Earlier in the year I interviewed Mike Rahlmann from the Be Our Guest podcast.  He is training for the runDisney full marathon.  He NEVER thought he’d be running a marathon and here he is, just one long run away from doing it in less than a month!  Here’s the interview, enjoy it!  I ran into Mike on the bus at the Tower of Terror weekend and we took some pictures together before the race!

How is your training going!  I see your training stats when you finish and they look awesome!

My training is going pretty well!  I think I’m starting to become a bit of a “runner!”  I make sure to schedule my days and weeks not to miss my 4 “run days!”  I feel so much better when I get out there and get in my miles!

How are you feeling mentally, physically and emotionally about the race?

I’m very excited about this all!  Once I completed my 24 mile training run last Saturday, I started finally feeling like I can actually do this marathon!  I realize after running many runDisney events that the excitment of the race and being with “running friends” does carry you a bit, so I know if I can get close, I can get to that finish line!

Now that you are one more long run away from race day (and I know you said you are saving the .2 for marathon day), do you feel ready?

I do!  Thanks to the encouragement of so many of our podcast teammates and others from the Disney Community, I’m starting to believe in myself.  It is great having this shared experience with so many friends.  I know that I won’t be the only one in those corrals on January 11 going for 26.2 for the first time!  Also, I know that every mile of the race, there will be smiles, friends, and encouraging words to get me to that finish!

What was the hardest training run for you so far?

I think some of the hardest training runs have been on the coldest days so far this winter.  I run every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and on Tuesday and Thursday, I have to run before school.  It’s still dark when I get my run in, so it is tough to leave that bed in what feels like the middle of the night knowing how cold it is going to be out there.  However, I know others are doing the same and it will all be worth it when I get to the race!

How do you feel the day of and the days after your long runs?

I’m always a bit anxious to just get out there when it is my “run day!”  Also, when I know I have a long run coming up on Saturday, I’m at bit on-edge that entire week.  I actually feel good knowing that I only have one long run left before Marathon Weekend.  I do love the training, but the nervousness that I feel before the weekend of my long runs is a bit crazy!   After I get in those long runs, I reward myself with a nice Saturday afternoon nap on the couch watching college football, unless it is my beloved Mizzou Tigers!  Then, who could sleep?

Now that you have seen how much work goes into training a marathon will you do another after this one?

I’ve heard my great friend Adam mention that this might be his only marathon due to these long runs during the training and I really can see where he is coming from.  There are many days I feel exactly the same.  However, I’m the kind of person that never says never.  I NEVER thought I would run a Half-Marathon, and now I’m nuts enough to get out there and shoot for 26.2.  Who knows, Dopey anyone?

Your times are very fast, have you considered trying to qualify for Boston?

Not a chance.  That actually cracks me up!  I heard someone mention that one day on Twitter about my times.  I use the Jeff Galloway Run-Walk-Run method in 1:1 intervals, so I don’t consider myself at all fast since I walk half of the time.  Also, I see Boston as an elite athletic event, and I’m just out there to have fun with some buddies and get a great Walt Disney World Vacation at the same time!

Are you staying healthy and injury free during this time?

Actually, the day I’m writing this, I’m fighting a tough stomach bug that caused me to miss my first “run day” in over a year.  However, I feel like I am a “real” runner now because while I was laying in bed, I was worried about not getting in my miles.  As soon as I got up and ate some breakfast the next day having had to stay home from school, I made sure to head downstairs and get in at least 6 miles of walking on the treadmill.

Are you hungrier?

Yes, I can eat just about anything these days.  Before I started this journey, I ate a ton of fast food.  It was almost my exclusive diet.  Now I tend to eat out just about as much, but we go more to sit-down restaurants where there are slightly better choices.  I enjoy fajitas from my favorite Mexican restaurant about 3 times a week and watch what I eat for breakfast and lunch and enjoy a healthy-sized dinner.

Do you have a goal time in mind or do you just want to finish?  Is your daughter still running it?  How has her training been?

I would love to finish the Marathon in about 4:20 or so, seeing as I have run about that pace here in Missouri where it is rather hilly, but I’m in a dilemma here.  I want to make sure I enjoy this experience.  I’ve been working on this goal since July 30, 2013 when I took my first 1 mile run.  I want to be able to stop for pictures on the course, take pictures of other running and inspiring signs and scenes along the way, ride Expedition Everest, and more!   Life is about the journey, right?  It’s not about who gets done first.  Being competitive, that’s going to be hard for me, but I think I will slow down and enjoy one of (hopefully) the best mornings of my life!

Paige is still running the Marathon with me, but hasn’t done much training.  She was injured for about half of her Cross Country season this year with a stress fracture so she needed to stay away from running for a bit.  I have been getting on her for the past month about getting out there and training, but do you think an 18-year old girl is going to listen to her step-dad?  I think she will do fine.  She is very athletic.  I just want her to have an amazing time too.

What do you listen to on your long runs?

Let’s see if this surprises you – podcasts.  I really do enjoy hearing “friends” while I am out there on the road.  I always “screen” our upcoming Be Our Guest Podcasts, but also love hearing WDW Today, The Disney Dish Podcast, RFF Radio, MacBreak Weekly, This Week in Tech, Mickey Miles Podcast, Resort Loop, and more.  Also, on Saturday mornings with my long runs, I listen to College Gameday on the ESPN Radio App.  What can I say?  I’m just not a music guy!

Do you have a mantra to help you through the tough times?

Luckily (knock on wood), I haven’t had too many tough times.  I see friends out there thousands of miles away who are on this journey with me.  We keep each other motivated.  I have friends like Mike Bankhead and Stan Harris who will post just the right motivational message on Facebook when I need it.  Social Media is more powerful that I think most people give it credit – it has helped shape me as a runner and changed my life for the better.

What do you use for fuel for the long runs?  I used to use Gu but now I use pretzel fish and gummy bears and Nuun because they cause less upset to my stomach.

I will be honest – I don’t fuel on any runs.  Before my 24 mile run, I got up and ate a small bagel with some peanut butter and hit the road and I was fine.  My mistake was that I didn’t have any water available during this run either.  I made it home after the run, but on my last training run, I’m going to ask my wife to meet me around mile 15 with a sports drink or something.  I tried a gel years ago at the first Tower of Terror race and it made me sick to my stomach, so I tend to run light and eat when I finish.

Clothing- you are training at home where it is cold. Are you conscious of what gear you will wear in Florida?  It’s hard because we don’t have the chance to test out the summer clothing for the long runs in our winter states.

I’m pretty simple – I’m planning on just running in some running shorts and out BOGP Running Lizard Team shirt.  However, I ran the “Frozen” WDW Half-Marathon in 2010 and I learned my lesson.  I will have my cold-weather running gear with me, but hope that I don’t have to use it.  When it is cold here in St. Louis, I run in Nike Combat Hyperwarm undergarments and swear by them.  I can run in wind chills down in the single digits and be fine except for my exposed skin.

It sounds to me like Mike is ready to go! And if you ask me he’s a runner!! No doubt about it. Great job Mike! I can’t wait to hear all about your experience and yes, Dopey may be in your future one day! Like I always say, “Never Give Up!” I also say “Never Say Never!”

Check back in January for my recap of my first experience with the Dopey challenge and I will also interview Mike again after he completes his first Full Marathon! I can’t wait to hear what he thinks of running a full marathon, and running the Disney marathon as his first marathon.