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Tag Archives: Disney
2012 Goofy Challenge Training Program
It has come to my attention from one of my readers (Thanks Jenn!!) that runDisney has yet to post Jeff Galloway’s updated training program for the 2012 Goofy Challenge. Being a training program connoisseur of sorts I downloaded it back when it was still posted in 2010. Thinking back I guess I already knew that runDisney had taken the old training program down since I had emailed them about the dates being “off”. The dates were off since it hadn’t been updated since 2009 when it was originally published, but the basics were there. Now remember race fans, this program is designed to get you across both finish lines in the upright position not set land speed records at Disney World. It’s a fairly simple program that follows Jeff’s run/walk philosophy. Most weeks you only run 3 days and rest/recovery is a key component of the program.
Seeing how I don’t have express written consent by the Walt Disney Company or Jeff Galloway to republish the PDF I have (assuming I can find it…) I will talk in generalities and answer questions if you have any. Don’t worry though, there’s a table below with a week by week schedule.
Keep in mind that my goal for the 2012 Goofy Challenge is to cross both finish lines on Saturday and Sunday in the upright position and live to tell the tale! I have a friend who’s running it with me and we are both determined to finish and earn a lot of bling…that’s it! OH! Before I forget…I’m also doing the 5K on Friday which will be a nice warm-up and an extra medal! 🙂
The program is around 30 weeks in length. I’m sure once runDisney updates it the numbers may not be exactly the same. For my own use, I adapted the program a little to fit my own needs, but the basis of the plan is here. Also, I believe it is suggested that you have been running for 6 months prior to starting this Goofy Training Program. If not, take it easy and follow the plan as prescribed by runDisney.
As always, you should consult a licensed medical professional (aka: a doctor/physician) before beginning any exercise program. Especially, if like me you are a middle aged guy with a Peter Pan-esque view on life! Hopefully, I spelled out the fact that you are at risk in this 39.3 mile undertaking and that you’re making the decision on your own to do this training program or participate in it in any way either in full or in part…..heck people, GOOFY is the mascot! There’s a little bit of crazy going on to try something like this and I’m doing the 5K too so that makes me just plain Dopey!
Okay, enough of the legal speak about it being YOUR decision and YOUR own liability should something bad happen to you. You have been warned!! On to the training program!
Like I said, this program is fairly simple. I’m not going to get into the whole run/walk method because that is Jeff Galloway’s thing. There is also a training tool Jeff suggests called a “Magic Mile” which he has you do every so often to see how you’re progressing. I’m a runner and plan to run 85-90% of both races not including the time it takes to stop for pictures. Oh yes, there will be lots of pictures! Again, see my blog post about the WDW full-marathon last January 2011.
So here it is…in general…the 30-ish week Goofy Challenge Training Program as best as I can remember it. By the way, if you actually followed this program then you would start in mid-June. The program takes you a couple weeks PAST the WDW full-marathon on Sunday January 8th, 2012 for recovery purposes.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are 30-45 minute run/walks according to the original program. Go to Jeff Galloway’s Website for details on the run/walk method. You’ll notice that you get six weeks of training before you have your first weekend of back-to-back workouts. I also took the liberty of switching the run days for Christmas and New Year’s Day to Saturday, but feel free to run when you want! Oh, and don’t forget to plan for holidays (in no particular order) like July 4th, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Labor Day, Father’s Day, President’s Day, Ramadan, Boxing Day, Administrative Assistant’s Day, Yom Kippur, My Birthday (Oct. 7th), etc.
|
Week |
Mon |
Tues |
Wed |
Thur |
Fri |
Sat |
Sun |
|
1 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 3 mile |
|
2 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 4 mile |
|
3 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 5 mile |
|
4 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 3 mile |
|
5 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 5 mile |
|
6 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Walk 3 mile |
Run 7 mile |
|
7 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 6 mile |
|
8 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 8 mile |
|
9 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 6 mile |
|
10 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
5 mile |
Run 10 mile |
|
11 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 11 mile |
|
12 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 12 mile |
|
13 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 8 mile |
|
14 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Walk 5.5 mile |
Run 14 mile |
|
15 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 11 mile |
|
16 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 15.5 mile |
|
17 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 9 mile |
|
18 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Walk 7 mile |
Run 17 mile |
|
19 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 12 mile |
|
20 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 18 mile |
|
21 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 10 mile |
|
22 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Walk 9 mile |
Run 20 mile |
|
23 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 13 mile |
|
24 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 21 mile |
|
25 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 11 mile |
|
26 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Walk 12 mile |
Run 23 mile |
|
27 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 7 mile |
|
28 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Run 6 mile |
Xmas |
|
29 |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
30-45 min |
Rest |
Run 7 mile |
New Year’s Day |
|
30 |
Rest |
30 min |
Rest |
30 min |
Rest |
WDW Half |
WDW Full |
|
31 |
Rest |
30 min |
Rest |
30 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 7 mile |
|
32 |
Rest |
30 min |
Rest |
30 min |
Rest |
Rest |
Run 6 mile |
Of course, you may opt to throw in some cross training for some of those rest days. I would suggest taking a rest day before and after those weekends where you’re doing a long walk followed by a long run the next day. Your body (muscles, ligaments, joints, etc) need the rest even if you’re not tired.
You may also want to do specific types of runs for the “30-45 min” runs on Tuesday and Thursday. I do intervals and Tempo runs on those days…usually a little longer than 30-45 minutes. I also add in a little lifting on some days usually twice a week with my cross training.
HOWEVER, the above program should get you across the finish line both days with no adaptations or additions needed. I bet you’ll even be smiling at the end of day two! I know I will! 😀
Let me know if you have any questions and happy training!
-Brian
Almost Taper Time!
I just completed several days of rest over the weekend and I’m looking forward to my final looong long run for my marathon training program coming up this Saturday. It’s a 20+ miler. My actual program is for a 26 mile run, but I’ll be happy with anything equal to or over 20 miles. I’m just going to see how I feel when I get into the upper teens. That morning is also a 5K Jingle Bell Run in Downtown Indianaplois so my long run will be broken up a bit as I first complete my final race of the year and then head over to the gym to finish up later in the day.
I have been struggling these past few weeks to get my training in as I’ve suffered from the common cold, a sore right knee, a sore left glute, finishing up two graduate classes, studied for the GRE to complete my graduate school application, took the GRE exam last Monday, also trying to write two final papers of double digit length (12 pages & 30 pages) all the while attending multiple Thanksgivings (3) and still fitting in “Date Night” so as not to end up sleeping on the couch! 😉
Priorities priorities! Or balance as my gf would say! Regardless, I am very much ready for the tapering in training that will begin after this weekend! I leave for Florida and the marathon venue (aka DISNEY!) four weeks from today and I couldn’t be happier about it!
After Disney I will have earned some time off from the daily running. I’ll still keep a bit of running mileage after I recover from my 26.2 mile magical adventure, but cross-training & weight loss will definitely be my prime focus for a while.
My trainer has already told me I have to go to Spin Class with her! Spinning will be a welcome change I’m sure! If I don’t fall off the bike…..
Happy Training!
A rough & chilly run
So a couple weekends ago I geared up to run outside for my longest run to date. I was pumped, excited, anxious and ready! I had previously ran 17 miles (2 weeks prior) and I was ready to tackle my first 20 miler!
I had purchased Under Armour Cold Gear ($100 worth!), bought a hat, gloves, extra GU packs, running socks and I was ready! Why special Cold Gear you ask? Because it was going to be a bit chilly out in Indiana that Saturday morning. The low temperature was to be 25 degrees with a high of 41 in the afternoon. I grew up on a farm. I’ve gotten up at 5am to feed cattle in blizzard conditions. This felt colder. There was just a slight breeze, but at 25 degrees a 5-8 mph breeze can be biting and it was!
I ran down the trail and was doing well. I took a side route to add a couple miles early and then came back to the main trail and kept going. Starting out at 156th I was aiming to turn around at 75th street for a nice out and back. 136th and 116th whipped by. The next thing I knew I was at the tunnel near 96th street. I was tired but I was in familiar territory. I had run the same route for my 17 miler save for the extra 2.5 miles at the beginning. Then I was at 75th street again. I was ready to turn around and when I did, I came to face that little 5-8 mph breeze…and it stopped me cold, literally. The breeze had been behind me and now I felt it fully on my head and chest. I wear a camel back for water on long runs and it had been protecting me from the cold plus you all know it feels different when the wind is at your back. Not nearly as cold.
By the time I got back to 86th street I was at 12.5 miles…and 7.5 miles away from home. A knot had formed behind each of my knees and I was chilled to the bone from my own sweat. I was in bad shape. I had tried a run/walk routine for a bit from 75th to 86th street, but it wasn’t working. My hips and legs were done.
Normally I run a 10 minute mile. I was 20 minutes off the pace for the 12.5 miles I had run so far.
This is when you realize there is no shame in knowing when you’ve had enough and a 12 mile run is good enough when the temperature is still in the low 30s.
I whipped out my cell phone and called my life line! My gf was kind enough to come get me as she lives 15 minutes away. As we were talking she asked if I was feeling okay. I thought I was and realized that since turning into the wind my lips had gotten cold and I sounded like I had just come from the dentist….numb face/lips and all! I was talking funny. I stepped into the nearest super market and out of the cold. I looked a little funny walking around the store in full running gear, camel back, hat, shades & tights while the regular Saturday morning shoppers went about their business. I got a few odd looks. So I went and hung out in the power bar/health food aisle. Not surprising, no one came down that aisle for my 15 minute wait! 🙂
So I want to talk about limitations and listening to your body. I hate to admit it but that little voice in my head (we all have it) had tried to talk me out of running in 25 degree weather. I ignored it though….it was just a little cold out after all. Buck up, be a man and go run! People run in the cold all the time! You have the right gear so “just do it”! When I had passed my gym at mile marker #3 that voice had told me to finish up the remaining 17 miles inside on the treadmill. I could see the front doors of the nice warm gym! Again, I ignored the voice. I was doing okay, just a little off pace…it WAS cold so it was to be expected. When I had crossed 111th street that same voice tried compromise instead of all out orders. The suggestion came to turn around at 96th street instead of going on down to 75th. I could loop closer to my car “just in case”. A third time I ignored the voice of reason. Heck, I was just 2 miles from the turn around and I would be headed home! No worries right? Right??? I only heard from that voice one more time the whole day and that was when I limped back up to 86th street near the grocery store. “I told you so.” is all that little voice said. I hate that voice. He can be a real jerk sometimes.
I think it’s great to push and challenge yourself. I do it all the time. I regularly test my one mile best time, I’ve ran two half-marathons only two weeks apart, I’ve ran a 5K race at 7am and a half-marathon that same night at 10pm. I’m signed up to run a full marathon now and I have plans to run The Goofy Challenge in the future which will have me running a half and a full marathon on consecutive days. I’m not sure if I’ll ever want to do an ultra, but we’ll see. Challenging yourself is good.
Regardless, it’s important to train well, know your limitations, still push it a bit, but remember to listen to what your body is telling you and know the difference between an ache and a pain. Had I just looked at the evidence on my Garmin watch I would have turned around early and finished at the gym. And I WOULD have finished! By mile 7 or 8 I was 20 minutes off my regular pace and I certainly wasn’t going to pick up speed on the last half of my first 20 mile (near-zero degrees) out and back.
Now I can’t wait to get back out there, run in the cold some more with my new Under Armour (it worked great by the way) and allow my body to acclimate to the lower temperatures while still delivering a good performance! I didn’t fail, I just learned something new! This coming weekend I have a 22 mile run on Saturday and I can’t wait! Weather permitting I’ll do much of the run outside, but I’ll also be listening closely to how I feel so if I need to duck in and finish on the treadmill I can. The distance is more important than the location for these last few long runs before my first full marathon January 9th!
Happy Training!
Follow me on Twitter ”@TheRunningMan23″
Food = Fuel.
I have a friend who refuses to view food as fuel, but that is what it really is, just fuel for the body. He continually struggles with his weight and only finds temporary fixes with increased exercise over short time spans. He’ll workout for a a few weeks or so, lose 10 pounds and then gain it all back because he still eats like he is in college. He’s only addressing the symptom, not the problem…putting a bandaid on a broken arm.
Now I’m not saying that you can’t enjoy your fuel, but once you start looking at food as a source of what your body needs to function and less about eating just to satisfy a craving then the sooner you will gain control of the ultimate habit we all have, eating.
BTW, I read a lot of research articles on diet & exercise mainly because I’m a big nerd for that kind of thing… I try to learn as much as I can about how everything works. Knowledge is Power.
Let’s get started…back to Food = Fuel.
My Metabolism. When I started back in December 2009 my metabolism was messed up! It was slow and definitely working against me. My metabolism was programmed to do exactly what I had told it to do…store as much fat as it could for the up coming winter. I might as well have been a bear ready for hibernation.
I worked with a couple different trainers at my gym to get a plan together.
My Plan Components:
- Food (Fuel)
- Cardio (Walking, Running, Biking, Elliptical, Stairs, etc)
- Strength Training (Lifting Weights)
Of the three things above, trainer after trainer has told me FOOD accounts for at least 60% of the equation in weight loss. No matter how hard you work the other 40% can’t make up for the 60%. How much we eat, how often we eat and what we eat are all a part of the mix. Unfortunately, just like in high school though 60% isn’t enough to be successful. You DO need the other two parts. Today however, we are discussing food.
My Pre-December 2009 Diet:
- Breakfast: Coffee
- Lunch: Eat out at a restaurant with a co-worker
- Dinner: Whatever I wanted
- Snack Later: Potato Chips, ice cream, cake, pop corn, or a 2nd meal (no joke)
This diet was killing me slowly and I had the 75 extra pounds to prove it.
*My Diet Today: Serving sizes are all 1 single serving.
- Breakfast (Pre-Workout): Coffee and a serving of Original Fiber One Cereal. Sometimes a half glass of OJ too!
- After Workout Protein: EAS Advantage Protein Shake (Chocolate!)
- Mid-Morning Snack: Chewy Quaker Granola Bar (PB & Choc. Chip) or a banana/apple & water
- Lunch: I bring my lunch a lot (Soup, lean hamburger, chili, grilled chicken, salad, lean steak) & water
- Mid-Afternoon Snack: Chewy Granola Bar again or a piece of fruit again & water
- After Work Snack: Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt, a piece of fruit or a cheese stick!
- Dinner: Baked fish, lean hamburger, chili, pork, turkey, spaghetti, etc. I take the time to cook ahead so if I’m busy I always have something in the freezer/fridge that I can reheat in a pinch. Planning ahead is a key to eating healthy!
- Late snack: Yogurt again or a glass of skim milk
If you hate being hungry then my plan or something similar may be for you! I eat 8 times a day. I eat every 2-3 hours. Some “meals/snacks” are only 100-200 calories. No meal is over 500 calories. By the end of the day I usually have consumed 1700-2000 calories. Take away the calories I burned with exercise and I’m losing weight. By the way, if you DON’T eat your body will store fat. So not eating is counterproductive to your goal.
Why does eating every couple hours work?
Answer: Think of a fire. You start a fire and it blazes to life. After a while the fire dies down. Throw on another small stick and it blazes up again. Now this is SIMILAR to metabolism. If you only throw on three large logs the whole day then there are a lot of times when the fire is really low and it takes some work to get it blazing again. If you add some twigs and leaves every once in a while (small meals/snacks) then the blaze stays more even and it’s easier to get the large stuff to catch.
I have a small office at work and I find it interesting to watch the thermostat on the wall after I eat. The room temperature goes up about 2 degrees 15-20 minutes after my snack. Why? My body’s metabolism is increasing and a by product is heat.
Some Things to Consider:
- A lot of hunger/cravings is mistaken thirst. You need water, not food.
- Fiber makes you feel full.
- Eating smaller portions several times a day keeps the fire burning.
- Portion size is key. Retrain yourself to know what a real portion size looks like….not what a restaurant tells you it is.
- Mom was right! Chew your food slowly! Once you are full, it takes your body 20 minutes to send the signal to tell you to stop eating. If you scarf down a huge burger & fries in 10-15 minutes then the signal to stop eating won’t get to you in time. Enjoy it, don’t inhale it! 🙂
- This one kills me, but I know it’s true…Diet Soda make you fat. Regular Soda is even worse than diet soda.**
By the way, while I was writing this blog I had two snacks and a meal.
*Disclaimer: I plan for celebrations so I can take part in BBQs, holidays, birthdays and weddings. On Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, The 4th of July, Elvis’ Birthday and other national holidays I eat what I want and indulge a little. I don’t eat everything in site for an entire week though. I have some of my Aunt’s applesauce cake at Christmas, enjoy my mom’s pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, eat a burger AND a brat on the 4th and drink a Bud Light or two at my Super Bowl Party. I don’t indulge daily, I don’t indulge weekly, but when the time comes to celebrate I make sure I’ve worked hard enough to deserve that extra piece of mom’s fried chicken. That’s why I don’t skip workouts and that’s why when I weigh myself October 8th my birthday cake from the day before is already a memory!
**See the video on my Links & Resources Page to learn how/why Diet Soda makes you fat.
17 miles
Ever want some time to think about practically everything? Run 17 miles on a Saturday…or any day of the week for that matter. You’ll have about three hours to ponder things assuming we run about the same speed. For the last couple weeks I’ve left the iPod at home and enjoyed the confines of my own thoughts while running. Money, job, school, girlfriend, family, Disney, my next run, vacation, the upcoming week, last week, past relationships, my next promotion, my next degree, my next job, my last job, my best friend, my worst enemy, those whom I inspire, those who refuse to be inspired, Disney, buying a house, that girl who just ran by (hey, I’m a dude!), renewing my apartment lease, my knee hurting, my knee not hurting anymore, and a host of other things.
In all that time suddenly I’m turning around and heading back to my car. I’m halfway finished. Where did the last 8.5 miles go? I’ve been lost in the run, not thinking about breathing, not thinking about running, not thinking about how far I have left, not thinking about any imaginary pain or real pain. Is it time for GU yet? Yep, it is!
In all that thinking I realize that having balance in life is key. Work, school, social life, family, alone time, exercise and everything else needs its little piece of my time. Many things take priority and those priorities will shift throughout the year. Right now I’m training for my first marathon so going out with my buddies is not at the top of the list on the weekend….a 17 mile run is. During the week my lunch time diet tends to be geared toward fuel more than “the business lunch”. Everything is preparing me for January and the long run. After that I will start to see if a social life on Friday night can be explored again. I’m sure it will!
So my advice is to have balance, but also have priorities for the time being knowing that those priorities can shift once you cross the finish line.
Goals and Getting Started!
Welcome and thanks for reading my blog! In time I will discuss all sorts of things related to my fitness journey such as exercise, strength training, walking, running, diet and hopefully the motivation to keep at it! Happy reading!
Where to start? Perhaps a little about me. I started my fitness journey back in December 2009. Last December I wanted a change so I made a plan. I decided the only way to keep training was to have a reason to do it. At the time I was +/- 75 pounds over weight weighing in at close to 245 pounds.
So I signed up for a 5K in March and a half-marathon in May. I put the cash down and actually registered. I wanted to give myself a reason to really go for it and not slack off so I added a second half-marathon in May just two weeks after the 1st one. Looking back maybe I was a little too ambitious. But darn it, I wanted results!
I was afraid that I would train a bit, eat healthy for a few weeks, finish the second half-marathon and stop training like I had in the past so I started to look at running events later in the year.
This is the time I should let you know that I am a Disney fan. I had heard of the “runDisney” series and started looking into the race Disney puts on in January that goes through all four Disney parks. Considering I had a year to train I decided to register for the full-marathon and put down the cash. I figured if I was going to run that far I might as well run the 26.2 most magical miles on Earth!
Still, I was worried. There is a lot of time and great BBQ weather between May and January. What if I slacked off after the May events? What if I lost focus later in the year? Or worse, what if I saw all that time to spare and decided I could afford to be lazy again and started to regress?
So I decided to add one more event later in the year to get me through. I looked for another half-marathon and found a small local event in early September. This would keep me training through the summer and I’d be set to push through to January and my first ever full-marathon. My running schedule was set or so I thought.
As luck would have it I received an email from runDisney.com advertising a half-marathon in October called the Disney Wine & Dine Half-Marathon. It was the inaugural race! I couldn’t resist! It was Disney after all and it was to be the kickoff event to Disney’s Food & Wine Festival! So I registered and wondered if I could handle four half-marathons in one year! At this point I had barely ran a single mile for my first half of the year! My friends may have started to doubt my sanity. 🙂
Fast forward to present day. I am happy to say that I completed all four half-marathons and even did three 5K runs in total including that first one in March. I have lost 45 pounds and I am approaching my goal weight slowly but surely. I’m in no hurry. Progress comes slow at times or stops all together when I hit a plateau.
So what’s the point? A blog post should have a point right?
Goals. What’s yours?
My goal is to enjoy life as long as I can. My goal is to earn a PR (Personal Record) during an event every once in a while. My goal is to be fit so I can do more. My goal is to combine my love of travel with my new running habit!
Your goal could be to look good for a friend’s wedding, it could be to lose 10 pounds for your 20 year high school reunion, it could be that your doctor told to get active “or else” or your goal could be to be around to see your children grow up. These are all goals, but I encourage you to find a goal that is all yours and no one else’s. Remember though that this is when it’s okay to be a little selfish and do it for you.
I run for me.
Running Down a Dream 23's Blog 