative to VO2max the more fat is used as the primary source of fuel. The faster you get, the more carbs is used as a source of fuel.

Rapoport BI. Metabolic factors limiting performance in marathon runners. PLoS Comput Biol. 2010 Oct 21;6(10):e1000960. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000960. PubMed PMID: 20975938; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2958805.

I remember reading/listening to a podcast on Runner's Connect years ago that showed that the relationship above is moveable. And can be moved in as little as two weeks. But I didn't save the link so I can't recollect the exact information.

As a point of reference, these are common distances as they relate to % VO2max per Billat's paper "Interval Training for Performance: A Scientific and Empirical Practice".

View attachment 597601


So Rapoport's paper says the Fat/Carb cutpoint is 67.5% VO2max, and Billat's paper says Marathon velocity is 75-80% vVO2max. So you can see in order to use fat as a primary fuel source, you would need to be slower than marathon tempo as described by Billat. So the 67.5% area is probably in the area that I describe as LR pace or easy pace. Something like M Tempo + 9-20%.

One thing that some people do to expressly work the fat burning zone is glycogen depletion training. This can be very very tricky. It's not something I recommend unless you've exhausted other options as a means to get faster.

Not sure if that answered your question exactly.

thank you! It did. I’m not sure my express purpose is to get faster, at this stage in my life. I’m running more for fun and fitness, with a goal to complete races, not necessarily quickly.

I’m definitely in the run slower to get faster mode.. more so out of necessity as I’m no longer fast. Back in my younger days when l could run a 6:30 mile, getting faster may have been a concern. Now l just basically want to be out there and be able to finish races without keeling over (kidding-sort of).
I’m running for overall health and enjoyment more than anything.

 

[DopeyBadger]

thank you! It did. I’m not sure my express purpose is to get faster, at this stage in my life. I’m running more for fun and fitness, with a goal to complete races, not necessarily quickly.

I’m definitely in the run slower to get faster mode.. more so out of necessity as I’m no longer fast. Back in my younger days when l could run a 6:30 mile, getting faster may have been a concern. Now l just basically want to be out there and be able to finish races without keeling over (kidding-sort of).
I’m running for overall health and enjoyment more than anything.

Fair enough. Then I think a combo of mostly very slow running (relative to your current fitness) and HIIT running will yield the results you're looking for. That combo has been shown to be the most fruitful towards your goal of weight loss, more than steady state tempo pacing.