Marathon Weekend 2018

[ANIM8R]

I know many on here have pre-marathon nightmares but I had a post-marathon nightmare last night! I dreamt that we had to scan our Magic Bands at the finish line. The line was backed up and not moving...very frustrating!

 

[JClimacus]

Dragging an old topic back up, but I was thinking more about Goofy vs. Dopey this morning...the other reason why I think I'm good with not doing Dopey again is that when I did it in 2015 I had a basically perfect experience. I could see how if someone was injured/sick/had the half canceled last year they would want to do it again to get redemption or have a full Dopey, but I feel satisfied with my Dopey "career."

Having said that, I think I'd skip Goofy altogether. I'm sort of over the half marathon course that Disney uses for WDW and Princess weekends (it's my least favorite course at WDW). I think I'd be more likely to do the marathon alone or the 10K and the marathon for future race weekends.

My problem with Dopey has always been that I have to manage my eating in the runup to a marathon (a half marathon or less, not so much). So from Wednesday till Sunday morning, rather than enjoying myself on a vacation and eating what I want, I'd constantly be turning away things and trying to avoid temptation. I much prefer Goofy, getting there, only having to worry about eating on Saturday, and then letting it rip after the marathon on Sunday.

My primary reason for running Goofy rather than just the marathon is that I can run with my kids, who are willing to run up to a half but not a full.

I'm doing the First Order Challenge at Dark Side... the 10k by myself and the half with my daughter. I can be a lot more relaxed about what I'm eating since there is no full marathon involved.

 

[JeffW]

Just back today from our trip, and almost 100 new pages on this thread! Had some weird problem logging into my account here from my phone, so I didn't get to participate during the weekend. Congrats @DopeyBadger on the awesome times! And to everyone else on their successes.

Successfully finished my first Dopey, 4th Goofy, and 5th DW Marathon. While I wanted cooler temps, the 5k was a bit colder than I'd like (had to use my key chain to scrape the windshield of our rental car before driving to Epcot). I really liked the temps for the half and full.

Finished about 10 minutes slower than last year for the marathon at 3:54, including 5 picture stops. I loved running the 5k, 10k, and Half with family members, it was so much fun running with my son for his first 10k! I did learn, however, that running at their paces (1-2 min/mile slower than my marathon pace) for 3 days really inflamed my arches and achilles. It took me until I left MK on marathon morning to really loosen up and start running more normally. From that point on I had a fun race, and my family was in DHS to cheer me on (if anyone saw a kid in an inflatable T-rex costume with an inflatable high-five hand in DHS, that was my family!).

I personally don't think the mini-wave setup was an improvement in any way. Starting in G with my wife for the Half, I felt like our wave caught the back of the wave in front of it within the first mile. My wife was never really able to settle into her run pace due to the massive congestion from miles 4-8. One lane wide just isn't enough to handle the amount of runners they pushed out in F-H, especially with some doing run/walk and others running flat paces. Starting in Corral B on Sunday felt downright sparse.

At this point, I think I'll drop back to registering for the full marathon for future years, and then one other race based on what my family members want to run. The medals were awesome, but the 4 early mornings and running different paces for 3 days in a row was hard. I'd like to go back to at least one rest day in there for future years. It'll also help with the Expo madness, as we could just pickup 5k bibs outside and come back on a future day for the other bibs and race merchandise. I'm also convinced, yet again, that we'll keep staying at monorail resorts (BLT is our home resort) based on the bus stories that pop up each year!

 

[Ariel484]

I believe @sourire did just that this time with 10K + full. What would the name be for that. The Minnie/Mickey challenge? The "I get a nap day" challenge. I honestly really see the appeal!

Seriously, sleeping in on Saturday morning is a huge part of the appeal. I was bummed that the half was canceled last year but OH MAN was sleeping in on Saturday heavenly.

And yeah, something about getting Mickey and Minnie medals is adorable.

My problem with Dopey has always been that I have to manage my eating in the runup to a marathon (a half marathon or less, not so much). So from Wednesday till Sunday morning, rather than enjoying myself on a vacation and eating what I want, I'd constantly be turning away things and trying to avoid temptation. I much prefer Goofy, getting there, only having to worry about eating on Saturday, and then letting it rip after the marathon on Sunday.

And that's the worst, because there is *so* much tasty food at Disney!

 

[JeffW]

If anyone on here missed the opportunity for a Dopey magnet and would like one, please PM me. After unpacking last night, I realized that I had two of them stuck (they are magnets!) together.

 

[ZellyB]

Does anyone have their castle shots in their photopass accounts yet? All my character stops have been there for a day or two now, but no castle shots and I stopped at both the half and full. I don't even have any of the candid castle shots while running past? I stopped at a photopass store at HS on Saturday to ask about a 10K photo and she said we should have all of them by Tuesday. I thought she meant all the photos but maybe she just meant the 10K? All my 10K pics have been there since Sunday and the rest of my full marathon character stops were uploaded Monday (Oswald was the last one!). I am really excited to see how the castle shots turned out.

We don't have our castle shot from the full either. I'm also missing our Ducktales one and Evil queen, both of which I was really excited to get. I'm hoping they might still show up.

Dragging an old topic back up, but I was thinking more about Goofy vs. Dopey this morning...the other reason why I think I'm good with not doing Dopey again is that when I did it in 2015 I had a basically perfect experience. I could see how if someone was injured/sick/had the half canceled last year they would want to do it again to get redemption or have a full Dopey, but I feel satisfied with my Dopey "career."

Having said that, I think I'd skip Goofy altogether. I'm sort of over the half marathon course that Disney uses for WDW and Princess weekends (it's my least favorite course at WDW). I think I'd be more likely to do the marathon alone or the 10K and the marathon for future race weekends.

We also decided no more half-marathon should we do any future WDW marathon weekends. I LOVED the 5K course. So much Epcot time in the dark was amazing. And, the full course is still far and away our favorite (if you ignore cone alley and that stupid out and back before AK), so we think should we do a weekend again we might do the 5K and the full.

 

[Ariel484]

We also decided no more half-marathon should we do any future WDW marathon weekends. I LOVED the 5K course. So much Epcot time in the dark was amazing. And, the full course is still far and away our favorite (if you ignore cone alley and that stupid out and back before AK), so we think should we do a weekend again we might do the 5K and the full.

I really like the 5K, but the long character lines really frustrate me. 5K + Marathon would be a nice weekend though. I do agree that the marathon course is the best by far...we'll just pretend cone alley and that pesky out & back don't exist, yes?

If they change this half course ever, I'd consider doing it again. But I'm betting they won't take away the January/February half course since it goes to MK, and since it goes to MK, you get all of that highway. The Dark Side/Wine & Dine course looks SO much better if one is okay with no MK/castle run.

 

[ZellyB]

I really like the 5K, but the long character lines really frustrate me. 5K + Marathon would be a nice weekend though. I do agree that the marathon course is the best by far...we'll just pretend cone alley and that pesky out & back don't exist, yes?

If they change this half course ever, I'd consider doing it again. But I'm betting they won't take away the January/February half course since it goes to MK, and since it goes to MK, you get all of that highway. The Dark Side/Wine & Dine course looks SO much better if one is okay with no MK/castle run.

Agreed on all counts. If they ever redo the half course, I'd definitely reconsider.

I did tell Chris I want to do W&D at some point. I want to actually experience that course instead of the half of a half course that we got the year we went due to the storm.

 

[Ariel484]

Agreed on all counts. If they ever redo the half course, I'd definitely reconsider.

I did tell Chris I want to do W&D at some point. I want to actually experience that course instead of the half of a half course that we got the year we went due to the storm.

Yeah, you definitely need a W&D redo.

 

[Sailormoon2]

If they change this half course ever, I'd consider doing it again. But I'm betting they won't take away the January/February half course since it goes to MK, and since it goes to MK, you get all of that highway. The Dark Side/Wine & Dine course looks SO much better if one is okay with no MK/castle run.

I did tell Chris I want to do W&D at some point. I want to actually experience that course instead of the half of a half course that we got the year we went due to the storm.

I really liked the W&D 1/2 marathon course (last years)! More AK is always alright with me!!

 

[Ariel484]

I really liked the W&D 1/2 marathon course (last years)! More AK is always alright with me!!

I was SO jealous of last year's course after the crappy one they came up with for 2016!!

 

[Ariel484]

Oh, and hey...where are my recaps, people???

 

[rteetz]

Oh, and hey...where are my recaps, people???

Plan on starting my TR tonight! Can’t wait to read everyone else’s.

 

[Ariel484]

Plan on starting my TR tonight! Can’t wait to read everyone else’s.

*high five*

 

[Mickey Momma]

Having said that, I think I'd skip Goofy altogether. I'm sort of over the half marathon course that Disney uses for WDW and Princess weekends (it's my least favorite course at WDW). I think I'd be more likely to do the marathon alone or the 10K and the marathon for future race weekends.

I personally don't think the mini-wave setup was an improvement in any way. Starting in G with my wife for the Half, I felt like our wave caught the back of the wave in front of it within the first mile. My wife was never really able to settle into her run pace due to the massive congestion from miles 4-8. One lane wide just isn't enough to handle the amount of runners they pushed out in F-H, especially with some doing run/walk and others running flat paces. Starting in Corral B on Sunday felt downright sparse.

This. I hated the half course. Too many banked on and off ramps for my taste. I started in G as well, got there ten minutes later than I planned (my fault), and felt like I was in a mass of people the entire time. I am already considering the full again in 2020, but have zero desire to do the half or Goofy/Dopey ever again with that course.

 

[DISRNR1000]

I am still missing some pictures from the 5K (finish line) and some more Finishline pictures from the marathon. I had a rare big pocket between me and other runners at the finish and was hoping for a good finish line picture. But there’s only one of me and I’m partially blocked by another runner. Not worth even saving.

Hoping some more will show up or possibly if I add other similar numbers or numbers of other runners that cross the finish line with me I might get a better picture?

Also I wanted to share my thoughts on the Dopey versus Goofy versus single races. I think I’ve come to the point where I would like to do just shorter race weekends. Whether you do Dopey or the 5K plus the marathon it requires a lot of vacation days. Plus a couple people mentioned above you can’t eat and enjoy everything you normally would on a Disney vacation because you are trying to prepare for the races, especially the marathon. I feel like I give up too much of my regular vacation at Disney if I’m there for a long week of races.

Of course this could always change but today I think I would rather just do only one or two races back to back on any given race weekend instead of being there for a full week and try to make no longer than a four-day weekend. Then schedule my “regular” Disney vacation outside of a race weekend - whether that is yearly or every other year or three years. I think I would like to keep the non race vacation separate as long as I have the ability to do so.

 

[TeeterTots]

Yeah, you definitely need a W&D redo.

Will we be seeing you at any upcoming races?!!! Missing your reports!

 

[PrincessV]

I fear it's going to take me WEEKS to catch up here, so if you'll forgive the post-and-run, I'm going to share my post-races thoughts now and then go back to read!

I am happy to report that I successfully, and officially - no canceled races!! - completed Dopey! And... nailed a big PR in the marathon, just for kicks. Yeah, I'm still riding that high!

Race reviews:

5K: A Feels Like of 26 is really cold. Like, really, REALLY cold. ETA: anyone else have to scrape ICE off the windshield to drive to the 5K?! We did! Yikes. I wore: two pairs of tights, old PJ pants, a skort, thermal mock-turtleneck, long sleeve tech tee, fleece jacket, hat, wool scarf, two pairs of gloves with hand warmers between them, toe warmers, and a mylar. The only items I tossed were the PJ pants and Mylar... and I never once got warm. Not an ounce of sweat was produced. I tried to run a couple times and couldn't: my legs were so cold, they were stiff! I was afraid if I pushed myself to run I'd injure myself, since I couldn't actually feel much, so I just walked with friends, took a bunch of pics, and had fun. Loved all the characters out there! Loved the CM and voluntEar interaction - super impressed by their energy, considering the weather! Finished thinking, "Surely this will be it - the rest of the races will be a little warmer..."

10K: Turns out a Feels Like of 30 is not noticeably different than 26. Wore all the layers again... managed to warm up enough to unzip my fleece jacket by the time I got into EP, but that was it. Again, the characters were fantastic, CMs and volunteers were terrific, and I had a blast hanging out with friends. I even managed to run some! Finished thinking, "No way will it be this cold tomorrow!"...

Half: Know what? 33 degrees? Feels a lot like 30. FYI. But I had soooo much fun with this race! I wore: thin, ventilated tights, old PJ pants, a short sleeve tech tee, long sleeve tech half-zip, fleece half-zip, hat, ear cover, neck gaiter, 2 pairs of gloves, hand and tow warmers, Mylar. Around the MK I ditched the PJ pants & toe warmers - and didn't regain feeling in my thighs until mile 12, lol! Ditched the fleece in MK, and pocketed the 2nd pair of gloves. Everything else stayed put! Took my sweet time stopping for loads of pics with friends and enjoying every mile. It seemed like a lot of characters! More than previous years, no? They had run out of Sport Beans by the time I got there, which is inexcusable. I didn't need them, but the thousands of other runners still out there might have. Other than that, I had a grand time and finished thinking, "I'm so glad it won't be as cold tomorrow!!"...

Full: Hooray for temps that don't start with a 3!!! I wore a layer less when I saw 41... and "enjoyed" a very chilly pre-race wait. But the thin tights, tank, long sleeve shirt, throwaway fleece & leg warmers, Buff and gloves were perfect once I got going. I woke up feeling really good and like I might be able to best my previous marathon PR by a minute or two. I still made some stops - to potty, to remove layers, for a couple quick pics - but stuck to my :30/:30 intervals through AK. Still feeling strong, I started skipping some run intervals here and there, and skipped every other run for the final 5 miles. By the time I got to DHS, I was down to a tank and tights and felt perfect: not too warm, not too cold. Given that all of my long distance training runs were warm or hot (65-90*) leading up to marathon weekend, it was insane how good I felt comparatively! By the time I got into EP, I knew I had a 20ish minute PR if I wanted it... and when I saw the long line for margaritas, I wanted the PR, lol! So I finished strong and got it. Even though I didn't stop for them, I was again pleasantly surprised to see so many characters out! And hello - a FREE hat at the finish?!?! Loved. it.

All in all, I had a near-perfect Dopey experience and I'm so glad I went for it again! And because it was so perfect, I feel no need to do it again in 2019. Think I'll go with the 10K and full and enjoy some down time between for a change.

Congrats to all who started, finished, braved the weather, conquered fears, met goals, laughed, made new friends, had a nice getaway, or whatever kind of awesomeness you gained from the experience!

 

[DVCFan1994]

Dragging an old topic back up, but I was thinking more about Goofy vs. Dopey this morning...the other reason why I think I'm good with not doing Dopey again is that when I did it in 2015 I had a basically perfect experience. I could see how if someone was injured/sick/had the half canceled last year they would want to do it again to get redemption or have a full Dopey, but I feel satisfied with my Dopey "career."

Having said that, I think I'd skip Goofy altogether. I'm sort of over the half marathon course that Disney uses for WDW and Princess weekends (it's my least favorite course at WDW). I think I'd be more likely to do the marathon alone or the 10K and the marathon for future race weekends.

Seriously, sleeping in on Saturday morning is a huge part of the appeal. I was bummed that the half was canceled last year but OH MAN was sleeping in on Saturday heavenly.

And yeah, something about getting Mickey and Minnie medals is adorable.

And that's the worst, because there is *so* much tasty food at Disney!

I did the 10k and Full and it was fabulous. I’ve always liked the 10k course, so wanted to do it. Love Minnie, so that was a big plus. Sleeping in on Saturday was lovely. Then on to the full which had been a goal for me for a long time. I do want to do Dopey once sometime in the future, but I really liked the 10k and full pairing. I referred to it as the “Happy Couple Challenge”!

 

[ILDisneyfan]

If anyone on here missed the opportunity for a Dopey magnet and would like one, please PM me. After unpacking last night, I realized that I had two of them stuck (they are magnets!) together.

Sent you a PM. Thanks!