What should I wear in weather like this?

Galloway answers the age-old question "what should I wear when it's like this outside?"

Galloway Clothing Thermometer
http://jeffgalloway.com/resources/news_archives/nov05.html

sample:
40-49 degrees: long sleeved T, shorts or tights or wind pants, sock or mittens and gloves

2008 Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge

Walt Disney World, FL, 12 & 13 January 2008

"Goofy is as Goofy does" so they say, and that's what it takes to run a half marathon and a full marathon on consecutive days. Over 3,000 people registered for Goofy's Challenge this year, topping last year. How big is the demand for the Goofy Challenge? According to the race director, medical concerns are the big factor preventing the Goofy from growing larger - there apparently is great demand for the race, it sells out in a few months. If Goofy registration mirrored Marathon registration, perhaps 8,000 people would sign up in 2009 if permitted (think about it: that was the size of the very first Disneyworld Marathon).

I tried a couple of new things this year. This is the first year I did not stay on-property, instead opting for a Best Western on Rt 192 instead. It was not quite as convenient, and I did miss the additional dose of Disney. On the other hand, the price was much lower even with a rental car and the food was better than the average Disney cafeteria, so I am going to consider it for next year as well.

Also, I have been looking for answers to my hydration problems. On longer runs I have drank (drunk? consumed!) tons of water and ended up severely dehydrated - everything I put in my stomach just sits there and sloshes. The advice I received from several experts, including scientists at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (www.gssiweb.com) is to ingest less carbohydrate/calories and drink more water. The theory is that the extra calories are slowing down my stomach's digestion and absorption. So, cut down the food intake at any point in time and increase the water, and I should continue absorbing liquids throughout the race - that's the theory. Let's see how it works in practice on a warm-weather race...

Walt Disney World Half Marathon (aka Donald's Half Marathon)
Saturday, January 12

The starting temperature was in the high 60sF with moderate humidity; fortunately, high clouds reduced the heat during the race, though the temperature at 9:00 was in the 70sF. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy started the race with fireworks at 6:00 a.m. The race course seemed the same as last year. Water stations were frequent and plentiful. There was a disappointing number of Disney characters on the course. Chip & Dale, Alice, Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, Ariel and her Prince, some Pirates of the Carribean (sailing Capt Hook's ship!), Liver Lips McGraw, and Mary Poppins & Bert - that was it; as I said, very disappointing. I took the race slow on purpose because I haven't been training or even maintenance running regularly, and intended to go as slowly as possible. Finish time: 3:11. Woo-hoo! One down, one to go!!

I spent 20 minutes in the self-service medical area with ice bags on my legs, focusing on the knees, quads, and my left calf. I've heard that bathing your legs in cold water for a period of time after a race can help them rejuvenate more quickly. The ice bag treatment was about as close as I could get. Also the ice on my old knees won't hurt them at all!

No complaints about the race course. Everything went smoothly as far as I saw.

Hydration was not a problem on the race, though it never has been a problem for me on these shorter races. Conclusion: insufficient evidence to determine if this new hydration strategy will pay off.

Walt Disney World Marathon (aka Mickey's Marathon)
Sunday, January 13

The starting temperature was in the high 60sF with moderate humidity and some cloud cover which lasted through more than half the race. The Weather Channel had been forecasting a cooler day, but their forecast changed in the last 18 hours. By 9:00 the temperature was in the 70sF, though humidity dropped and a breeze picked up. Mickey and the gang started the race with fireworks at 6:00 a.m. (FYI if you've not run the race before, the marathon has a dual starting line which converges in the Epcot back lot. This allows all the runners to cross the starting line in a reasonable amount of time without having to resort to waves or other strategies which extend the total race time). The race course seemed the same as last year. Water stations were frequent and plentiful, though in one case there was no Powerade and in a couple of others the order of the drinks was switched, making it more difficult for fuzzy-minded tired runners to figure out what to do.

There were some seldom-seen characters out on the course. My list of characters is: Jasmine and the Genie (in Epcot on the Blue start), Chip & Dale, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum along with Alice, Piglet, Cinderella's wicked step-mother and her daughters Anastasia and Drizella; the Fairy God Mother, Ariel and her Prince, Liver Lips McGraw and another one of the Country Bears, Woody & Jessie & Bullseye (all in the Magic Kingdom); Darkwing Duck (in between kingdoms); two of Donald's nephews, Rafiki, Baloo the Bear & King Louie (all in/around the Animal Kingdom); Pocahontas & her raccoon, Peter Pan & Mary, Tarzan (in between kingdoms); Cruella De Ville & Snow White's mother & Jafar (Disney Studios), Chip & Dale & Pluto (in Epcot giving high-fives on the final mile).

Not to be negative: the part of the race I hate the most is the mile-long peninsula on Osceola Parkway (mile 20-21) that seems to "include" the Disney World of Sports complex. I say includes in quotes because it's figurative at best - the route is two-lane asphalt, and the complex is difficult to to see. That is IMHO the most boring mile-and-change, hot and shadeless, and I would be thrilled to never see it again. How about a quick romp up through Fort Wilderness instead as part of the front half of the race?

At the start of the Disney Studios section, they were handing out bite-sized candy bars - Baby Ruth and Butterfinger. Great, but the most common deadly allergy in America is peanuts, and both those candies are famous for their peanuts - next time the race should try Hershey's Kisses instead. Would be awful if someone ended up in the hospital because they tripped and fell and touched a piece of Butterfinger on the ground (it may sound silly but the allergy can really be that severe).

Finish Time: 6:02. I felt tired but mentally great at the finish line. At the finish line I scored my Mickey Mouse Marathon medal and my third Goofy! The Mickey medal is awesome this year - black ears with an XV (15) hanging from the round head outline. Very nicely done.

I spent a half hour in the self-service medical area with ice bags on my legs, focusing on the knees, quads, and my left calf again. My shoulder cramped up reaching for something and my stomach turned in an instant. Took about 15 minutes to get back to "normal". I got a half-hour massage and that always helps my muscles feel better the next day.

No complaints about the race course. Everything went smoothly as far as I saw.

Hydration should have been a problem on this race but it wasn't! I was processing fluids throughout the race. At about mile 19 I was feeling a little nauseated, I had developed a thick crust of salt on my clothes by that point, so I took a salt pill (Succeed) and that did the trick. Looks like this new hydration approach might do the trick for me as well.

Around 1pm a thunder storm cell rolled through and drenched the area. Lightning, the works. I hid in a tent until the worst of it had passed.

2009 Goofy's Race-and-a-Half Challenge

So, are you feeling Goofy yet? I have registered for the 2009 race. See you there!!

a few miles

I ran a few miles yesterday morning (6 Jan) it was wonderful. Such pleasant weather for what is supposed to be winter. I ran probably 4 miles round-trip, stretched (my left calf particularly) and enjoyed the beautiful day.

There's been a lot of press recently about eating some protein after a run, even just a jog around the block. Some say it helps a lot, others pan the idea. I think it makes sense, so I ate about a half-cup of cottage cheese with my oatmeal and fiber cereal. Cottage cheese is loaded with protein and does not have much fat in it.

Careful planning is important - but verify

I carefully planned for the upcoming Disneyworld Marathon weekend. Lists of what and how many clothes, accessories, and OTC meds to bring, driving times, stops on the way, contingency for bathroom breaks, how much cash, and everything else required to get me down there and back, all in order to be sure to arrive well before the 8pm close of the registration/Expo on Thursday. I never did receive my registration information this year (I moved in June and I suspect it did not get forwarded correctly), so my registration will take longer than usual.

Yes, careful planning is important.
but so is verification, and from first sources where possible, not just re-reading the checklists for typos.

So here I am, the night before I'm supposed to drive down to Orlando, looking at the emails from Disney and reading the website, and I'm pondering the meaning of the website countdown clock saying "10 days" till the race. How can it be 10 days till the race when it is January 2 and the race is January 6? Now there's a question. Silly, because I am ONE WEEK OFF in my planning. The race isn't the weekend of Jan 5/6, it is the weekend of Jan 12/13.

But the race has ALWAYS been the first weekend in January!!! (of course, this factoid means nothing: reality says that this year it is the second weekend).

Ooopsie!

So, call the hotel and beg them to reschedule, pleading stupidity. They accommodate me, at a slightly higher rate. Reschedule work meetings and such as best I can, apologies for the calendar error. Re-arrange the family calendar for who is doing what with which kid on the weekend.


Planning is important, but verification from first sources is critical.

Future Run Goals

I want to finish my first 100 miler in 2009. I've tried two 100-milers before and have had to quit. The first was Vermont in 2005: 78F dewpoints, +85F temperatures. I was severely dehydrated. I got to about mile 33 and couldn't get up, and they took me out in an ambulance. The second was Umstead in 2007. I began to show signs of severe dehydration at mile 62 and took myself out of the race.

I perspire very heavily on warm/humid days. I can lose a liter of sweat in no time.

The problem isn't that I'm not drinking enough. I drink so much I slosh. In fact, the gatorade and water doesn't get absorbed fast enough. It sits in my stomach till I feel like I have water filled up to the back of my throat. I need to find something that will help the liquid be absorbed faster.

Future Planned Runs

I'm going to run the Disney Goofey marathons at Disneyworld in January. Basically I'm in maintenance mode now leading up to this race because the lead time is so short.

I'm going to run the inaugural Marine Corps Half Marathon in May at Quantico, VA.

I'm also already committed to running the Baltimore Relay in 2008.

I'm going to run the Marine Corps for the forseeable future.

Recent Runs

I completed another Marine Corp Marathon in October 07.

I completed my third JFK 50 miler in November 07 - barely, at 13:47 with a 14:00 cutoff. I was really dehydrated, felt awful, and had a few blackout episodes during the last few miles. Spend some time in the emergency room the next day getting hydrated. My doctor believes I had a virus (and distance running temporarily sets the immune system back) and the virus had my body to itself for a whole day. Took me three days with a very high fever before I was better.