Yesterday was Week 6 of Run Disney training for N and me. Technically the official training is only up to Week 4 but we like to start a couple of weeks early so we have a little bit of extra training time.

Run Disney is the official running/race program for all Disney marathons. The official training (which is provided as a guide and is completely voluntary) is by Jeff Galloway, an Olympic runner and author who started a run method called run-walk-run, which has made running accessible for non-professional runners like N and me. We both had dealt with knee injuries in the past and thought we could never run but through run-walk-run we not only can run without injury, but we have had huge success. As discussed in the previous posts on our experience with the Disney Marathon in January 2015.

So yesterday for Week 6 of our training for the Princess Half Marathon in February, we ran 6.7 miles. The goal was 6 miles but what with getting back to the car, sometimes we are a tiny bit off. As we did last year when training, N and I run on our local streets until we get to a longer run when we start to run on the NCR, a local running/biking trail. It is very flat and safe for runners.

We got to the trail around 8:20 am and started our run. At 40 degrees out, it was really cold! We had a very hard time starting off but once we got going, we hit our running rhythm and had a very successful run. Neither of us are really athletic and we run for the joy of it not for finishing particularly fast. Our goal is to complete the half marathon well within race pace, which is 16 min/mile. Yesterday, we averaged 14:18 min/miles so I was really proud of us.

Running Gear

After we finished our run we headed to a running store to get some needed supplies. Thanks to Jane Runs Wild’s recent post on her favorite gear, I had to try the Stinger waffles.

I also picked up some new running socks, I love my old ones, also Balega but they have a lip by the heel which for me is a catcher for all kinds of dirt, twigs, and rocks that get kicked up while running. Having to stop every few minutes to clean out the dirt falling down the back of my socks was never fun, so I got these which go higher and lie flat on the leg, hopefully that will solve the problem.

I didn’t buy any  of this yet, because it is expensive and I still have to check it out, but I found it too cool to not mention it. At the counter they had this display. This is for a new fabric that is being sold now that warms up when it gets wet (when you sweat) this is supposed to be awesome for cold winter runs. The display contained a sample of the fabric with little squirt bottles of water so that you can test it out. It works really well. They are making tights, gloves, pants and shirts from the new fabric.

I had one question/potential issue with this, what happens when you get hot? I know for myself I start off running with several layers and gloves, but once I get going, and the blood is pumping, the gloves go in my pockets, the jacket gets unzipped and sleeves get rolled up. So how do you deal with heated fabric? Do you strip? No satisfactory answer as yet, but the concept is really cool.

From last year I still have my trusty salt pills. These things are great! I take them every 30 minutes while exercising and they help me stay limber and keep cramping at bay.

I am also still running with my shoes from last year, but I know I will need new shows before the race in February hopefully I can buy the new version of my current shoes, which I love. I always hated sneakers before but it turns out that is because I was buying the wrong type.

That’s all for now, happy reading! And for those runners out there, happy running!