Do You Know Where Your Runs Are?

by Brad Garfinkel

Did you wake up January 1st and make the New Years resolution to lose weight, to exercise and to stop being a couch potato? Did you get really crazy and register for the Walt Disney World 5K, half marathon, full marathon or goofy challenge as your motivation? Are you looking at the calendar only to realize that the ‘I will start my training next Monday, no wait, I’ll start the Monday after that’ procrastination has put you in the position of now only having a little more then 6 months until Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. If you are looking at the calendar and are somewhat panicked, I am here to help but you have got to start now! You have roughly 31 weeks to train but more realistically 28 once you subtract out major holidays and a taper week.

If you are a beginner and are running the 5K, I suggest looking into a ‘Couch to 5K’ program. ‘Couch to 5K’ programs are readily available on sites such as www.active.com as well as www.halhigdon.com. Additionally, there are a handful of ‘Couch to 5K’ applications available for smart phones. The average plan has you building up to handle a 5K in just over 2 months. This type of plan gives you plenty of time to prepare for Marathon weekend and allows for time to participate in local 5K races in your home community.

If you are a beginner and are running your first half marathon during Marathon weekend, I would also strongly suggest starting out with a ‘Couch to 5K’. Completing the plan in 8 weeks leaves you 20 weeks to focus on building your base mileage and stamina to handle the half marathon. Once you are able to handle a 5K, then I suggest jumping right into a half marathon program such as Hal Higdon’s novice half marathon program that will have you running up to 10 miles in an additional 12 weeks. You are saying to yourself “10 miles is fine but a half-marathon is13.1 miles!” Have no fear! Most half marathon plans have you running 10 miles as your maximum during training. The excitement and adrenaline of the actual race will get you to the 13.1 finish line. If that is not enough, throw in Main Street, USA, Cinderella Castle and Spaceship Earth for good measure. If the excitement of the race doesn’t do it, the magic of running through the Disney parks will! The ‘Couch to 5K’ program along with the half marathon training will get you to January with plenty of time to spare and possibly even with time for a practice half marathon in late fall or at least a 10K in your hometown.

If you are like me and your eyes are bigger then your stomach and you registered for the full marathon, then we need to get moving, now!!! If you are a beginner, I would recommend going right into a 10K training program. The 10K training program has you running 6.2 miles by the end of 8 weeks. After completing the 10K training program, I would suggest immediately going into a novice marathon training program that will have you running 20 miles in an additional 18 weeks. Once again, the magic and adrenaline of the big day is sure to carry you to the full 26.2 miles.

While the purpose of this piece is to remind you that the clock is ticking and that it is important to start or to have already started your training for the January races, it is also a time to stop and realize that you have already taken a major step. You have committed yourself to a goal and accepted a challenge. The hardest part of this journey is getting to the starting line and you have already done that. Now let’s continue as we train ourselves to handle the miles necessary to run, walk or crawl across the finish in January. Don’t forget that whether you finish first, finish last or don’t necessarily accomplish your goal, make sure you stop and take in the sights, smells and experiences of the journey. Lastly, please remember that you are not in this alone as there is a team full of eager runners to help motivate, inspire and help you prepare.