The following Goofy / Dopey Challenge 16-Week Training Program was created so as to allow your legs to prepare for the double-day (or quad-day) racing that will occur during the annual Goofy Challenge or Dopey Challenge. Below are the key elements of this adapted training schedule.

IMPORTANT PRIMARY ITEMS TO REMEMBER

Run Your Own Pace/Expectations:

Each daily run is not based on a set pace or time; it is based on your own running goals - adapt to YOUR OWN pace and expectations. If you find that the overall weekly mileage is too great, remove Day One's training miles out of your schedule.

Alter The Training Schedule To Fit Your Schedule:

You are welcomed to alter the training schedule as needed to meet your personal needs, as there is no one training program that suitable for each runner. If you need to adjust the overall calendar of training so your long run occurs on a Day Seven (Saturday) or Day One (Sunday), just shift the days of the week forward to accommodate that training schedule. The training schedule below is set so that Day One corresponds to Sunday and Day Seven corresponds to Saturday. You will note there is a box in front of each daily training - this will allow you to signify the day of the week that corresponds to your personal training (i.e. "M" means Monday). It will allow you to rotate the training so that Day One corresponds to your specific day of the week. NOTE: The training schedule should remain in the same order each week - only alter what day of the week that Day One will fall on.

TRAINING SCHEDULE EXPLANATIONS

"___ m run" Training - When it states "__ m run" that simply means you run the prescribed distance at your comfortable pace. Undertraining is better than overtraining, so don't try to push these trainings too hard.

REST - I have arranged the prescribed "rest" day for the day prior to your intermediate and long runs. It is important that you use this day as a day of rest and not a day to "get caught up" on your training or for cross-training (i.e. swimming, cycling, etc.). Take advantage of this day and let your body rejuvenate itself.

Intermediate Long Run - It is the weekly item that is highlighted in pale yellow and is run the day before your weekly long run. Some of these runs will be marked as "___ m run" and others as "___ m pace." For those that have the suffix "run," then it should be a comfortable pace. If the suffix is "pace," then you will want to run this training portion at your marathon race pace.

Weekly Long Run - It is the weekly item that is highlighted in bright yellow. You will want to run the long run at a pace about 90 seconds or longer than your anticipated marathon race pace. For example, if you are planning to run the Disney World Marathon at a 10:00 per mile pace, then you will want to run your weekly long run at an 11:30 or 12:00 per mile pace.

Cross Train - Those days designated as "Cross Train," it simply means to find some other cardiovascular exercise to participate in - other than running or jogging - for at least one hour (i.e. swimming, cycling, aerobics. etc.). This will allow your body a "day of rest" from your primary running muscles without compromising your cardiovascular development. If you choose not to cross train, then jog the designated mileage prescribed for that training day.

Questions - Feel free to contact me (Lee Hoedl) at leehoedl@yahoo.com should you have questions pertaining to the training outlined below or race day conditions/expectations.

Thoughts to Reflect Upon - Below each week's title are links to helpful tips or reflective thoughts to help focus you in your training toward the finish line at Disney World. Feel free to share these tips / thoughts with others.