Marathon Weekend 2023

[sandam1]

I plan to still stay active - I just know myself well enough to also know that I can’t do the parks in moderation early in the trip, especially if I have family with me.

I 100% agree with this. Last year, I was so happy that my best friend and I stayed at Universal, where we have annual passes and visit quite regularly. Initially, I had a hard time bailing because we had Express Passes for the first couple days of the trip and I felt the need to use them. But by mid-afternoon on Friday, I was just D-O-N-E. The parks were busy, even with the EPs we were doing a lot of standing, my feet hurt and it was hot. It finally dawned on me that I wasn't really having any fun. I gave my friend the option of staying in the parks, but I was going back to the hotel room. We both wound up going back to the hotel, heading to the pool and we had a great time.

With the cost of Disney or if I felt responsible for family members having a good time, I'm not sure if I could have done that.

I think if I do this the entire trip will be about Dopey and making sure I recover day to day. No park time, just stretching, rolling out my legs, and ice and elevation in the afternoons.

One suggestion that I have is to stay at a place with a nice pool. One of the best things that I've found to stay active is swimming. You can keep your body moving without any pressure on your legs. The hotel I stay at has a lazy river and it's a beautiful way to spend the afternoon. Also, make sure that you have easy access to food choices that you will enjoy. The hotel's food court and Uber Eats were my best friends when I didn't want to spend a stupid amount of time figuring out where to get dinner.

I have read that one of the hardest parts is the consecutive early mornings.

Everyone says that, but I honestly didn't have that much trouble. However, each morning when I got back to the hotel, I ate the food from my race box (or got something more substantial after the longer races), took a shower and then a short (less than an hour) nap. It got easier to get to bed early as the weekend went on, but for Day 1 and Day 2, that nap made up for not getting to sleep as early.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

As someone who grew up in the 90s, I think the themes are cute and I do hope to participate in some way (leaning towards the Marathon although the Chip and Dale 10K is also calling to me) but I’m in the minority in that I’m not freaking out and obsessing over them. I think the 50th tribute and the iridescence was better and I have to say that I am glad I chose Dopey this year.

 

[striker1064]

Everyone says that, but I honestly didn't have that much trouble. However, each morning when I got back to the hotel, I ate the food from my race box (or got something more substantial after the longer races), took a shower and then a short (less than an hour) nap. It got easier to get to bed early as the weekend went on, but for Day 1 and Day 2, that nap made up for not getting to sleep as early.

I agree with this. I'm always tired late morning/early afternoon because of the early wake-up, but if I want any hope of a good night's sleep for the next race, I just have to power through. YMMV on this, though.

 

[HangWithMerida]

So I’m falling into the medal trap - I had planned on just doing the Marathon (my first) and maybe the 5k for kicks, but I adore the theming of this race weekend so much I am considering Dopey.

Can someone be a sounding board for how insane it is to run your first full Marathon as a part of Dopey, or know anyone who survived that? I’ve got 3 half marathons on the docket for this year (1 down, 2 to go) and I’m running a very comfortable 11:45min/mile on my long runs - with 8 months to up the endurance and weekly mileage I’m thinking of going for it.

Anyone going to warn me to turn back now, or has anyone else done something similarly ridiculous? LOL!

I am doing something similarly ridiculous. I really love the challenge of Dopey but honestly don’t have a lot of motivation to run or train for “just” a marathon. I may end up being one of those people that gets sucked in, but I see this as a one time challenge weekend. I really love the HM distance and have done several at this point. The mileage absolutely makes me a bit nervous and my approach is to prepare, prepare, prepare. Both physically and mentally. I put together out a set of training plans this year that will be higher weekly mileage than I would normally do through the summer months so that I am starting marathon training with a good base. I also chose a marathon plan that is 6 days a week so that I am doing a lot of back to back runs in preparation for actual race weekend. This year I did a couple of 2 day back to back racing where I really raced one distance and ran the other easy just to get a feel for that.
I would say go for it if you can commit to the training for the distance. I know I will commit to it, especially because it is a one time thing and I am too terrified of trying it undertrained!

I think if I do this the entire trip will be about Dopey and making sure I recover day to day. No park time, just stretching, rolling out my legs, and ice and elevation in the afternoons. It’ll be strange being in Orlando and not doing all parks all the time but that’s what a relaxing day by the pool and a break from Chicago winter is for

My plan as well. Booked a resort I like to hang out at since I will be there every day! I hear everyone above with the parks as active recovery but like @bryana I am not great at moderation in the parks. Just taking a walk around the resorts or Disney springs for a meal reservation is plenty of walking for me without the risk of wearing myself out. The hardest HM I ever did was the day after an “easy” park day where we totally overdid it and my legs hurt from the first step for the entire race. I need some downtime for recovery! Everyone is different with what works for them.

 

[HangWithMerida]

One suggestion that I have is to stay at a place with a nice pool. One of the best things that I've found to stay active is swimming. You can keep your body moving without any pressure on your legs. The hotel I stay at has a lazy river and it's a beautiful way to spend the afternoon. Also, make sure that you have easy access to food choices that you will enjoy. The hotel's food court and Uber Eats were my best friends when I didn't want to spend a stupid amount of time figuring out where to get dinner.

Everyone says that, but I honestly didn't have that much trouble. However, each morning when I got back to the hotel, I ate the food from my race box (or got something more substantial after the longer races), took a shower and then a short (less than an hour) nap. It got easier to get to bed early as the weekend went on, but for Day 1 and Day 2, that nap made up for not getting to sleep as early.

Yes to both! The pool was great between races! Having stayed at a resort with no food court during a race weekend, I will never do that again. Needing reservations for everything is such a hassle! And, I find the first early morning a challenge just because it is a bit of a shock to the system, but I am such a habit person that once I do the first one, the second was NBD. I am ready for bed really early and actually get a good amount of sleep.

 

[NewYKRunner]

Where did you get the medal hanger...I agree it looks great!

I’ve seen them on Etsy. Could be elsewhere as well. I just did an online search of ‘Dopey medal hanger’

 

[jpeterson]

I’ve seen them on Etsy. Could be elsewhere as well. I just did an online search of ‘Dopey medal hanger’

Etsy is where I got mine. You'll spot them pretty quick if you search for medal hanger on Etsy.

 

[The Expert]

it's important that you work up to a saturday of 10 miles and a sunday of 20...on the same weekend.

I agree a thousand percent about building a base, but the actual mileage you build up to in a LR will vary based on your fitness level, speed and the plan you follow. I followed a training plan from DopeyBadger for my first Dopey this year, which spread the mileage out through the week. My longest long run was 12 miles, which at my LR pace was nearly 3 hours. There is data out there that shows when you get to that 2.5-3 hour timeframe the injury risk outweighs training benefits, so my plan spread those extra miles out through the other runs.

This is just to say that while yes, you absolutely need to build a base now and find a plan that you will stick to for Dopey training, it may not necessarily look like someone else's plan and your mileage may literally vary.

 

[cdlafl]

I agree a thousand percent about building a base, but the actual mileage you build up to in a LR will vary based on your fitness level, speed and the plan you follow. I followed a training plan from DopeyBadger for my first Dopey this year, which spread the mileage out through the week. My longest long run was 12 miles, which at my LR pace was nearly 3 hours. There is data out there that shows when you get to that 2.5-3 hour timeframe the injury risk outweighs training benefits, so my plan spread those extra miles out through the other runs.

This is just to say that while yes, you absolutely need to build a base now and find a plan that you will stick to for Dopey training, it may not necessarily look like someone else's plan and your mileage may literally vary.

I agree with you on the 3 hour training limit...diminishing returns thereafter to the overall training plan. Main point is that you want to build confidence in your ability to complete this challenging task...and it is challenging...i mean a marathon alone is challenging. The training is where Dopey is handled...especially for a year like 2020, when it got hot and humid. Just hoping some don't take the task lightly, that's all.

 

[camaker]

I agree with you on the 3 hour training limit...diminishing returns thereafter to the overall training plan. Main point is that you want to build confidence in your ability to complete this challenging task...and it is challenging...i mean a marathon alone is challenging. The training is where Dopey is handled...especially for a year like 2020, when it got hot and humid. Just hoping some don't take the task lightly, that's all.

I think we all agree that building a base and completing an appropriate amount of training are important. The problem is that there is no single training plan that is appropriate for everyone, so that causes issues when you make statements like "it's important that you work up to a saturday of 10 miles and a sunday of 20...on the same weekend". Many of us follow training plans that don't get anywhere near those distances, yet we've successfully completed many, many Dopey Challenges between us.

 

[SarahDisney]

SAFD: The biggest tip I have is pack your patience. Something will probably go wrong, so just take a deep breath and keep trying!

In terms of the themes ... I love them. I would love to do the 10K, but I don't think I can make the trip happen. Which is a bummer, but that's just the way things go sometimes.

 

[Baloo in MI]

SAFD:

Going to throw caution to the wind…. And ask the SAFD question on Friday! Hopefully this leads to lots of good responses and not total chaos as I am now (for a second straight week) asking the question early!

This weeks question:
The theme is out and seems to be driving lots of interest! Given impacts of the end of the 50th year anniversary celebration, more people vacationing again, a cool theme and simply lots of people like us who enjoy runDisney the registration process could be challenging. So help us all out and share some of your tips to successful registration.

SAFD: This week’s question that I put out on Friday did not gain much traction. Maybe not too many thoughts? Anyway, thought I would drop it in again (on Sunday) in case there were others with thoughts/advice to share. Hope everyone has a good week!

 

[Herding_Cats]

SAFD: I think the first few responses covered it. Vary your times joining the "waiting room", use different browsers, and know all your info (especially credit card info) before you get to the registration pages.

The code/link sharing last year was really nice as well.

 

[Herding_Cats]

On the registration front, I do have a POT/registration question. Let's say that somehow this summer my training goes amazing and I end up with a POT (unlikely, but give a mama hope.) Is there a way to go in and edit your registration from NO POT to YES POT?

 

[DopeyBadger]

On the registration front, I do have a POT/registration question. Let's say that somehow this summer my training goes amazing and I end up with a POT (unlikely, but give a mama hope.) Is there a way to go in and edit your registration from NO POT to YES POT?

Yes.

 

[ChipNDale86]

After doing Dopey this year, I wasn't planning on doing Marathon Weekend at all in 2023. But with Chip n Dale getting the 10K and the overall theme - I'm likely going to sign up for Dopey again. Only problem is that I will be on a Disney Cruise on 4/19. Has anyone ever paid for internet on a Disney Cruise before and if so, do you think it's strong enough to get two people registered? We do have some friends on land who have offered to get us registered if need be but I registered them in the past so they've never really done it before.

 

[cdlafl]

I think we all agree that building a base and completing an appropriate amount of training are important. The problem is that there is no single training plan that is appropriate for everyone, so that causes issues when you make statements like "it's important that you work up to a saturday of 10 miles and a sunday of 20...on the same weekend". Many of us follow training plans that don't get anywhere near those distances, yet we've successfully completed many, many Dopey Challenges between us.

sorry, what issues did it cause? i was just sharing an opinion from experience...not trying to cause issues. i was just seeing several posts regarding dopey being some folks first marathon. a marathon is hard by itself. doing one after three consecutive days of loaded running makes it more challenging. it is important to know what it feels like running a long distance on tired legs (hence the long saturday, long sunday). not trying to start an argument...just making a suggestion...and it is an important one. there are many plans out there for various levels of capabilities with various strategies. but you don't get around running a marathon the day after running a half. so having some experience of back to back long runs is solid advice for a newbie dopey runner. are we not supposed to share from our experiences to help others? i didn't know that caused issues...

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD:

Not to be too cynical, but remember that you’re in line for the privilege of giving Disney a lot of money. Marathon Weekend is cool, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get the race(s) you want. Have some contingency plans and be prepared to be okay with the result regardless of what you get. Disney will always be there with new and exciting ways to part you from your money if this one falls through.

 

[camaker]

sorry, what issues did it cause? i was just sharing an opinion from experience...not trying to cause issues. i was just seeing several posts regarding dopey being some folks first marathon. a marathon is hard by itself. doing one after three consecutive days of loaded running makes it more challenging. it is important to know what it feels like running a long distance on tired legs (hence the long saturday, long sunday). not trying to start an argument...just making a suggestion...and it is an important one. there are many plans out there for various levels of capabilities with various strategies. but you don't get around running a marathon the day after running a half. so having some experience of back to back long runs is solid advice for a newbie dopey runner. are we not supposed to share from our experiences to help others? i didn't know that caused issues...

It's a matter of how it was presented. The problem is that "it's important that you work up to a Saturday of 10 miles and a Sunday of 20 miles" is a statement of fact, not opinion, and makes it sound like something that HAS to be done. You consider it important to do that. That's great, but you didn't phrase it as your opinion. As previously discussed, many people successfully complete Dopey without getting anywhere near those numbers in training.

You also said that you "would strongly recommend one mock dopey about 3 weeks from race weekend (3.1, 6.2, 10, 20)". I disagree with that approach because I personally think it carries an unnecessary risk of injury, but you stated it as your opinion, so I have no issue with it. It's another alternate approach that may work for some, but not others.

 

[azrivest]

It's a matter of how it was presented. The problem is that "it's important that you work up to a Saturday of 10 miles and a Sunday of 20 miles" is a statement of fact, not opinion, and makes it sound like something that HAS to be done. You consider it important to do that. That's great, but you didn't phrase it as your opinion. As previously discussed, many people successfully complete Dopey without getting anywhere near those numbers in training.

You also said that you "would strongly recommend one mock dopey about 3 weeks from race weekend (3.1, 6.2, 10, 20)". I disagree with that approach because I personally think it carries an unnecessary risk of injury, but you stated it as your opinion, so I have no issue with it. It's another alternate approach that may work for some, but not others.

Written that way, it looks like the Galloway Dopey training plan that's on the runDisney website. So I get why some would adhere to this philosophy (not I)