Official 2019 Star Wars Rival Run Weekend

[PrincessV]

I know this has been discussed a million times on here, but this is the first time I'm participating in a Disney 5k and my wife, daughter (9) and her friend are also participating and they are not runners. I know they are pretty lax with the time, but can you get swept in a 5k and does anyone know approximately what pace we need to adhere to? We should be able to hit a 16 minute pace walking, but we will probably want to take a picture or two along the way if time allows.

I've taken my slow, sweet time in many WDW 5Ks and can attest that they can sweep, but it's historically only been for folks who truly couldn't finish on their own due to health reasons. What race officials will do, if folks are taking a looong time and clearly dawdling, is warn that the clock is running down and they need to get moving. I've seen them close photo stops to keep the stragglers moving, too.

I'll warn you, though, that the photo stops at the SW 5Ks tend to have epically long lines. So you may want to skip a couple of the first ones to save a little time for later ones, or if an early one is a must-do, know that you'll likely need to skip some later stops.

 

[cincystamper]

So I did a live 5k (in the freezing cold) on Saturday and had a 15:27 pace for the race. Star Wars is my first 10k and I'm following the Galloway training plan to get up to the distance. But I also want to enjoy myself and get lots of pictures, too! So...somebody reassure me that I'm on the right track with my pace and plan? (My race on Saturday was done with a 15/30 run/walk interval...I'm working on getting that to a 30/30 interval...)

 

[SheHulk]

Congrats on your 5k! I am not a training expert and have no idea if you are on track with your pace and plan, but I just want to remind you that the 16:00 per mile pace cut off is from when the very last person crosses the start line! I'd just try to get as far ahead in your corral as you can if you want to get pictures and not stress. You still have a while to train so I'm guessing you'll be fine. Someone with more experience with the 10k can chime in though.

 

[cincystamper]

Congrats on your 5k! I am not a training expert and have no idea if you are on track with your pace and plan, but I just want to remind you that the 16:00 per mile pace cut off is from when the very last person crosses the start line! I'd just try to get as far ahead in your corral as you can if you want to get pictures and not stress. You still have a while to train so I'm guessing you'll be fine. Someone with more experience with the 10k can chime in though.

In my head, I'm telling myself the same thing - I think I just wanted someone else to say it out loud! LOL Super excited!!!

 

[PrincessV]

So I did a live 5k (in the freezing cold) on Saturday and had a 15:27 pace for the race. Star Wars is my first 10k and I'm following the Galloway training plan to get up to the distance. But I also want to enjoy myself and get lots of pictures, too! So...somebody reassure me that I'm on the right track with my pace and plan? (My race on Saturday was done with a 15/30 run/walk interval...I'm working on getting that to a 30/30 interval...)

If you're moving comfortably under a 16:00/mile pace, you'll be fine to finish! It's adding in "lots of pictures" that could become a problem. It's really easy to underestimate how much time picture stops can suck up... I typically run around a 13:00/mile pace at Disney, and start at least a couple corrals ahead of the last, so I should have no problem stopping for pics and not being swept, but I spent the final miles of the 10K last year being passed by the Balloon Ladies* while stopped for a pic, then running to get ahead of them before being passed while taking another pic. It was fine and I wasn't worried, or I'd have skipped the photos, but it's something you really do need to be aware of.

(*Balloon Ladies voluntarily walk the race at exactly a 16:00/mile pace, starting as the last people to cross the start line. They carry balloons and are a visual representation of the "line" you need to be ahead of. They aren't race officials and don't pull people from the course, but the officials who do the sweep are right behind the Balloon Ladies.)

 

[Sleepless Knight]

But I also want to enjoy myself and get lots of pictures, too! So...somebody reassure me that I'm on the right track with my pace and plan?

You should finish the race just fine. But like @PrincessV said, it's the lots of pictures that may wreak havoc with your plan. I think you already know this, but I'll say it anyways for the benefit of anyone who doesn't. Time spent in line for pictures during the race counts towards your finish time. So if you ran a mile in 15 minutes and waited in line for a photo for 5 minutes, then that mile took 20 minutes. Some runners don't understand this and wind up being swept.

You may have to decide which characters or in race photos are most important to you because you may not be able to stop for all of them. On one occasion, they told a group of us in line for a photo that we would have to decide between getting the photo or remaining in the race.

 

[PrincessV]

Out of curiosity, I just looked at my mile splits for last year's SW 10K...
Mile 1 15:02
Mile 2 16:00
Mile 3 15:00
Mile 4 36:28
Mile 5 15:59
Mile 6 14:46
Mile .2 21:47
Overall average pace 18:58
So, um, yeah - all those pics with the 501st in DHS took a little time! Totally worth it, but at the time, I really had NO idea it sucked up that much time on the clock.

 

[Dis5150]

Confession? I have not run at all since 2/5! Sigh, life is so busy right now and I am trying to not be difficult. I run after work, at the street my work is on. DH works here too and we ride together because we live a ways out of town. We are trying to finish the in-law suite we are doing in our house for my mom and can only work on it on weekends and after work. We are almost done with her bedroom so she can move out of DH's office and into it. Then I can start making DH stay late while I run after work again. I should be good to run the half if I can only train in March, right? Right? Ugh.....

 

[SheHulk]

Confession? I have not run at all since 2/5! Sigh, life is so busy right now and I am trying to not be difficult. I run after work, at the street my work is on. DH works here too and we ride together because we live a ways out of town. We are trying to finish the in-law suite we are doing in our house for my mom and can only work on it on weekends and after work. We are almost done with her bedroom so she can move out of DH's office and into it. Then I can start making DH stay late while I run after work again. I should be good to run the half if I can only train in March, right? Right? Ugh.....

YES! You have a base built up I'm sure. You're doing a wonderful thing.

 

[Dis5150]

YES! You have a base built up I'm sure. You're doing a wonderful thing.

Thank you! I started a training journal so I can gripe about everything there instead of everywhere else, lol!

 

[AerialGael]

I'm officially ten days out from my BIG race for the season, but I find myself really looking forward to Disney instead, lol! Really though I'm kinda freaking out. This will be the first really big deal international race I've done. (Sorry for the hijack, but you runners get where I'm coming from!) Full on panic mode yesterday when I realized I hadn't secured my international driver's permit yet, but thankfully that was an easy fix. If I can make it through all this prep stress, you guys are gonna be just fine for Disney, and I can't wait to see some of you there!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I should be good to run the half if I can only train in March, right? Right? Ugh.....

After 2017 Dark Side, I ran intermittently for most of the summer, roughly 2 days a week until September at which point I didn't run at all. Six weeks or so later I decided I really wanted to run Avengers at Disneyland, so I devised a training plan to hopefully have me ready enough in just 3 weeks since I had less than 3 weeks until the race. It worked. I knew I would be even slower than I usually am, but that was still enough to finish with a few photo stops to boot.

 

[TinkerBellLiz]

Confession? I have not run at all since 2/5! Sigh, life is so busy right now and I am trying to not be difficult. I run after work, at the street my work is on. DH works here too and we ride together because we live a ways out of town. We are trying to finish the in-law suite we are doing in our house for my mom and can only work on it on weekends and after work. We are almost done with her bedroom so she can move out of DH's office and into it. Then I can start making DH stay late while I run after work again. I should be good to run the half if I can only train in March, right? Right? Ugh.....

I hear ya! While I’m much better trained this year, February is not being kind. It’s foggy in the mornings and raining in the afternoons for maintenance runs. Added to that there apparently is a pack of dogs in the neighborhood killing livestock! When we finished last weeks 10 mile long run it was 81 degrees. This weekend is shaping up to be the same for our virtual half! At least I’ll be conditioned for Orlando weather for the races....

 

[SheHulk]

Six weeks until the 5K everybody! My TeePublic shirts for the 10k and half came this week so I'm really getting ready. Princess this weekend and then we are next! Other good news: We are 3/4 through February. Spring just may be around the corner.
@TinkerBellLiz where do you live because I definitely would not want to run where there is a pack of dogs running amok killing livestock.

Question: Are we anticipating way lower crowds for this race, given what we saw at Marathon Weekend this year?

 

[Dis5150]

I ordered a tank off of Etsy that I hope works out! And a Vader mask that I am somehow going to attach to my visor, with a black sparkle skirt and I am set! I am actually going to start training on Monday (hopefully with a new mini dopeybadger plan!)! I am ready for the rain to stop here! Tomorrow is severe thunderstorms, ugh. The forcast says severe thunderstorms, with heavy downpours, large hail, strong winds and a tornado. I love how they are so nonchalant about it, lol!

So ready to get to Florida! I have never run Star Wars before so I don't know what the crowds are usually like but I am hopeful for small crowds!

 

[PrincessV]

Based on absolutely nothing, I think race crowds will be about the same as they've been for SW, which is considerably less than Marathon or PHM races, and about the same as W&D. In the parks, it'll be pretty crowded, as it'll still be peak season here in FL - we don't typically see a drop-off in visitors until after Easter.

 

[BigEeyore]

Regarding the crowds - for our schools in GA we are on spring break that first week of April (as I am sure many other school systems are!) so I am thinking crowds will be moderate to heavy.

 

[Dis5150]

Regarding the crowds - for our schools in GA we are on spring break that first week of April (as I am sure many other school systems are!) so I am thinking crowds will be moderate to heavy.

Where is the "dislike" button??

 

[Kazrak]

Regarding the crowds - for our schools in GA we are on spring break that first week of April (as I am sure many other school systems are!) so I am thinking crowds will be moderate to heavy.

The only reason my wife can come along (and run the 5k) is that it's spring break week for her community college here in California.

I'm expecting it to be lighter than the first couple days of our January trip - we arrived on the 2nd and there was still a lot of NYE crowd - but heavier than the end of the trip after the NYE folks went home.

 

[baxter24]

I’m certainly looking forward to lower corral sizes! This past January was the first time I ever felt like Cone Alley was manageable and I know it has to do with the lower numbers. It certainly wasn’t because I was running them faster!

I’ve never done this race weekend before. Are there any points on course that have the reputation that Cone Alley does? I am guessing the area from HS to Boardwalk could be bad depending on when you are coming through.