Subscribe for FREE!
Receive our Daily Disney Newsletter.
Have the best in Disney News & Views Delivered to you!
Category Archives: Marathon Training
The 2011 Princess Half Marathon Weekend Recap
This past weekend, 22,000 runners gathered in Orlando for the Princess Half Marathon weekend festivities. Between the half marathon and the 5k, the children’s races, and the health and fitness expo, families from all over the world came to participate in second of four runDisney endurance weekends in 2011.
Of the 17,000 participants in the half marathon, the winner finished in1:22:50. 33-year old Jennifer Hanley-Pinto, of Jacksonville, FL, finished a mere 24 seconds in front the 2nd place finisher, Caitlin Latimer of Lexington, KY.
Celebrating women’s empowerment, health and active lifestyles, the Princess Weekend is one of the nation’s largest endurance events focused on women. While men are welcome to be part of teams, they are not considered the champions of these races.
As a female endurance runner, I personally find these women insane inspiring and encouraging for my own personal running goals (none of which currently include trying to run 13.1 miles in under 2 hours).
To all of the participants in the 2011 runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend events, congratulations! Whether 5k or Half Marathon, Disney is opening up endurance events to the masses and to those who, elsewhere, might have never considered racing.
For more information on races at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, head to runDisney‘s official website for racing tips, training schedules, and a list of future events. And, I’ll be here to help motivate and share my own personal experiences as well!
Related articles
- Glass Slippers for Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend (chipandco.com)
- Princess Half Marathon – Are You Running? (chipandco.com)
Princess Half Marathon – Are You Running?
With just over a week until Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend, there is officially no more room for the half marathon. In the past week, the Half Marathon reached capacity, but there still limited space (approximately 5%) for Beauty and the Beast’s Royal Family 5k and the Royal Family Kids’ Races.
Although the weekend is primarily focused on women, including the expo, men are more than welcome to run and join co-ed race teams. Unlike the Donald medal for January’s Marathon weekend, runners for this half marathon receive a Princess Half Marathon Tiara Finisher Medal.
If you are participating in the Half Marathon, make sure to get your specially priced theme park tickets for after the race! Good luck to all runners and walkers participating in these events!
*Photo courtesy of runDisney*
Related articles
- Changes to 2011 Food and Wine Half Marathon Weekend (chipandco.com)
- Record Field Expected for 3rd Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Feb. 25-27 (chipandco.com)
Training for your Walt Disney Marathon – 5k Complete, Now What?
Congratulations!! You’ve run 3.1 miles! That’s a huge accomplishment already. It may seem absolutely insane to add 10 more miles (yes, 10 full miles), but that’s the goal – 13.1.
Don’t worry – it’s not impossible. The most important thing is to find a training program that you can follow and stick to, giving you a schedule for distance, times, etc… I knew with my schedule (keeping up with an infant) that finding 4 or more days a week to run would be nearly impossible. Luckily, runDisney’s running trainer, Jeff Galloway offers a program that only requires 3 run days per week. I quickly decided to follow his program for 1st time half marathoners – with a goal of crossing the finish line still standing.
To start a Half Marathon (or full marathon, if you so choose) training program, you need to be comfortable at 3-5 miles, depending on the program. The programs guide you to build gradually, to avoid injury, to accomplish your goal in a set number of weeks.
All of these programs can be edited if necessary. For example, I pushed to hard on a 10 mile run and, by doctors orders, required several weeks of rest. I altered the schedule, while keeping the integrity (3 days per week, long run 1 weekend followed by a shorter run the following weekend) and still ended up right on track for race day.
If you do come across an injury that requires a break from running, don’t stress. Find another cardio workout, such as swimming, water running, or using the elliptical, to use on run days, so you continue to build endurance.
In about 4 months of training, you can be ready for any of the Walt Disney World, or Disneyland, Half Marathons. Are you ready to sign up?
Jenn resides with her husband, 1 year old son, and 2 bratty dogs in a suburb of Washington, D.C. She also hosts her own blog, the Disney Babies Blog (http://disneybabiesblog.blogspot.com) , where she shares her experiences, tips, and ramblings about traveling the parks with a baby. In her non-Disney life, Jenn is often found running, practicing yoga, or playing the clarinet in a military band.
Related articles
- Training for your Disney Marathon – Starting from Scratch (chipandco.com)
- Inspired to Run, And Run, And Run at the Walt Disney World Marathon (chipandco.com)
Training for your Disney Marathon – Options Options Options
When you’re starting out running, all you really need is a good pair of shoes and a place to run. And, while I highly recommended going to a local running store and having shoes fitted by the pros, that’s the only thing that I think necessary to run.
But, once you start gaining distance, gear becomes more important. It’s easy to be overwhelmed when figuring out what to get – there are countless options for shoes, hydration belts, race belts, nutrition, watches, etc…
So, where should you start? I started by asking opinions of fellow runners, then heading to my local running store to see my options. I started off with a 2 bottle hydration belt, only to realize that for the majority of my longer runs, I could easily drink more than 2 bottles worth. I’ve also seen many runners with slightly bottles with hand straps to carry, instead of carrying the bottles around your middle.
What about watches? Are they necessary? There are 2 types that I’m familiar with – heart rate monitors and GPS enabled watches. Obviously, the GPS watches cost a bit more, but when looking into them, you can also have a heart rate monitor as well, so it can be an all-encompassing option. Or, you can do as my husband does and find a cell phone app that can track your distance/route and save the money. I personally splurged on a GPS watch after my cell phone crashed one too many times.
How about nutrition? As I mentioned, it is important to replenish calories lost after about an hour of running. Sports drinks (or similar) come in to play as well as food. Yes, food. During full marathons, I’ve heard of people eating sandwiches or full nutrition bars. I tried several different options on my training runs, including bites of nutrition bars, gels, blocks, etc… and settled with a chocolate GU that tasted as close to frosting as you can imagine (and was one of the only things I could stomach).
Other gear: I found my own personal preferences on clothes, ear buds, socks (yes, even socks are important in endurance running), shoes, and headbands. Most of them came from discount stores, where it is easy to find work out clothing for much less than they can cost in brand name/department stores.
There is a plethora of options, just know that you won’t need everything all at once, but can start a collection as you build distance.
Happy running!
Jenn resides with her husband, 1 year old son, and 2 bratty dogs in a suburb of Washington, D.C. She also hosts her own blog, the Disney Babies Blog (http://disneybabiesblog.blogspot.com) , where she shares her experiences, tips, and ramblings about traveling the parks with a baby. In her non-Disney life, Jenn is often found running, practicing yoga, or playing the clarinet in the military.
Photo courtesy of Ruth Lim
Related articles
- Training for your Disney Marathon – Starting from Scratch (chipandco.com)
