Training for a marathon on Glory

[rollnoles2]

Our family is going on the Glory in December and I am training for the WDW marathon in January. It looks like the jogging track is really short (9 laps= 1 mile), which means I would need to do 126 laps to run 14 miles! :eek: Is there a better place to run on board? I don't want to hog up the treadmills in the gym (I'm not running at a record-breaking pace by any means!). Any suggestions from runners out there?

 

Thanks!

[vivalavida12]

I've seen many people just run the outer rim of the sun deck (just above the lido, where all the loungers are). It would probably be easiest to run around dinner time, since there will be less people around. Good luck with your training and have a wonderful time on your cruise!

Edited November 21, 2012 by vivalavida12

[ddloml]

Since the ship is traveling at 22 knots, it travels the 26.4 miles of the marathon in about an hour or so. Thus I've effortlessly let the ship run it for me.;)

[runner15km]

You are out of luck, the best you can do is to split time between the treadmill and the short track. You may also want to walk the stairs from deck 2-12.:)

 

Plan on doing your long run a day or two before the cruise and a day after the cruise. Good luck with the marathon.:)

[ashleyunf]

I feel your pain..I am training for the goofy run (so i will see you in Disney in Janurary) and we are setting out for a week long cruise on the Liberty on December 1.

 

I hate the treadmill for anything over 5 miles...so I will have to run the short track as well...I have asked family memebers that are cruising withus to take turns counting laps since I am sure i will lose track after the first 50 miles...they have all said they would in exchange for drinks...guess I am going to have a large bar bill by the end of the cruise for drinks i didnt drink...

 

Good Luck!

[140.6]

You will need to use your watch and the lap distance to calculate your speed. The gps picks up the ship speed.

[crewsweeper]

Are you doing Eastern or Western?

 

You might consider your longer runs in ports. For the Eastern, I believe St Thomas has a running/track club you can contact about routes. You may wish to google that and see. San Juan is a good walking town and it's hills will add to the workout. On Grand Truk, if you head out the cruise port, you can follow the roads all the way to the lighthouse and back with little traffic (remember they drive on the left). I'm not sure I'd run in Nassau, but you can look up routes there.

 

For the Western, Grand Cayman's roads to the right out of Georgetown or to the left up past 7 mile beach seem to have shoulder for running. On Coz, if you head south you can go along the old coast road to the lighthouse. There are sidewalks all the way into town if you go that way. Given the nearness to lesser desireable areas in Belize City, you might be better off with a shorter run out around the seawall, esplanade and back. Roatan's roads have narrow shoulders, but head over to the West End/WEst Bay and run along the beach , about a 5k from West End down to the point at West Bay.

 

Seriously, on a 7 day cruise, if you get in one long run (14-15 miles or what ever your long run schedule is at that point) on shore, you can do shorter runs on ship and maybe use the treads for interval workouts. But as someone else has posted, walking the stairs, walking the decks, all helps toward endurance for the marathon, especially if the goal is just to finish not set a PB or be on the podium for your age group. Use the cruise week as an easy week and then return to your training regime when you get back. You won't lose that much endurance/speed, if any.

Edited November 21, 2012 by crewsweeper

[nofishforme]

I have never been to the gym on a ship where half the tread mills warent half empty .. i like the way they have the tread mills infront of the windows looking out to the ocean ... I also hit the gym around 4pm with the late dinner seating

[tmackel]

I usually get up around 5 AM and have the whole ship to myself. Instead of adding up the laps, use your watch and keep track of your time. I start on the track and then move down to the lido for a while then back up to the track. If that doesn't work, turn a port day into a beach day with the family. They can enjoy the beach while you go for a nice run and see the sights by foot.

[YubaSutter]

DW and I like to do 5 mile runs at the ports we visit.

[PR0318]

Buy yourself a lap counter. I was on the Liberty in Middle of July and was training for a marathon in Sept. I did a long run on thursday before the trip and then on Sunday the day after the cruise. I just can't do a long run on a cruise, but 5-7 miles on a short track isn't bad.

[CRJ700]

You will need to use your watch and the lap distance to calculate your speed. The gps picks up the ship speed.

But since the track is oval, wouldn't your speed average out on each lap? Sure, your speed would show say 19 kts faster as you run towards the bow but it would also show show 19 kts slower as you run toward the stern?

Edited November 21, 2012 by CRJ700

[3dashers]

Can you run long the am before you get on the cruise? Yes awfully early but... Then as others said use the stairs or take a spin class and run shorter everyday. You won't lose any of your training.

 

Not on the glory but on the liberty at dawn there were runners out and they were using the deck, stairs and oval outside.

 

Congrats on the marathon . If this is your first...enjoy the journey. There is nothing like finishing 26.2 for the first time. Watch out you may be hooked.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

I will be training for Nathans Hot Dog eating contest.

[rollnoles2]

Since the ship is traveling at 22 knots, it travels the 26.4 miles of the marathon in about an hour or so. Thus I've effortlessly let the ship run it for me.;)

 

My husband's thoughts too! :D

[rollnoles2]

I feel your pain..I am training for the goofy run (so i will see you in Disney in Janurary) and we are setting out for a week long cruise on the Liberty on December 1.

 

I hate the treadmill for anything over 5 miles...so I will have to run the short track as well...I have asked family memebers that are cruising withus to take turns counting laps since I am sure i will lose track after the first 50 miles...they have all said they would in exchange for drinks...guess I am going to have a large bar bill by the end of the cruise for drinks i didnt drink...

 

Good Luck!

 

Will your family drink as you run or after? If during your run, I don't know that I would trust their counting! :)

 

Good luck on the Goofy! Have you run the WDW marathon before?

[rollnoles2]

Buy yourself a lap counter. I was on the Liberty in Middle of July and was training for a marathon in Sept. I did a long run on thursday before the trip and then on Sunday the day after the cruise. I just can't do a long run on a cruise, but 5-7 miles on a short track isn't bad.

 

I will probably do just that. Our cruise leaves on a Sunday, and I'm scheduled to run 20 miles the Saturday before so I might just wait to do my 14 mile run when we return. I can use the short track or tread mills for the shorter distances.

[yogimax]

I will probably do just that. Our cruise leaves on a Sunday, and I'm scheduled to run 20 miles the Saturday before so I might just wait to do my 14 mile run when we return. I can use the short track or tread mills for the shorter distances.

 

Yes, that's probably realistic. I've completed 13 marathons and know that a ship is not the place to get in long runs. I'm also not sure when in January the WDW Marathon is, but in general, you should be tapering the month before.

 

God luck and best wishes to you. Once you complete a marathon, you will never be the same. You will have accomplished what the majority of people can only dream about!

[RNRSC]

If you have an iphone there is a great app for the for running, ismoothrun. You can turn off the GPS tracking and it uses the accelerometer to track your distance. It is pretty accurate and you can focus on breathing instead of counting laps. If you get up early enough you can run on the deck above the pool before everyone gets out. I was training for a half on our last cruise and did my long run before I got onboard so I could do short runs on the ship. Makes for some tough runs if there is any wind though.

[proudpatriot07]

Good luck with the marathon :). I run half marathons so I admire anyone training for a full, especially on the cruise ship!

 

There wasn't a whole lot to do on my cruise so I hit the gym most days, it wasn't really crowded, but I didn't run on the deck. I think it's a good idea to do your 20 the day before you leave, short runs on the 'mill and deck, then your 14 when you return. Long runs are stressful enough without having to figure it out on the ship, but good luck!

[ashleyunf]

Will your family drink as you run or after? If during your run, I don't know that I would trust their counting! :)

 

Good luck on the Goofy! Have you run the WDW marathon before?

 

Thank you! I did the marathon in January and at mile 10 of that race I said I would do it again. It was a a great race.

[cheropita]

When I was training for The Chicago Marathon and cruising in Greece my coach advised me to not stress and run 1 hour runs every port day. The day after getting home we did a 22K run and all was good.

 

Going around and around on those short tracks is not great for your legs.

 

Good luck and enjoy your marathon!! I just did the 1/2 marathon in Fort Lauderdale and then followed it with a 6 night cruise:)

[Title39]

Our family is going on the Glory in December and I am training for the WDW marathon in January. It looks like the jogging track is really short (9 laps= 1 mile), which means I would need to do 126 laps to run 14 miles! :eek: Is there a better place to run on board? I don't want to hog up the treadmills in the gym (I'm not running at a record-breaking pace by any means!). Any suggestions from runners out there?

 

Thanks!

 

First of all, good luck on your marathon in January. I hope to run the WDW Marathon myself one day.

 

I sailed this past August on the Carnival Freedom for 8 nights while training for the New York City Marathon. Since my marathon was cancelled, and understandably so, I am now running the Rehoboth Beach (Delaware) Seashore Marathon in two weeks.

 

I managed to run 42 miles over the course of my cruise. Since we stayed at an area hotel pre-cruise, I ran 12 of those miles in the morning in Fort Lauderdale prior to boarding the ship. It was a beautiful run and I knocked out over a 1/4 of my mileage.

 

Unfortunately, the rest was on the treadmill. At one point I actually ran a half-marathon on one. The machine timed out after an hour so I had to restart it. It was definitely a mental challenge! Personally, I cannot deal with the tiny deck track and more importantly, the clueless people who wander about it. I did ask one of the fitness instructors on the ship if he knew of any places to run while in port, but he recommended against it because I was running alone. Probably good advice. Although I did run while in port on my previous Canadian cruises, but Canada is practically a suburb of the USA.

 

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed my training and cruise experience. I hope you do as well.

[bambidrummer]

I was wondering this same thing. I need to run 11 miles while on the ship. I just might put in 5 on the tread mill and walk the rest.

[caribsun]

Remember,others are waiting for the treadmill. Plan your 5 miles at off peak time, ask gym personnel when the best time. Unless you are running 6:00 min pace or less. ;)