Official 2018 Star Wars Dark Side Weekend

[quandrea]

PR is a ‘personal record’, so in January I ran the fastest half marathon I have ever ran.
The tangents are the shortest path between two curves (geometry term). The course is measured by taking the shortest path possible - so inside of one corner to the inside of the next corner. If you ran down the middle of the road/path the whole race, you would be running farther than 13.1. It’s not very easy (or even really possible unless you are at the very front of the race) to run a perfect distance race. A little mileage will be added because of all the people, but by trying to stick as close to the tangents as possible and trying not to weave too much around people (wait/slow a little bit to see if a gap will open), you won’t add as much extra distance if you were not paying attention.

Thanks for your help. Everyone has been so great here. I figured that’s what tangents referred to. I’ll let her know about your suggestions.

 

[JBinORL]

If the weather for race day can be as nice as it was when I left for work at quarter till six it will be great weather (fwiw I live about an hour away from WDW)

Agreed, the weather last night/this morning was awesome. I'd still prefer a bit cooler for a PR attempt, but so long as it's not 75 and humid at the start and it doesn't turn into a death march, I'll be ok

 

[WhereInFlorida]

Agreed, the weather last night/this morning was awesome. I'd still prefer a bit cooler for a PR attempt, but so long as it's not 75 and humid at the start and it doesn't turn into a death march, I'll be ok

It has been awesome the past several mornings, ready for this weekend to get here. 6am in Central Florida in April will not be 75... humidity is something different.

 

[Bree]

If the weather for race day can be as nice as it was when I left for work at quarter till six it will be great weather (fwiw I live about an hour away from WDW)

The weather was awesome here in central FL this morning! I barely broke a sweat on my run. I’m usually soaking wet when I get back home.

 

[ematulis81]

South La on the coast here and the humidity is brutal. Pickle juice has become my miracle. And it’s nasty!!!! But it works. I do one shot before and one shot during. Sometimes one after. But I haven’t had the first post-run headache since I started chugging it. Ugh

I've heard so much about pickle juice. I'm going to try in some of my longer training runs. I actually LOVE pickle juice so it's a win win!

 

[quandrea]

I've heard so much about pickle juice. I'm going to try in some of my longer training runs. I actually LOVE pickle juice so it's a win win!

This makes me laugh. As a kid I would drink whole jars of pickle juice. I knew it was bad for me but couldn’t stop myself. Usually made me violently ill.

 

[maw]

I've had a few things that I needed to get done before I felt like I could look forward to the races. Last thing was today! Now to get through work and figure out what the heck to wear

It's almost here guys!!

 

[MilesMouse]

Rebooked my flight to arrive early Thursday instead of afternoon for the extra park time!
Also got my last shirt shipped today as part of my “costume”. Going as a Buzz lightyear/Darth Vader mashup for 10k and Boba Fett for the half. Really looking forward to the next 5 days going by quick so the fun can begin!

 

[1lilspark]

Planing a Newsie/Han mash up for the 5k and Kylo for 10k

 

[RadioDave]

Hi all! Long time lurker... super infrequent poster. Very much looking forward to the First Order Challenge next weekend. Was signed up to do it last year, but was hit by a drunk driver 10 days before the 10K and the only injury anyone in the car suffered was me breaking 3 bones in my foot. (Yes yes, lucky to be alive... but... I wanted to run the dang race! LOL)

Anyway... I'm healed up and trying again this year. I did the first SW Half in 2016 so the distance isn't new to me, but I've never run back-to-back races before. Been putting in back-to-back training runs for months now though. Any other Challenge racers have any pointers or tips for me?

aaaaaaaaand go!

 

[PrincessV]

Hi all! Long time lurker... super infrequent poster. Very much looking forward to the First Order Challenge next weekend. Was signed up to do it last year, but was hit by a drunk driver 10 days before the 10K and the only injury anyone in the car suffered was me breaking 3 bones in my foot. (Yes yes, lucky to be alive... but... I wanted to run the dang race! LOL)

Anyway... I'm healed up and trying again this year. I did the first SW Half in 2016 so the distance isn't new to me, but I've never run back-to-back races before. Been putting in back-to-back training runs for months now though. Any other Challenge racers have any pointers or tips for me?

aaaaaaaaand go!

Congrats on coming back from the accident! The best challenge advice I can give is to trust the training. Whatever you've done in back-to-back training is exactly what you should do during the race weekend - if you took down time to rest between races, race weekend isn't the time to spend all day in the parks! Or, if you went out and ran errands for hours between training runs and know you can handle it, hit the parks hard! However you fueled, whatever paces you hit, shoes you wore, clothes you picked in training is what you should do for race day/s. Every body is different and training is where we learn what we need for race day/weekend, so nothing new on race day!

 

[FlashAM7]

Hi all! Long time lurker... super infrequent poster. Very much looking forward to the First Order Challenge next weekend. Was signed up to do it last year, but was hit by a drunk driver 10 days before the 10K and the only injury anyone in the car suffered was me breaking 3 bones in my foot. (Yes yes, lucky to be alive... but... I wanted to run the dang race! LOL)

Anyway... I'm healed up and trying again this year. I did the first SW Half in 2016 so the distance isn't new to me, but I've never run back-to-back races before. Been putting in back-to-back training runs for months now though. Any other Challenge racers have any pointers or tips for me?

aaaaaaaaand go!

Glad to hear everything is okay. Missing out last year will only make this year that much more of an achievement!

I am doing my first challenge so I can't speak from personal experience. However, the research I've done as well as others I've spoken with say there should be little-to-no effect on performance for the Half after doing the 10k. If you are planning to run the 10k at full effort, I would definitely get some rest after the race and be sure to re-hydrate and refuel with food. After my long runs I've also been doing ice baths to reduce any soreness or muscle inflammation, as well as wearing compression tights or calf sleeves. Don't do a heavy parks day afterwards. Relax with your feet up to get more blood flow in the legs.

The best thing to remember is R.I.C.E. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Any other Challenge racers have any pointers or tips for me?

Trust the training is the tried and true adage. From experience, it depends on how you approach the races as to how your body will respond. Jack Daniels (running coach) advises 1 easy/rest day for every 3k of racing. So a hard raced 10k, would require 3-4 days of easy/recovery after it. When the HM occurs the day after the 10k, then that likely means if you race the 10k hard your HM will not be optimal. You'll be in that recovering period of time from a hard 10k race. If you instead choose to run the 10k at a more relative leisure pace (like your long run pace (like Galloway's marathon pace + 2 min or Hansons marathon pace +9%)), then your body would require less recovery time post-10k. That could afford you the opportunity to race the HM at near 100% capacity after the 10k the day earlier. Pacing is key in terms of the experience outcome for both the 10k and HM. With all that being said, with the weather being as hot as was earlier discussed (I'm not racing so I haven't checked recently), it does make the back-to-back races more challenging and being mindful of pacing becomes even more important. Listen to your body and use the recovery tools you've used in the past to properly prepare yourself for the next event.

 

[Dogface6]

Hi all! Long time lurker... super infrequent poster. Very much looking forward to the First Order Challenge next weekend. Was signed up to do it last year, but was hit by a drunk driver 10 days before the 10K and the only injury anyone in the car suffered was me breaking 3 bones in my foot. (Yes yes, lucky to be alive... but... I wanted to run the dang race! LOL)

Anyway... I'm healed up and trying again this year. I did the first SW Half in 2016 so the distance isn't new to me, but I've never run back-to-back races before. Been putting in back-to-back training runs for months now though. Any other Challenge racers have any pointers or tips for me?

aaaaaaaaand go!

I have done several challenges, Disney and other, and my strategy has been to prioritize one event for an all-out effort and do the other event at a moderate but repectable pace. This has gotten me two Disney age group awards, one for the 10k of one challenge and one for the half marathon part of a different challenge. I believe you can do one event really well, but not two, so if you’re trying for an award, pick the event you feel you are most competitive in and just enjoy the other.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Hi all! Long time lurker... super infrequent poster. Very much looking forward to the First Order Challenge next weekend. Was signed up to do it last year, but was hit by a drunk driver 10 days before the 10K and the only injury anyone in the car suffered was me breaking 3 bones in my foot. (Yes yes, lucky to be alive... but... I wanted to run the dang race! LOL)

Anyway... I'm healed up and trying again this year. I did the first SW Half in 2016 so the distance isn't new to me, but I've never run back-to-back races before. Been putting in back-to-back training runs for months now though. Any other Challenge racers have any pointers or tips for me?

aaaaaaaaand go!

Glad to hear you're recovered from the accident. That's not fun. I was rear ended the day after my very first half.

For challenge races, I always take the 10K slower. It winds up being even slower than my training runs. While I spend time in the parks after the 10K, those days are always very easy and involve lots of attractions that involve sitting down. A lot. I go to bed early both nights. I also make sure to drink water liberally after the 10K. And if you're not visiting the parks, be sure to do some light walking/moving around in the hours after the half and again on the day after the half. That should help reduce the soreness.

As many others have said, the best thing to do now is trust your training and have fun.

 

[KB0609]

Due to a death in my family, I won't be able to attend the Dark Side 10K as I had been planning. I've reached out to RunDisney to see if there is anything they can do (I know they sometimes do refund people, I am not counting on it) but was wondering if anyone knows if I am unable to get a refund and can't make the expo, is there anyway to still get my shirt? Would I be able to get it mailed to me or pick it up at a later date?

I know it's silly, but I was very much looking forward to running this and am devastated by the loss I am dealing with. I would like to still to do a 10K on my own when I am able and wear my shirt - since I have been training for this.

 

[quandrea]

Due to a death in my family, I won't be able to attend the Dark Side 10K as I had been planning. I've reached out to RunDisney to see if there is anything they can do (I know they sometimes do refund people, I am not counting on it) but was wondering if anyone knows if I am unable to get a refund and can't make the expo, is there anyway to still get my shirt? Would I be able to get it mailed to me or pick it up at a later date?

I know it's silly, but I was very much looking forward to running this and am devastated by the loss I am dealing with. I would like to still to do a 10K on my own when I am able and wear my shirt - since I have been training for this.

No answers for you as I’m new here. Just wanted to extend my deepest sympathies. I can hear the sadness in your words. All the best to you.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Due to a death in my family, I won't be able to attend the Dark Side 10K as I had been planning. I've reached out to RunDisney to see if there is anything they can do (I know they sometimes do refund people, I am not counting on it) but was wondering if anyone knows if I am unable to get a refund and can't make the expo, is there anyway to still get my shirt? Would I be able to get it mailed to me or pick it up at a later date?

I know it's silly, but I was very much looking forward to running this and am devastated by the loss I am dealing with. I would like to still to do a 10K on my own when I am able and wear my shirt - since I have been training for this.

So sorry to hear of your loss.

A little experience in our family albeit the opposite end of the spectrum. My niece became pregnant after registering for the lightside. She had to be at the expo to get the shirts. At the bib pickup she was offered a form to fill out to try and get a refund or a deferral although they explained it was rare. If she was going to try and do that then she couldn't pick up her bibs and the shirts. And then she might not get the refund either. She decided to just pick up the shirts - expensive shirts but she had them.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

On Monday, Contact RunDisney. They may be able to do something for you, including refunding due to the circumstance. They may say no but you never know unless you ask.

 

[maw]

In one week we'll be done! Now doing my pre-Disney tradition of changing every dining reservation that I made 6 months ago.

@KB0609, so sorry for your loss. I hope RunDisney is helpful.