Training in Wisconsin for runDisney Marathon Week

RunDisney Marathon Week takes place in early January in typically warm and relatively dry Central Florida.  When you live in Southeast Wisconsin, however, the peak of your training is in December, when Old Man Winter is knocking on the door and trying to move in.  You must be prepared to adjust to the weather.  It could be okay, 40°-50°F and sunny.  It could be terrible with snow, ice, and temperatures well below freezing.  It’s always preferrable to run outside, if possible, but sometimes conditions make it too risky.  Hitting a slippery spot while running could result in season ending injury.  Guessing incorrectly what to wear to stay warm but not overheat can result in a very unpleasant run.

 

One must have alternatives.  Normally in winter I would just postpone a run if the weather was not cooperating.   But once you start a 4-day Dopey Simulation, postponing is not an option.  You must cover the prescribed distance on the prescribed day regardless of weather.  So having indoor options and enough layers of running clothes for varying outdoor conditions is a necessity.  

 

I am fortunate to have two indoor options.  Two blocks from my house is a fitness center with a large bank of treadmills.  I always have a quality treadmill available just a short walk away.  My other indoor option is a 440-meter indoor track at the Pettit National Ice Center, a U.S. Olympic long track speed skating facility that is only 20 minutes away.  The speed skating track is surrounded by a 3-lane running/walking track that is just a little longer than a standard 400-meter track.  The temperature inside is kept around 55°F with no wind or rain, and perfectly flat, nice conditions for running.  

 

When running outside is going to be miserable, I’ll opt for a treadmill for shorter runs and the Pettit Center for longer runs.  When a Dopey Simulation is approaching, I am scanning the future weather forecast trying to determine where I am going to run and what clothing and equipment I will need.  For runs up to 10 miles, it’s not that complicated.  But when the run is going to take longer than 2 hours, then the logistics around having enough fluids and nutrition come into play, and those logistics change depending on where I am going to run.


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