Beating the Pace Problem

Anyone thinking about participating in a Walt Disney World sponsored race should be aware of the pace requirements for that race.

For the 2008 WDW Half-Marathon the pace requirements call for a 16-minute/mile pace, plus 10 minutes to let all the participants cross the start line.

It’s a bit more complicated than just that.

Assuming the race starts with three waves of runners then that pace requirement indicates that it is RESET for Waves B and C.

Those in Wave C last January did not get to start the race until 6:30, some thirty minutes after the elite Wave A had taken off and 15 minutes after Wave B had started their wave.

Let me check my abacus”¦.so I guess that means that everyone has to cross the finish line no later than about 218 minutes after they had crossed the start line. That pans out to just a shade under 17 minutes per mile”¦which is better than 16 minutes per mile.

So what happens if you don’t maintain that PACE? If you happen to fall below that pace at certain check marks then you are “swept” onto a bus and taken to the finish line”¦not the way you intended to arrive at the end of the race.

But I’m not here to discourage you I’m here to let you in on a secret. You DON’T have to maintain a 16-17 minute pace to complete the race and not get swept”¦well almost.

Actually, you don’t have to maintain that pace for the ENTIRE distance but instead, just a little over 75% of the distance or over Â¾ or 10.2 miles.

There are four checkpoints to worry about in this race.

These checkpoints are listed on the half-marathon site and I’ve gathered them here for you to read.

Mile Mark: Location Description Time Allowed:
3.5 WALT DISNEY WORLD® Speedway 1:11:00
6.3 Magic Kingdom® Park Security Gate 1:56:00
8.1 Magic Kingdom® Parking Lot (Daisy) 2:25:00
10.2 World Drive Ramp to EPCOT® Center Drive 2:58:00

Once you hit that World Drive Ramp you can relax and finish the race at the comfort level that suits you.

Remember, you still have to maintain the minimum pace requirement up to that checkpoint but wouldn’t it be nice to know that once you reach that point you can stop worrying about the dreaded sweep bus?

I can tell you that there is this monster overpass you have to negotiate just before you enter EPCOT for the final mile and it will do wonders for your mind knowing you are not under any pace requirements as you make your way over this “heartbreak hill.”

Now, remember the deal with your watch? Well, let’s also point out that your watch can also serve as a very useful tool.

Your watch can play an important part in what is known as interval running or training (we’ll call it interval training) in which you adjust your pace for a certain amount of time.

For a lot of runners interval training means running for so many minutes at their regular pace and then running at a much quicker pace for another set period of time before settling back again into their normal pace.

So why not use interval training another way?

I have seen many people run the WDW half-marathon but I’ve also seen them walk the distance and even wog the distance. Wogging is a combination of jogging and walking.

It works.

I am one of those people who just can’t walk fast in a race”¦.LOL”¦I don’t run fast either but I prefer running to walking.

You don’t have to run the entire distance to cover the course in the minimum amount of time. You would be surprised as to what a training approach of a combination of walking and jogging can do for your pace.

Here is where the watch comes into play here.

If you use a combo walk and run or walk and jog approach then you need your watch to accurately time your intervals. It’s not good to guess on these snippets of time because it will really hamper your development and keep you wondering about just how much better you are getting each time out. Use the watch to help you accurately do this interval training.

When you do a combo approach like this you should gradually increase your fast pace period and decrease your slow pace period.

For instance, today you could walk six minutes and then jog two minutes and then walk five minutes and jog three minutes, and so on.

Your watch will let you know when you must switch.

After a few days you will have a good idea as to what your limits are for now and gradually adjust those limits as your conditioning allows.

Just be careful that you do not fall into the pit of trying to get too fast too soon. This is a training method in which you are really required to assess how your body reacts to the pace change. Regardless of the pace change the important thing is that you should always be comfortable.

As the days and weeks go by you should adjust very carefully and that doesn’t necessarily mean running faster but instead to gradually build up the time you do your faster pace and reduce the amount of time you spend on the slower pace.

You will be amazed as to how quickly your overall pace will improve and it will give you the confidence you need to tackle any distance knowing that your stamina is there and that your pace is more than adequate to meet the pace requirements

Now let’s get back to the WDW pace requirements. You know what they are and you now know where the checkpoints are.

You have just over six months to use this information to your advantage.

Perhaps for the next month or two you can focus on the first checkpoint distance and shoot to build up your stamina to reach that distance in the allotted time.

Once you have mastered that distance you should then shoot for the next checkpoint and so on.

Once you are confident that you can reach that final checkpoint distance in the required time you just need to maintain your conditioning.

Just keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to run the entire distance to do this race.

If you stick to a routine (and we’ll talk about routines down the road) and are truly committed to this race then you will have no problem accomplishing this feat.

Remember that steady as she goes may not win the race but will certainly go a long way to helping you win the race against the sweeper bus.

As you put together your own method of training please feel free to let me know how you are doing and if you have any questions. I would like to share all our experiences with everyone who is looking towards doing the 2008 Walt Disney World Half-Marathon.