Marathon Weekend 2019

[Simba's Girl]

Just had the realization that fairly soon we should see the weekend guide...It was sometime early Dec. last year right? For some reason the 8th comes to mind.

In other news...4 weeks till taper time!!!

 

[cavepig]

I'm pretty happy, did 14 miles today and I'm not feeling it too bad. Just curious because I didn't see an expiration date, but is there usually one for Clif Energy gels? I had two and used one today. Best case, I got them while running the LA Marathon in March 2017, otherwise they were from the WDW Marathon in 2016. Seemed to work ok. Right after, I went to the running store and they didn't have Clif gels, but had GU. Is that pretty similar to Clif or any major difference? They also had Jelly Belly energy jelly beans. Has anyone tried these before? Thanks! I'm getting excited! I laughed because I did the Dallas Turkey Trot 5k on Thursday and they have an 8 miler option, and I thought about doing it and then realized it wasn't a long enough training run for me at this stage.

They do have an expiration date, I've eaten old ones before and never had ill effects. Some gel brands are thicker than others, ingredients can vary, and amount of sodium/potassium/etc. can vary. Some can upset your stomach where others don't, so they aren't exactly the same, it just takes trying them out to find if they will upset your stomach.

Just had the realization that fairly soon we should see the weekend guide...It was sometime early Dec. last year right? For some reason the 8th comes to mind.

In other news...4 weeks till taper time!!!

Sounds about right. I looked & I saved the corral charts on December 13, 2017.

 

[lhermiston]

Good morning, runDisney all-stars! 44 days until the start of marathon weekend!

I'm sitting in my office, watching the rain fall down and waiting for it to turn to snow so I can go out and get a 15 mile run in. Seems like a good time to get down with some Sundays are for Disney. Who goes to Disney Springs? What do you like to see, do and eat there?

I haven't been to Disney Springs since it was Downtown Disney. My wife and kids really liked taking the boat from POR. For marathon weekend, we booked at POR again partially so they could take the boat to Disney Springs again. Last time, I ate at Earl of Sandwich, browsed some stores and did a little shopping.

This coming trip, I think my wife and kids will head down while I go to the expo, but we might go over again as a family another morning. I want to try Daily Poutine and maybe look at a shadow box for the dopey medals. I'm sure my wife will pick out an ornament at the Christmas store and my youngest is bound and determined to drop a few bucks at Goofy's Candy Kitchen.

Have a good week, everyone!

 

[cavepig]

Good morning, runDisney all-stars! 44 days until the start of marathon weekend!

I'm sitting in my office, watching the rain fall down and waiting for it to turn to snow so I can go out and get a 15 mile run in. Seems like a good time to get down with some Sundays are for Disney. Who goes to Disney Springs? What do you like to see, do and eat there?

I haven't been to Disney Springs since it was Downtown Disney. My wife and kids really liked taking the boat from POR. For marathon weekend, we booked at POR again partially so they could take the boat to Disney Springs again. Last time, I ate at Earl of Sandwich, browsed some stores and did a little shopping.

This coming trip, I think my wife and kids will head down while I go to the expo, but we might go over again as a family another morning. I want to try Daily Poutine and maybe look at a shadow box for the dopey medals. I'm sure my wife will pick out an ornament at the Christmas store and my youngest is bound and determined to drop a few bucks at Goofy's Candy Kitchen.

Have a good week, everyone!

We had the rain last night (not a lot) and have the snow now that you'll be getting I'm guessing. Hopefully, you aren't going to get the winds too as it's awful white out conditions out. Good Luck on your 15!



I'm not a huge Disney Springs fan. We didn't go last trip, so I guess we went the trip before and ate at Blaze Pizza. Mine was forgotten then when I finally got it, it seemed undercooked. Others in my group liked it though.

The redo with the water stuff in the middle is nice. I'm just not big on the generic non-Disney type stores there, so don't bother with them. The live music is fine except when we were there I could hear two groups at once and it was not enjoyable. I like the Disney Co-op store a lot.

 

[lhermiston]

We had the rain last night (not a lot) and have the snow now that you'll be getting I'm guessing. Hopefully, you aren't going to get the winds too as it's awful white out conditions out. Good Luck on your 15!

The whiteout is supposed to come later. I’m hoping to run just as the rain turns to snow and before the sidewalks get slick.

 

[LdyStormy76]

Why do you need to get to the corrals so early? Can't you just roll in a half hour before your corral start time?

If you are driving to the start keep in mind that, depending on the race, they start shutting roads down between 3 and 4 am. There are those who drive, arrive early and sit in their car until heading to the corral. Those of us who rely on Disney transportation mostly error on the side of earlier busses; there have been horror stories posted here about busses getting lost, not running as late as expected getting stuck in traffic.

 

[camaker]

SAFD: I preferred Downtown Disney before the redesign that turned it into Disney Springs. It feels less like Disney and more like any number of generic upscale malls to me now. I especially miss poking around in the little niche collectibles store Hoi Polloi that seemed to be forced out in favor of the generic Star Wars/Marvel stores. I do really enjoy dinner at Raglan Road and dark chocolate hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli, though.

 

[AFwifelife]

SAFD: we don’t head to DS too much and I haven’t tried many of the new things they have there. DH’s favorite is Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar so he can brag about being a pilot. Their apps are pretty good too.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

SAFD: We love Disney Springs now! It actually draws us to go back there multiple times during trips! So many wonderful restaurants and bar/lounge options along with shopping for what you forget you needed or if you need an emergency replacement (Fit2Run has been our friend a few times!).

Restaurants:
The Boathouse
Paddlefish
Enzo's Hideaway

Bars/Lounges:
Homecomin'
Wine Bar George
Morimoto Asia
The Hanger
Splitsville

 

[Barca33Runner]

Sundays are for Disney:

I enjoy heading over to Disney Springs during a trip, but it’s not a must do. In all honesty, the vast number of restaurants is becoming a turn off for me though. Particularly with so many of the older places getting shut down for a few months and then re-opened as essentially the same place with a new name and “modern” decor. To echo some earlier sentiments, it does feel like an upscale outdoor mall in a lot of places now and I’ll say that I’d definitely feel out of place in most of the retail spaces in there.

Going over for a movie and early dinner on the Saturday of Marathon Weekend has become a nice tradition.

 

[rteetz]

I'm sitting in my office, watching the rain fall down and waiting for it to turn to snow so I can go out and get a 15 mile run in. Seems like a good time to get down with some Sundays are for Disney. Who goes to Disney Springs? What do you like to see, do and eat there?

I love Disney Springs. So many great places to eat. I think my favorite is Homecomin followed closely by Boathouse. They keep opening more places that I need to try as well. I’ll do a little shopping too. I like the Co-Op and always check out the candy store as well as the Christmas store for ornaments.

 

[pluto377]

We usually go to Disney Springs every trip because my kids love T-Rex. And I love Ghiradelli. I also like going to the World of Disney store and the toy store, but I haven't been since they were redone. I hear they're not as good now... Depending on the weather my plan is to maybe go there on Saturday after the half. If it's super warm though I'll be hanging by the pool instead.

 

[CDKG]

Who goes to Disney Springs? What do you like to see, do and eat there?

My home resort is Saratoga Springs and I always stay in Congress Park so Disney Springs is just a 5-10 min walk over the bridge for me! I usually stick to the Marketplace unless I am taking advantage of the bus stop to resort hop (I miss the Marketplace bus stop!)

It's nice to be able to grab a quick bite at Starbucks or Earl of Sandwich and just bring it back to my room. Wolfgang Puck Express has great food options too! Dockside Margaritas and the Hanger Bar (ooh, venturing into the Landing!) are great for a drink or two.

For shopping I typically stick to the Christmas shop, Tren-D, the Marketplace Co-Op, and World of Disney. I will occasionally stop in the Star Wars store, Goofy's candy shop or one of the kiosks too.

I have a friend who works at the VOID, so I had an opportunity to experience it first hand last month. Wow! I highly recommend it. My friend said the new Wreck it Ralph experience will be really cool too (they are keeping the Star Wars experience too, so you can choose your adventure). While I haven't been to the movie theater in Disney Springs, I have enjoyed the theater pre-race in Downtown Disney in California.

***Future question idea: Last night I was thinking about fueling which brought me to the question of how to carry it during the marathon. A question regarding how you plan to carry fuel/hydration (ziplock bags, pockets, handhelds, hydration belt/vest, etc.) would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[Neon Cactus]

On most trips, I find I don't go very often. I do most of my shopping in the parks. On this trip, I'm not planning on doing any parks (yet, anyway), so I'll probably go there Saturday and after the race at some point. I usually only go for the Disney specific shops, I love the Disney art and the Christmas shops, and I have to stock up on the Goofy Sour Balls at the candy store. I do want to try Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar.

 

[BigEeyore]

Got my 16 miler done this morning! Bailed on the 8 miler yesterday and got on the bike trainer for 25 miles instead due to 36 degrees and rain. This will be marathon #6 for me, but these long runs never get any easier!

Love Disney Springs - Blaze pizza is a (delicious) bargain, and a great pre-race dinner IMHO. So many great shops to browse! Sprinkles or Erin McKenna's for a yummy cupcake of course!

 

[Baloo in MI]

Been away from the 2019 Marathon Weekend Tread for a while. I got injured, had ankle surgery, and had to let go of plans to run the 2019 Dopey, which would have been my 5th year. So everytime I went to the tread I would get depressed. But I wanted to say hi and send good wishes to everyone getting set to go in just a few more weeks! I hope the training and preparations are going well! I have set my sights on 2020 and will live vicariously through you all in 2019!

As for SAFD - I do like to go to Disney Springs during Marathon Weekend. I would often go on the Saturday after the Half and go to Earl of Sandwich and a movie. It was a great way to stay off my feet. Outside of Marathon Weeekend I do like to spend at least one afternoon during a trip, or the first evening, to wander some of the shops, get some hot chocolate, etc. I am a big sucker for the Christmas store, the lego store and of course the World of Disney store.

 

[Bree]

I like Disney Springs! The variety of food is awesome and I like the non-Disney stores. Even though I live 45 minutes away I don’t get over there too often. Parking is insane on the weekends.

 

[TCB in FLA]

I like DS, fun way to spend a few hours. I don’t think anyone has mentioned Uniqlo, which has some affordable and cute Disney shirts. My boys like the soccer store and the place that sells trendy sports socks (Stance? they aren’t here to ask). We have a Blaze pizza here, extremely popular with teen boys if you need to fill them up.

Question for the southerners: How is Homecomin’? I grew up with good southern cooking and Asheville is full of trendy southern restaurants. I know folks overall really like the restaurant, but I wonder how much of that is just the novelty of southern-style dishes.

 

[lhermiston]

***Future question idea: Last night I was thinking about fueling which brought me to the question of how to carry it during the marathon. A question regarding how you plan to carry fuel/hydration (ziplock bags, pockets, handhelds, hydration belt/vest, etc.) would be helpful. Thanks!

It’ll be next week’s SAFD, unless you get antsy and decide to post it to the group earlier!

Been away from the 2019 Marathon Weekend Tread for a while. I got injured, had ankle surgery, and had to let go of plans to run the 2019 Dopey, which would have been my 5th year. So everytime I went to the tread I would get depressed. But I wanted to say hi and send good wishes to everyone getting set to go in just a few more weeks! I hope the training and preparations are going well! I have set my sights on 2020 and will live vicariously through you all in 2019!

As for SAFD - I do like to go to Disney Springs during Marathon Weekend. I would often go on the Saturday after the Half and go to Earl of Sandwich and a movie. It was a great way to stay off my feet. Outside of Marathon Weeekend I do like to spend at least one afternoon during a trip, or the first evening, to wander some of the shops, get some hot chocolate, etc. I am a big sucker for the Christmas store, the lego store and of course the World of Disney store.

I’m sorry to hear about your injury and I hope you have a speedy recovery.

 

[rteetz]

Question for the southerners: How is Homecomin’? I grew up with good southern cooking and Asheville is full of trendy southern restaurants. I know folks overall really like the restaurant, but I wonder how much of that is just the novelty of southern-style dishes.

I’m not southern but it’s the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. Also some of the best sweet tea I’ve ever had.