Marathon Weekend 2020

[huskies90]

I can’t stop thinking about which races I should do!!! Help! The marathon will be my first and it’s my reason for the trip. This WDW trip is most likely going to be my only one. So that being the case, do I do the 10k and full and have more time for the parks? Do I make it all about running and do Dopey and really limit my park time? Is Goofy the happy medium here? Will I have mom guilt if I have too much park time without the kids?

The two ladies I’m going with are leaning towards Dopey. But I’m very capable of watching them walk out the door while I go back to sleep. No matter what I choose I’ll be flying home on Tuesday morning. If I do dopey I’ll fly in on Wednesday. Anything else I’ll fly in on Thursday. Room reservation at POFQ.

Any advice or thoughts are much appreciated!

So many good responses here. I will chime in with my experience. I did Goofy for my first marathon this year. To me, the real running challenge is doing a half and full back to back where as Dopey is more of a sleep challenge. I am not crazy about 5K's and 10K's so I could not justify the huge $$ difference between Goofy and Dopey. I had a great weekend but I agree with @camaker that the weekend is very Dopey-centric. I actually feel like I cheated by "only" doing Goofy. Even walking around after Sunday with my Goofy medal I cannot tell you how many people asked me "what is that medal for??". So, I am planning to do Dopey in 2020. I will say I feel better having a least one Goofy under my belt because like I said, to me, that is the real running challenge. So now this year, along with training for running long distance races, I will also simultaneously train for surviving a Disney vacation on no sleep...

 

[flav]

I can’t stop thinking about which races I should do!!! Help! The marathon will be my first and it’s my reason for the trip. This WDW trip is most likely going to be my only one. So that being the case, do I do the 10k and full and have more time for the parks? Do I make it all about running and do Dopey and really limit my park time? Is Goofy the happy medium here? Will I have mom guilt if I have too much park time without the kids?

The two ladies I’m going with are leaning towards Dopey. But I’m very capable of watching them walk out the door while I go back to sleep. No matter what I choose I’ll be flying home on Tuesday morning. If I do dopey I’ll fly in on Wednesday. Anything else I’ll fly in on Thursday. Room reservation at POFQ.

Any advice or thoughts are much appreciated!

About mom guilt, leave it home. You have the right to be you, not “just” someone’s mom. The faces of my kids when I told them I was going to runDisney... “You are going to Disney without us?!” And then, eventually, the recognition and respect that I was an full individual with her own dreams and a happy runner too!

Then, it is really a question of what you’d like to do, of how much you like running. If you land on Tuesday and leave the next Wednesday, that seems plenty of park time even if you want to run all races.

I am planning on Dopey and might not skip that many park days. I will take them easier though.

 

[flav]

SAFD: It is hard to miss that I am a Disney fan. Even on a normal work day I count how many Disney things I am carrying/wearing and I am surprised: Purse, wallet, house key, earings for example. Then, there are photos here and there, at home and at work. And the Starbucks Disney cup. And the cutsie gizmos like Olaf USB key or the Mickey trivet.

And if that doesn’t bring me to Disney in thoughts, then I come the DISboard, read one of the emails I received (I am suscibed to a few Disney related mailing list), listen to a Disney song, play a Disney themed game on my phone or plan my next (ten) vacation.

And if I am not thinking of Disney, usually, that is when a friend or colleague come to ask me about it for their next trip... I wonder why!

 

[steph0808]

I have done all three of my marathon weekends without my kids. Granted, they were not alive or even a twinkle on my eye for my first one in 2013, but in 2018 (marathon) and 2019 (half), I left those little buggers at home with my DH and vacationed with my mom.

I run for me, and I do use that time during my training runs and runDisney vacation to get back to being me as Steph, not just as Mom.

 

[bevcgg]

I can’t stop thinking about which races I should do!!! Help! The marathon will be my first and it’s my reason for the trip.

I have done several challenge weekends, several "just the half" and this past year Dopey for my first Full. Hands down if I was able to only one run RD race in the future it would be the Marathon. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! It is everything that makes RD special plus Everest and the drink in hand at the end! As much fun as Dopey was altogether (and I am glad I did it) it was a LOT more than just extra miles. It is a lot more training (back to back day/weekends), more chances of overuse injury, more nights in the hotel, more days off work, more shoes, more costumes, more layers, a lot more $$$ for everything- plus the lack of sleep, hours standing in the cold, etc. As soon as I finished the marathon I knew I wanted to come back and "JUST do the marathon" so I could really relish and enjoy it much more as my "only race" of the weekend.
In the future I will likely only do the 5&10Ks as part of a challenge or with family members. They have become SUPER crowded and harder to take photos and I enjoy them a lot less now then the half and the full.
No matter what you choose you will have a blast!

 

[Mickey Momma]

As soon as I finished the marathon I knew I wanted to come back and "JUST do the marathon" so I could really relish and enjoy it much more as my "only race" of the weekend.

I had the same thought! There may be another Dopey in me down the road, but I am looking forward to “just the marathon” in 2020. (With MAYBE a 10K.)

 

[Dis_Yoda]

SAFD: Well, I name my dogs after Disney Villains (Currently we have Gantu & Gaston and we had Jafar before he passed in 2017). We’re debating on the name of our next dog who will be our first female & if we should keep with that theme.

Our bedroom has Stitch Paintings on the walls, a large Lego Millennium Falcon on top of the Ridgeback’s crate, my Minnie Ears on the tv we never turn on anymore. The shelving unit has our Trader Sam mugs, vinylmations, some other Star Wars lego sets.

Our living room has Star Wars artwork.

The office has all our RunDisney medals and my backlog of Disney puzzles on my desk.

The guest room has all our tsumtsums and other Star Wars legos.

My car has a Bellhop Stitch hanging from the rear view mirror along with Stitch Yoda on the back window. My husband’s car has Star Wars emblems.

My husband has Donald Duck/Star Wars mashup tattoos on the back of his calves along with other Star Wars tattoos including Boba Fett Armor for his right arm’s sleeve.

I’m currently using my Lady & the Tramp Dooney as my main purse.

We may be a little obsessed.

 

[PkbaughAR]

I appreciate all the thoughts about marathon vs goofy vs dopey. Even though I didn’t ask the question, I’ve been debating what to do. I can only do goofy or the marathon by itself in 2020 due to another obligation that interferes with the 5K and 10K. I think it’s important for me to focus on the marathon by itself first. I’m not running with anyone, so no considerations there. Mentally, the marathon distance seems overwhelming when I’m still not comfortable with the half distance. I just haven’t decided if it’s really important that it’s an anniversary year for goofy.

 

[lahobbs4]

My first Dopey was this year and it went SO WELL. Now I'm nervous about tarnishing those memories by doing it again in 2020. Anyone else been in this spot? I love the challenge of it all and my husband is doing Dopey again, but I'm also one of those that things "that went SO well, there's no way it's going to ever be like that again".

Help! (although I know you will all just tell me to to Dopey again because that's how y'all be around here..)

 

[Ariel484]

My first Dopey was this year and it went SO WELL. Now I'm nervous about tarnishing those memories by doing it again in 2020. Anyone else been in this spot? I love the challenge of it all and my husband is doing Dopey again, but I'm also one of those that things "that went SO well, there's no way it's going to ever be like that again".

Help! (although I know you will all just tell me to to Dopey again because that's how y'all be around here..)

Yep...I had a perfect Dopey experience in 2015 and then signed up to do it again in 2017 - but the half was canceled, so I've only *really* done it once. Personally, I don't have any desire to do it again because I'm sure it won't be as good as it was in 2015 for me.

I think your mindset is a little different than mine when you say "I love the challenge" - I loved challenging myself too, and now that I have met that challenge, I don't feel like I need to do it again.

 

[rteetz]

Yep...I had a perfect Dopey experience in 2015 and then signed up to do it again in 2017 - but the half was canceled, so I've only *really* done it once. Personally, I don't have any desire to do it again because I'm sure it won't be as good as it was in 2015 for me.

I think your mindset is a little different than mine when you say "I love the challenge" - I loved challenging myself too, and now that I have met that challenge, I don't feel like I need to do it again.

2017 was my first so I felt I needed redemption in 2018. 2018 was incredible. I was worried that my 2019 experience wouldn’t live up to the 2018 one. Well for me it did but was also unique. I ran with different people and had different experiences. So with that for me personally I’ll do it again. I definitely see your side though.

 

[IamTrike]

My first Dopey was this year and it went SO WELL. Now I'm nervous about tarnishing those memories by doing it again in 2020. Anyone else been in this spot? I love the challenge of it all and my husband is doing Dopey again, but I'm also one of those that things "that went SO well, there's no way it's going to ever be like that again".

Help! (although I know you will all just tell me to to Dopey again because that's how y'all be around here..)

I guess I would question why it couldn't live up to the prior experience. I've done Dopey more than once and each time was a unique experience. From year to year the big memories change from race to race. Part of that is running with different people from different races. It's probably highly unlikely that you would have the same awesome experience again, but you could have a new great experience. (I wouldn't try and mimic the past but rather enjoy the particular running moment that you are in.)

This isn't me specifically advocating for you to do Dopey. Personally Goofy works better for my schedule and goals and so that's what I enjoy most. I just want to stress that you can have a great experience without having the same experience again. I guess the only caveat is that if you concern is being able to dedicate the time to train for another Dopey or Goofy, I totally understand that. The training part is a big time commitment and if you can't adequately train that could negatively impact your experience.

 

[PrincessV]

For this week's Sundays are for Disney, I want to know how you get into Disney mode or bring a touch of Disney into your life when you're back home.

Do you have a Disney mug for coffee?

Yes. Resort mugs and rD mugs for my coffee every morning!

Flip through a photo album?

Yep!

Start planning another trip?

For sure.
I'm not big on "stuff," so I don't have a bunch of Disney paraphernalia hanging around, but the mugs are one thing I enjoy, and the few collectible thingies I have are displayed in my work office. Also, I live 100 miles from WDW, so I see Disney billboards and commercials very often, lol!

 

[ZellyB]

My first Dopey was this year and it went SO WELL. Now I'm nervous about tarnishing those memories by doing it again in 2020. Anyone else been in this spot? I love the challenge of it all and my husband is doing Dopey again, but I'm also one of those that things "that went SO well, there's no way it's going to ever be like that again".

Help! (although I know you will all just tell me to to Dopey again because that's how y'all be around here..)

I also had a near-perfect Dopey experience back in 2018 and thought I'd likely not do it again. I may in 2020 though because of the Goofy anniversary and it's hard for me to run Goofy and not do the 10K (I love that race) and then, I mean, it's only another 5k for Dopey. Which is exactly how they suck you in.

 

[PrincessV]

I can’t stop thinking about which races I should do!!! Help! The marathon will be my first and it’s my reason for the trip. This WDW trip is most likely going to be my only one. So that being the case, do I do the 10k and full and have more time for the parks? Do I make it all about running and do Dopey and really limit my park time? Is Goofy the happy medium here? Will I have mom guilt if I have too much park time without the kids?

I appreciate all the thoughts about marathon vs goofy vs dopey. Even though I didn’t ask the question, I’ve been debating what to do. I can only do goofy or the marathon by itself in 2020 due to another obligation that interferes with the 5K and 10K. I think it’s important for me to focus on the marathon by itself first. I’m not running with anyone, so no considerations there. Mentally, the marathon distance seems overwhelming when I’m still not comfortable with the half distance. I just haven’t decided if it’s really important that it’s an anniversary year for goofy.

I can't answer your questions directly, since it's always such an individual choice and experience. But I can say that I opted to make my first marathon at WDW, and I opted not to make it part of Dopey because I really wanted to be able to focus on the marathon by and for itself. I did do the 10K, too, but my primary focus leading up to and through the race weekend was the marathon and yes, I limited park time to be fully prepared for it. I had and have NO regrets! At mile 25, I felt really good and thought, "I could totally do Goofy, or even Dopey!" which made the decision to do Dopey the next year a far more comfortable and confident one. As far as Goofy vs. Dopey, I personally think the training is equivalent: once you get into those big-mileage back-to-back trainings, the 5K and 10K are almost irrelevant. My son rarely comes along with me for race weekends, and running is MY time, so nope - not an ounce of guilt!

My first Dopey was this year and it went SO WELL. Now I'm nervous about tarnishing those memories by doing it again in 2020. Anyone else been in this spot? I love the challenge of it all and my husband is doing Dopey again, but I'm also one of those that things "that went SO well, there's no way it's going to ever be like that again".

Yep, that was exactly my feeling after 2018 Dopey. It was as perfect a Dopey experience as I can imagine having, and I decided I didn't want that expectation hanging over my head for 2019, so I did "just" the 10K and marathon this year. I had a total disaster of a marathon, but don't have any regrets about not opting to do Dopey this year! I wanted a break from the back-to-back-to-back-to-back training and I got it. I'm ready to try Dopey again in 2020!

 

[cburnett11]

@rteetz I haven't officially met Gerald, but have run right next to him a couple of times, including Marathon weekend just before the Magic Kingdom entrance. He seems like a great guy, and he has such a beautiful voice and presence about him. A couple of years ago I got curious and Googled him, and once I learned about his vision problems and the grace with which he handled it all, I admire him even more!

I met him on the safari during Wine and Dine and then on course during the half this year.

I met him a few times over the marathon course this year. I was a little star-struck, like a giant dork.

I was starstruck when I met him too. I bumped into him walking into Epcot after Wine and Dine. He was really nice to talk with. I snapped a quick selfie which was blurry. He manages to take beautiful video's while running even with a vision impairment and I can't take a crisp selfie when standing still.

My wife and I watched RezRun's marathon videos several times leading up to the race. They are amazing and really helped her get an idea of what the experience would be like. We happened to see Gerald exiting TT Monday night after the marathon this year. We were just planning to say hi and quickly thank him for his awesome videos because we didn't want to really bother him and his friend, but he genuinely seemed more interested in meeting us than us meeting him. They stayed and talked with us probably 15-20 minutes and then invited us to walk over to World Showcase to meet some friends of their's. They truly were 2 of the friendliest people we have ever met.

 

[rteetz]

My wife and I watched RezRun's marathon videos several times leading up to the race. They are amazing and really helped her get an idea of what the experience would be like. We happened to see Gerald exiting TT Monday night after the marathon this year. We were just planning to say hi and quickly thank him for his awesome videos because we didn't want to really bother him and his friend, but he genuinely seemed more interested in meeting us than us meeting him. They stayed and talked with us probably 15-20 minutes and then invited us to walk over to World Showcase to meet some friends of their's. They truly were 2 of the friendliest people we have ever met.

Awesome!

 

[IamTrike]

My wife and I watched RezRun's marathon videos several times leading up to the race. They are amazing and really helped her get an idea of what the experience would be like. We happened to see Gerald exiting TT Monday night after the marathon this year. We were just planning to say hi and quickly thank him for his awesome videos because we didn't want to really bother him and his friend, but he genuinely seemed more interested in meeting us than us meeting him. They stayed and talked with us probably 15-20 minutes and then invited us to walk over to World Showcase to meet some friends of their's. They truly were 2 of the friendliest people we have ever met.

He was really graceful and kind when I talked with him. It's really weird because I don't really fanboy over anyone, but he's someone I've likely spent 100s of hours watching while I run. I spend a lot of time on treadmills and I'm almost always watching one of his or Arno's videos. I appreciate so much the content that they create.

 

[kirstie101]

Really want to thank everyone for all the thoughts and insights. Still don’t know what I’ll do but now I have a lot more to think about and base my decision on!

 

[PCFriar80]

Really want to thank everyone for all the thoughts and insights. Still don’t know what I’ll do but now I have a lot more to think about and base my decision on!

Keep us posted! Regardless of your decision, you'll have a lot of fun training, trip planning and a lot of back and forth on this thread! Less than 11 months to go now!