I had hoped to do the Princess 1/2 Marathon last year but was not able to make it. I am thinking about doing it this year.

Can anyone tell me how strict they were about picking people up near the end who were falling under the time allowed? Also for anyone out there who might have some insight does four months sound like enough time to get in shape? I know your not doctors or anything but how much time do people usually need? I just want to finish I am not looking to be in the top or anything? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any tips. - Kelly

I haven't done the Princess half, but I have done both the January half at WDW and the Disneyland half.

They WILL sweep people who aren't maintaining pace. I can think of one poster here who was swept in January, and another that was swept a couple years back in January when Disney really messed some things up (stranding them - no water - etc).

The method they use for determining pace, though, can work in your favor. I'm a walker, and I live in New Orleans (not exactly known for it's mild summer weather!). The Disneyland half is Labor Day weekend. That means I had to train with decent mileage in July and August. Let's just say my training didn't go so well. Walking 16 minute miles is very do-able, but you do have to prep for it, so I was pretty sure I'd get swept in Disneyland. HOWEVER, I had thought I'd have done better in my training than in January, so I put my estimated finish time at 15 minutes earlier. AND I'd signed up fairly early. So I was assigned to corral E - and it went to G. I was anxious, so encouraged the group I was with to get into the corral fairly early - so we were definitely in the front 1/4 of corral E.

To determine when to start sweeping people - Disney starts the clock when the LAST person crosses the start line. So, theoretically, 16 minutes after that, anyone who hasn't passed the first mile mark, could be swept. 32 minutes later, anyone who hasn't crossed the second mile mark could be swept, etc. In all honesty, not being in the last corral is what 'saved' me from getting swept, because I was not maintaining 16 minute mile pace - but at the crucial points when they actually DID sweep on the race, I was ahead of that 'last person's' 16 minute mile pace.

They will sweep at key points (going back onto roads they want to open up to traffic, going into a theme park back stage area, stuff like that) but they will have a 'sag van' to pick up people that just aren't keeping up.

So if you have one mile that you're not keeping pace, but overall you're doing ok- you shouldn't get swept.

As far as training - it depends on how much running/walking you're doing now. There are some good training plans out there that will even take you from couch to half marathon in 3 or 4 months time - so you're definitely in ok shape for the Princess if you start getting your base built up now. I'd suggest googling half marathon training plans - and then seeing what looks reasonable to you. Galloway has some stuff that's good as well as Bingham - and I'd also look around on Runnersworld.com.

Good Luck - it's kind of addictive. I've signed up for my 4th half in February!

ETA: I moved this to the "Team MousePlanet" forum. Some of the other threads in here might be helpful to you.

I had hoped to do the Princess 1/2 Marathon last year but was not able to make it. I am thinking about doing it this year.

Can anyone tell me how strict they were about picking people up near the end who were falling under the time allowed? Also for anyone out there who might have some insight does four months sound like enough time to get in shape? I know your not doctors or anything but how much time do people usually need? I just want to finish I am not looking to be in the top or anything? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any tips. - Kelly

Have you done a Half Marathon before?

The DLR Half in September was my first. I trained and I made it in 3:30:48. :D Just on pace exactly!

My enabler A good friend of mine (classic roll eyes) gave me a copy of THIS John Bingham book. (http://www.amazon.com/Marathoning-Mortals-John-Bingham/dp/1579547826) I think I started 16 weeks out for training? I followed the plan in the back of the book for walking a half-marathon. I ended up sick the last two weeks before the marathon so my last two weeks of training were... non-existant.

I had not been doing ANYTHING before that time and I was able to get in shape enough to walk it and finish!!

Adrienne

And Adrienne inspired me to start training for the Princess Half too!! :D

I used to run--for fun and not for time--but a loooong time ago (like before my last three kids). I don't want to run: I'm gonna walk.

The pace thing has me a little spooked, but I've only been training for a couple of weeks and am doing great with my distance. Adrienne assures me that the speed will come, and focus on the distance first.

So. That's exactly what I'm doing.

But. Now that I've read Cathy's post, I'm registering sooner than later to get into one of those earlier corrals to, ahem, give myself a little cushion of time. I've already got my plane tickets arranged on the only nonstop from SFO (yoo hoo, Virgin America and JetBlue, I'm still waiting for you to step up here and open up this route!), and my hotel arrangements.

GENERALLY, the booking earlier vs later doesn't make a huge difference - it's supposed to be based on your expected finish time. I think there were just a LOT of people who had time limit=finish time OR had failed to get in their documentation to support an earlier corral and got stuck in the back (given the speed that some of them were passing me, I think there was A LOT of that!). My sister signed up for the DL half 3 or 4 months before the race - with an expected finish time = time limit (3.5 hours) and wasn't even in the last group (she was in the next-to-last, though).

For those who did the Princess half marathon before, were there alot of males running as well?

Drince88 gave me the idea of maybe trying to get my Coast to Coast medal by doing the Princess and the DL Half marathon.

I guess I could put on a tiera and mix in with the crowd. LOL. :)

Oh.
I just looked at the results from last year.
6332 Finishers
196 Men
6136 Women.

I didn't think it would be THAT lopsided!
(But can you imagine, being one of a very few select group of men, surrounded by all those women?!)

For those who did the Princess half marathon before, were there alot of males running as well?

Drince88 gave me the idea of maybe trying to get my Coast to Coast medal by doing the Princess and the DL Half marathon.

I guess I could put on a tiera and mix in with the crowd. LOL. :)

I do know two men who are running in March. I don't know both of their stories, but I know one of them is going to be moral support for his sister. I think the other one is just going with a bunch of female friends.

Adrienne

GENERALLY, the booking earlier vs later doesn't make a huge difference - it's supposed to be based on your expected finish time. I think there were just a LOT of people who had time limit=finish time OR had failed to get in their documentation to support an earlier corral and got stuck in the back (given the speed that some of them were passing me, I think there was A LOT of that!). My sister signed up for the DL half 3 or 4 months before the race - with an expected finish time = time limit (3.5 hours) and wasn't even in the last group (she was in the next-to-last, though).

Well, I'm hedging my bets. My family is registered (although one of us is a runner and submitted her race/time results and we don't expect to see her during the race anyhow). If it helps me get into an earlier corral, I'm good with it! I don't want to be in any runners' way either!

Pretty exciting! We've got everything set for the trip. And my daughter and I are still ahead of our training schedule.

Thanks for all the information. I have not done a marathon of any type before. I didn't get too far into training last year before an important work obligation came up. I have the time off from work and made my hotel reservation so I am all set.

I am really worried about not being able to keep pace and getting swept. But then I am just at the beginning of training so hopefully as it gets closer this will not be such a big concern. My one question was which to concentrate on length or time and mkraemer answered that but if anyone else wants to chime in that would be appreciated.

Maybe we can keep a thread going to support each other! Again, thanks for any and all tips!

Work on getting your miles (and cross training fitness work) in on the training plan you're following (distance, consistency, general fitness) and your pace will follow.

I am really worried about not being able to keep pace and getting swept. But then I am just at the beginning of training so hopefully as it gets closer this will not be such a big concern. My one question was which to concentrate on length or time and mkraemer answered that but if anyone else wants to chime in that would be appreciated.

Maybe we can keep a thread going to support each other! Again, thanks for any and all tips!

Work on getting your miles (and cross training fitness work) in on the training plan you're following (distance, consistency, general fitness) and your pace will follow.

I have found, in my not scientific, not extensive experience, that the worry about being swept is the most common thing for those of us who are first timers/newbies at the slower end of the event.

Like Mary says I told her and like Cathy said and I got it from Swanie - Train to the distance, your time WILL come.

And absolutely we can keep this thread going for support. When I was training for Disneyland, I learned stuff without realizing it. I mentioned one day to Swanie that I was feeling sick to my stomach after my longer walks (It seemed that once I hit the 5 mile mark, any walk 5 miles or longer had me feeling sick.) That's when I learned about fueling during my walks.

I didn't know what I didn't know. ;)

And I learned about recovery meal/drinks and ice baths and socks and shoes and all sorts of stuff. :)

Adrienne

Thanks for all the information. I have not done a marathon of any type before. I didn't get too far into training last year before an important work obligation came up. I have the time off from work and made my hotel reservation so I am all set.

I am really worried about not being able to keep pace and getting swept. But then I am just at the beginning of training so hopefully as it gets closer this will not be such a big concern. My one question was which to concentrate on length or time and mkraemer answered that but if anyone else wants to chime in that would be appreciated.

Maybe we can keep a thread going to support each other! Again, thanks for any and all tips!

Also, the event itself will seem much easier than the training does. In the couple of runs I have done recently I am finding that adrenaline kicks in for awhile and gives you a little boost. The people cheering and rooting you on also give you a little boost. In the last California International Marathon relay I ran, I had the longest leg. It was a little over 7 miles. I hadn't ran over 4 miles in my training. The 7 miles felt like a breeze compared to the training.

I didn't know what I didn't know. ;)

And I learned about recovery meal/drinks and ice baths and socks and shoes and all sorts of stuff. :)

Adrienne

Hmmm. Well obviously, I don't know what I don't know...

And in my reading, I hear about:

*Running skirts (OK, I can figure *that* out, but no, thank you, I will stick to capris)
*Sports beans (some athletic-focused variation of 'the magical fruit'?)
*Ice baths (now, sorry, that just sounds flat-out horrific even in the case of trying to douse inappropriate passions, which, I *seriously* doubt will be the case after a half marathon)
*Recovery meals (um, is that the 'clear liquids' they give you in the hospital after surgery? I prefer strawberry jello with mine, thanks.)
*Recovery drinks (the pirate in me says, "RUM!"), but I have a preference for good old water. I like water. I hear it's hydrating and that's good.
*Socks and shoes. That should be fairly simple. Unlike many people who seem to think that several-inch heels are perfect footwear for a day at Disneyland, I *know* what shoes I have to wear with my uber-wide feet for any kind of distance walking. (Nuttin' but New Balances in extra-wide.) I like cushy socks. Are you going to tell me the cushy socks I love are bad, or are incompatible with sporty beans, or will soak up my recovery rum, er, drink?

Somehow, this just seems like it's being overcomplicated. Overmarketed? Do we really need all these gadgets or is this just symptomatic of our culture (new sport = new stuff)? Did Jesse Owens have magic beans, er, sports beans? This is too much. I'm going to go for a walk. For distance. Maybe I'll stop by my neighbor's house and ask her: after all, she won a couple silver medals in the Olympics and her husband is a coach at Stanford.

Sports beans are jelly bellies in convinent sized packages, that have extra sodium (I think) and more easily digestible sugars. Good for a pick-me-up if you're going more than an hour at a 'race pace'.

Ice bath. Yea, they sound horrific, and they're tough to do - but make a WORLD of difference the next day. I generally would only do them after walks greater than 9 or 10 miles (and maybe 8) - soak for at least 15 minutes. It's just like pitchers who ice their arms after an outing. After I did my first one, I was NOT sore the next day, like I expected to be.

*Sports beans (some athletic-focused variation of 'the magical fruit'?)

When you're walking/running the longer distances, there are various "refueling" options. Hard core marathoners eat "Gu" or Gels - yeah, they are what they sound like - paste, old-school astronaut like "food" that is designed to give you a boost of carbs to keep your energy level going.

The reviews on their texture have kept me from trying them. I've read people say they leave their mouths tasting greasy. Blech.

Jelly Belly makes Sports Beans. Cliff makes Shot Blocks (think big fruit snacks.)

When I found myself feeling sick after my workouts, I was advised to eat something during the walks. I was told to take in about 100 calories per 3-4 miles or every 45 minutes.

I started with Sports Beans and when I did this, feeling sick went away. I switched to Shot Blocks for the half because I didn't need to eat as many of them to get to 100 calories. I actually ate about one shot block per water station and that worked out very nicely for me.

*Ice baths (now, sorry, that just sounds flat-out horrific even in the case of trying to douse inappropriate passions, which, I seriously doubt will be the case after a half marathon)

After my 10 mile training walk, my muscles were thanking me. ;) Get into a lukewarm bath and add buckets of ice. Yeah, it wasn't pleasant but when I got out of it, my legs felt SO much better.


*Recovery meals (um, is that the 'clear liquids' they give you in the hospital after surgery? I prefer strawberry jello with mine, thanks.)
*Recovery drinks (the pirate in me says, "RUM!"), but I have a preference for good old water. I like water. I hear it's hydrating and that's good.

Chocolate Milk. It has a protein to carb ratio that is good for recovery. I have to say that if I don't have some protein after a workout, I am STARVING. I get SO hungry. I had been told before (at Weight Watchers!) to have some protein. When I started training for the half, I heard about Chocolate milk giving a good carb to protein balance. Again, I save it for the longer walks but it really did help curb my appetite after a long workout.



*Socks and shoes. That should be fairly simple. Unlike many people who seem to think that several-inch heels are perfect footwear for a day at Disneyland, I *know* what shoes I have to wear with my uber-wide feet for any kind of distance walking. (Nuttin' but New Balances in extra-wide.) I like cushy socks. Are you going to tell me the cushy socks I love are bad, or are incompatible with sporty beans, or will soak up my recovery rum, er, drink?

Nope, if you like cushy socks, that's great - use cushy socks. Some people get bad blisters so they want socks that will avoid the blisters. I avoid socks with a lot of cotton in them because that's supposed to reduce blisters. I wore a very basic running sock that I picked up when I bought my shoes and I didn't have any blisters after the Half Marathon.

Somehow, this just seems like it's being overcomplicated. Overmarketed? This is too much. I'm going to go for a walk. For distance.

You know, nothing was marketed to me - Everything I learned, I learned because I had a problem along the way and someone offered me a solution:

I felt sick, they said "Try sports beans." Sports beans worked and so I said "Well what else is out there." I compared them and found what I liked.

I was STARVING after my walks and someone said "Well what are you eating when you finish? Do you have a recovery drink?" And so I tried the chocolate milk and it really helped.

As far as the shoes goes - I did go to Road Runner and have them analyze my walk. I found out that I had been wearing the wrong kind of shoes.

Now, this is totally true: swanie wanted me to try on the shoes she loves. The shoes she loves are very nice shoes and they work very well for her. They are a Stability shoe. They are not inexpensive. At.All.

When I went to Road Runner, they could've made a lot of money off of me, were I to try on swanie's shoes. But. They looked at me and said: That's entirely the wrong kind of shoe for you. They would not even let me try it ON.

I bought new shoes and trained with those shoes. When I went back to wear my old shoes at Disneyland, a stability shoe, I was in incredible pain. I put on the new shoes again and the pain went away. Now, in this case, my situation was reversed - the pain came after I got the "better" shoes. But let me tell you this SECOND story about Road Runner - after the Half Marathon and after my old shoes put me in pain, I went back to Road Runner. I wanted a pair of tennis shoes that would just be every day shoes. I didn't want to wear my workout/marathon shoes all the time.

I was totally upfront about my price point and I walked out of the store with a really comfortable, great pair of shoes - and they're so nice I could do my training workouts in them, too.

Is it hooey? I don't know. Is it overmarketed? I don't know. I have never felt over-sold when I've gone to RoadRunner. I know I buy my capris and "jogging" bras the same place swanie does: Target. (Although she really does wear running skirts, too.) But I did find out that I was more comfortable in the Champion shirts - I don't buy the most expensive shirts, I can't remember the official description of the shirt I like. But the shirt I wore at DL Half came from Target. ;)

I found out what issues I was having as I was training along and I found things that fixed the problems.

Adrienne

My blisters were caused by two things - too small shoes, and the wrong sock choice on the foot with the ankle brace. Now that I know my issue, I can fix it before my next attempt.

Sports beans were given to me free at the Expo, and I ate them because they were more convenient than going shopping the night before the race I wasn't intending to complete to buy something else. Since I hadn't trained with anything, it didn't really make a difference what I ate. NOW I know not to eat quite so many of them... :eek:

Yes, you can completely go overboard, and I did my first time. (Can you say "Camelback?") But all of the shopping doesn't get your butt out onto the sidewalk to do your training. As you train, you'll encounter problems, and then you'll be able to find solutions to the problems you actually have. But the first step is quite simply out the front door.

And yes, I realize I'm the LAST person to offer training advice. But I will point out that I *did* get the same shiny medal, so I'm not completely inexperienced. :p

AVP

Oooh, me happy.
Chocolate milk is recommended.
Me likey chocolate milk.
Me will walk miles to justify chocolate milk.
Me happy.

(I'm still not sold on the idea of ice baths. But I'm not withholding permission to say, "I told you so," later on. Deal?)

Hard core marathoners don't all use gels. Not everyone likes them. It's just a convenient form of easily absorbed carbs. I used gels and gummi bears. Sport beans are great because they also have electrolytes and some of caffeine too, which can give you a little boost. If you are sweating a lot, you will need to replenish electrolytes. Drinking just water can cause problems. However, you should not eat sport beans and drink Gatorade. That's too much all at once and will cause GI upset.

You will need to experiment with what works best during training. Do NOT do anything different on race day. This is a mantra for all things (equipment, food, hydration, etc.).

Runner's World has a ton of great advice for everyone, beginners included, and don't be intimidated that it's just for runners. Here's an article about performance fueling, for example (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301--12904-0,00.html). As a walker you won't need to take in as many calories as a runner, but you should figure out what works best for you.

My favorite post-workout recovery foods are peanut butter-filled pretzels and fatfree chocolate milk.

My blisters were caused by two things - too small shoes, and the wrong sock choice on the foot with the ankle brace. Now that I know my issue, I can fix it before my next attempt.

I take this as a good sign, AVP. What's the next attempt?

Yes, you can completely go overboard, and I did my first time. (Can you say "Camelback?") But all of the shopping doesn't get your butt out onto the sidewalk to do your training. As you train, you'll encounter problems, and then you'll be able to find solutions to the problems you actually have. But the first step is quite simply out the front door.

When I lived in Colorado, I used to ski a lot. I enjoyed it and I was pretty good. I had adequate gear, and I often used to ski in jeans. And I'd laugh at the bunnies who'd gone out, bought the most expensive outfits, most expensive skis, and couldn't stand up on the, ahem, bunny hill. Case in point.

So, all kidding aside (and you guys *do* know I was kidding about some of this, right??), I am just trying to figure out what's really needed and what's not.

I am going to have to give this sports beans thing some thought. I've been to Fairfield to Jelly Belly Central, and as I recall, there used to be flavors such as earwax and boogers (I believe they were part of the Harry Potter assortments, but I could be wrong about that), and well, um, just 'cause they're there doesn't mean they're for everyone. Whatever floats your boat!

I ran the Disneyland half marathon this last September. It was my first marathon and I was very nervous. I started my training in May and was able to finish in 2 hours 9 minutes. You will be fine! 4 months is plenty of time! Endurance sports are fought mostly in our heads (unless you have a predisposed condition or injury). I never thought I would be able to do this and I’m doing it. I am doing a local half this month and again in January and then the Princess in March!! I’m so excited!! Me and one of my best girlfriends are flying from San Diego to do it and then plan to get our coast to coast medal in September!

I loved the cliff Gels. I had one at mile 6 and one at mile 9. Vanilla is yucky! The other flavor not so bad. I was too chicken to do the ice bath but I was still able to take my puppy for a 3 mile walk the next day.

No has mentioned the funnest part, when your toe nails fall off, lol.

Anyone know if they will have a map of the course? How many parks do you run through?

Anyone know if they will have a map of the course? How many parks do you run through?Here's a ma (http://adisneyworldsports.disney.go.com/media/dwws_v0222/en_US/media/amateurSports/PDF/Endurance/PrincessHalfMarathonMap2010.pdf)p. You run through Epcot (Future World) and Magic Kingdom. The course is very similar to the WDW half marathon in January.

Here's a ma (http://adisneyworldsports.disney.go.com/media/dwws_v0222/en_US/media/amateurSports/PDF/Endurance/PrincessHalfMarathonMap2010.pdf)p. You run through Epcot (Future World) and Magic Kingdom. The course is very similar to the WDW half marathon in January.

On the one hand, I'm really glad to see the map, especially because I am actually now familiar with WDW. Very cool. On the other hand... 9 water stations? DLR had 12 (http://adisneyworldsports.disney.go.com/media/dwws_v0222/en_US/emails/Endurance/DLHM/2009DLHM/images/2009AnaheimCourseMapFINAL.pdf). That's three more. I know, it doesn't sound like a big deal but I wish there were more water stations. Yes, I'm needy.

Adrienne

Ok, comment number two... It amuses me the things I notice now that I've done one of these. I'm really glad that we get to go through Magic Kingdom at about the half-way point - that long boring section of the Disneyland Marathon was... long and boring. Anaheim Stadium was neat, but it's not very long. The Princess looks a bit more balanced in that regard - the boring parts don't seem QUITE as long. :)

And then that section by the Contemporary, is that when we walk underwater? ;)

Adrienne

Good points Adrienne. I like cheerleaders and all but after about three miles of them I needed some other scenery!