Talk to me about Marathon weekend

musika

Everybody wants to be a cat.
Joined
Oct 30, 2017
I want the good, the bad, the ugly. I'm a semi-committed runner most of the time but a knee injury has seriously curtailed my physical activity and I need a new goal to work towards. We were planning a trip to WDW in Jan/22 anyway which is my 40th bday/just before DD turns 10.

I think I could likely train for a 10K np, and a half marathon would be a dream/stretch goal. What do you love/hate about marathon weekend? (given that this is the Run Disney forum I expect a lot of LOVE but you know what I mean lol). This would not be a trip dedicated to marathon, but rather one day that I run, and the rest would be a traditional week long family vacation with DD 9/DS 6/ DH.

Not gonna lie usually we avoid this weekend due to crowds LOL so is it worth it to brave the chaos??
 
Your mileage may vary......

So MW is great if you're a runner, because there are lots of races and you will be surrounded by others who share your love of running. In normal times, I would say the parks are moderately crowded--more so the closer to New Year that you are. Some Christmas decorations may still be around. The weather is temperate, but highly variable, so this could go either way--I have run in sub-30 snow and 80+ high humidity. Plus, there's always Monday Drink around the World at Epcot. Hotel and park pass prices are also lower than other times of year. Others will regale you on the joys of meeting characters, the atmosphere, etc.

The downsides: Early race start times (5:30 am), crowds (which will be greatly impacted by what corral you start from, high race prices, stupid lines if you're into race-specific merchandise.

Also, depending on your schedule, I would do most of your vacation after the race, vs before. Helpful: re crowds and keeping fresh legs for the race.

Finally, if you say a 10k is no problem, then I bet you could do the half. And you'd get to run through MK and not just around Epcot.
 
If you enjoy running and you like Disney it is a great time to go. It is ultimately a celebration of all the training and hard work. You are surrounded by lots of other runners in the parks. Lots of folks wear their medals, lots of congratulations amongst each other; just lots of fun.

When the weekend ribs up closer to New Years the parks are very busy. Conversely when the weekend is further away I have found it to be a lot less busy. This is especially true after the races are over.

I have done MW solo and with my family, had fun every time! High recommendations!
 
I think I could likely train for a 10K np, and a half marathon would be a dream/stretch goal. What do you love/hate about marathon weekend? (given that this is the Run Disney forum I expect a lot of LOVE but you know what I mean lol). This would not be a trip dedicated to marathon, but rather one day that I run, and the rest would be a traditional week long family vacation with DD 9/DS 6/ DH.
In a sense it's difficult to fully describe marathon weekend. I have run the Wine & Dine Half Marathon once, the Star Wars race weekend twice, and marathon weekend twice. There is a different energy to marathon weekend than the other two. Personally I think it may have to do with the very nature of the marathon itself. But you didn't ask about running the marathon.

Part of the appeal of race weekends for runners is seeing how people celebrate their accomplishments. The kids races always feature kids who are over the moon about the medal they just earned. Their smiles just might be bigger than those of their parents who just ran the Half and/or challenge races. I once met a lady after the Avengers Half Marathon at Disneyland who was proudly wearing her 5K medal from 2 days earlier. She was so excited to talk to other runners and share her excitement over her accomplishment. She didn't care that her medal was from the 5K. She had worked very hard to earn it and loved talking about what it meant to her with people who understood.

The celebration of running and the achieving of dreams may carry more weight amongst Disney fans because these ideas play very well into the Disney magic and stories about dreams. Without even trying, Disney has so many songs that play right into the reasons why someone might choose to run a race. So these feelings get amped up especially with the Disney magic going on. Celebrating with characters before, during, but especially after the races is tremendous fun if you enjoy that kind of thing.

Cons: Races can eat into your park time, especially depending on the distance. The early wakeup call either requires an early bedtime or being even more exhausted because you're playing in the parks until 10 or 11pm and Disney recommends that you be on the buses to head to the race area between 3 and 3:30am. Likewise, even the 5K and 10K will eat into park time if you're a slower runner. The half marathon and marathon runners can also impact crowd control in the parks so be aware of that. Likewise, some character meet and greets are for runners only. I have seen CMs inform disappointed families that they could not wait in the 2 minute line for popular characters because this was for runners only. Again this usually only applies during the half and full as the other two distances are out of the parks before the parks open.
Also, depending on your schedule, I would do most of your vacation after the race, vs before. Helpful: re crowds and keeping fresh legs for the race.
I second this, but it is possible to do the race near the end of your vacation if need be. While I much prefer the races first and the celebration afterwards, scheduling once meant that in order to do the race, I had to do the race at the end of the trip. I still had a great time and ultimately wound up discovering that I could do more than I once thought possible as a runner when I finished a half marathon in normal time at the end of a trip on not very fresh legs and less than a week after recovering from a cold.
If you enjoy running and you like Disney it is a great time to go. It is ultimately a celebration of all the training and hard work. You are surrounded by lots of other runners in the parks. Lots of folks wear their medals, lots of congratulations amongst each other; just lots of fun.

When the weekend ribs up closer to New Years the parks are very busy. Conversely when the weekend is further away I have found it to be a lot less busy. This is especially true after the races are over.

I have done MW solo and with my family, had fun every time! High recommendations!
Many times I have swapped stories with runners simply because we were wearing our medals. Other times I have talked to runners who had no idea that Disney offered races until they discovered all the runners wearing their medals after the fact. Or in my case, I became a runner because runners wore their medals around the parks and were then kind and gracious enough to answer my questions about what it really entailed and give me a realistic path to actually finishing a half marathon and years later, the marathon. I have done almost all my race weekends solo, but have taken a couple of race weekends with my little sister.

One final thought. I think you can have a great runDisney experience at any race weekend you choose. Meaning that if another theme appeals to you more or another time works better for your schedule, you do not need to "limit" yourself to marathon weekend. In the end, the race weekend is a celebration of all the hard work, training, and sacrifice you have put into the distance, whatever that distance may be. You never need to feel bad for "only" doing one race during the race weekend even if you feel like you're surrounded by a lot of insane people who are so crazy that we think it's normal to run multiple races a weekend.
 


Thanks all for your input. I've read your replies a few times and you've given me some food for thought.

The downsides: Early race start times (5:30 am), crowds (which will be greatly impacted by what corral you start from, high race prices, stupid lines if you're into race-specific merchandise.

Also, depending on your schedule, I would do most of your vacation after the race, vs before. Helpful: re crowds and keeping fresh legs for the race.

Finally, if you say a 10k is no problem, then I bet you could do the half. And you'd get to run through MK and not just around Epcot.

I feel like the merch is not a huge draw for me, I'm not obsessive about my disney gear. Good point about scheduling. And thanks for the vote of confidence on getting through the half. When I say 10K is no problem I really mean I've run them before but it's not a regular distance for me. I'd have some serious training to do! So tempting to do MK and Epcot though.

When the weekend ribs up closer to New Years the parks are very busy. Conversely when the weekend is further away I have found it to be a lot less busy. This is especially true after the races are over.

I have done MW solo and with my family, had fun every time! High recommendations!

Interesting point about the timing. I'll have to keep an eye on that. I hear MLK week can also be busy? That's my real birthday so would be convenient for a celebration, but not so much for timing! We went in January for the first time earlier this year and it was way more bananas than I thought it would be. (Jan 25-31)

In a sense it's difficult to fully describe marathon weekend. I have run the Wine & Dine Half Marathon once, the Star Wars race weekend twice, and marathon weekend twice. There is a different energy to marathon weekend than the other two. Personally I think it may have to do with the very nature of the marathon itself. But you didn't ask about running the marathon.

Yup, marathon is not for me! A half would be a serious stretch goal.

Cons: Races can eat into your park time, especially depending on the distance. The early wakeup call either requires an early bedtime or being even more exhausted because you're playing in the parks until 10 or 11pm and Disney recommends that you be on the buses to head to the race area between 3 and 3:30am. Likewise, even the 5K and 10K will eat into park time if you're a slower runner. The half marathon and marathon runners can also impact crowd control in the parks so be aware of that. Likewise, some character meet and greets are for runners only. I have seen CMs inform disappointed families that they could not wait in the 2 minute line for popular characters because this was for runners only. Again this usually only applies during the half and full as the other two distances are out of the parks before the parks open.

I'm a slower runner, for SURE. So good point about eating into park time. Then again, DH would be there with the kiddos so they can do their own thing. We have been to WDW twice already so I'm at the point of just wanting to do my favourites anyway.

Or in my case, I became a runner because runners wore their medals around the parks and were then kind and gracious enough to answer my questions about what it really entailed and give me a realistic path to actually finishing a half marathon and years later, the marathon. I have done almost all my race weekends solo, but have taken a couple of race weekends with my little sister.

Any suggestions/comments on what that realistic path would be?? Pretend you're wearing your medal in the park and a random stranger is asking :D

One final thought. I think you can have a great runDisney experience at any race weekend you choose. Meaning that if another theme appeals to you more or another time works better for your schedule, you do not need to "limit" yourself to marathon weekend. In the end, the race weekend is a celebration of all the hard work, training, and sacrifice you have put into the distance, whatever that distance may be. You never need to feel bad for "only" doing one race during the race weekend even if you feel like you're surrounded by a lot of insane people who are so crazy that we think it's normal to run multiple races a weekend.

That's true about going to any weekend. This one just happens to work timing-wise. Yeah, no goofy or dopey challenges for this cat!
 
Marathon weekend is great if you are a runner. My favorite race is the W&D but Marathon Weekend is a better overall experience in my opinion. I've never found crowds to be that bad and the only real negative I can come up with is the inconsistent weather but you'll have that at most race weekends.

To have a successful weekend you need to make your plans around the race, not your race around your plans. I would get down either two days before your race or very early the morning before so you have time to be delayed and still make the expo for packet pickup. If you are doing the 10K or Half you should be done in enough time to still enjoy the parks, even if you are a back of the pack runner. If you time allows, and you aren't sure if you'll be tired or sore after the race, you can make it a non-park day and use that day to explore resorts or other areas of property.

You'll have a very early morning the day of your race(s) so make sure that is worked into your plans.
 
Yup, marathon is not for me! A half would be a serious stretch goal.
Just to warn you. I once thought the way you did. When I started running I had many self imposed restrictions that also created a barrier to the marathon. While these restrictions were quite reasonable and borderline sane, things such as the Star Wars Rebel Challenge and Kessel Run Challenge events meant I had to reexamine some of these restrictions as I wanted the new goal more than I wanted to keep the restrictions in place. However in order to earn the Kessel Run Challenge, I had to train during the absolute worst time of the year to train for a half marathon. What little free time I had was given over to training. As the impossible became reality, I began to reexamine many of my previously held ideas about the sheer impossibility of the marathon. Reading a few race reports here began to change my thought process from I will never run a marathon to maybe I want to experience this for myself.

Sometimes we impose our own restrictions on what we are capable of. Now this does not mean that you should run a distance that you simply have no desire to run. You have to choose the next distance because you want it for your own reasons whatever those reasons my be. But you have to want it. Rather my main point is that if you want a higher distance, you can get there through hard work and a good plan.
I'm a slower runner, for SURE. So good point about eating into park time. Then again, DH would be there with the kiddos so they can do their own thing. We have been to WDW twice already so I'm at the point of just wanting to do my favourites anyway.
As @GreatLakes well noted, one race will impact at least 3 days of your Disney World time. When I ran the 2017 Avengers Half Marathon at Disneyland, I drove down Friday, picked up my bib and went to the parks Friday night. I enjoyed the parks on Saturday, but had to stay off my feet extensively and went to bed early.
Any suggestions/comments on what that realistic path would be?? Pretend you're wearing your medal in the park and a random stranger is asking :D
Happy to. I have learned some valuable lessons about making it through the difficult times of life through the microcosm that is distance running. Furthermore, I once believed myself incapable of doing many things in running and have seen those impossible barriers fall through hard work, diligence, and a good training plan.

First up is the very first piece of advice I received from those total strangers many years ago with their medals. I find that it holds up years later.

1. RunDisney's stated pace of maintaining 16 minutes per mile is very walkable. It's certainly not easy and must be trained towards, but with diligent focused training, you can develop the endurance necessary to sustain that over longer distances. That pace is a brisk walk sustained over many miles. The recommended 15 minute per mile pace is to give you cushion for bathroom breaks and possibly a character stop or two depending on the line.

2. If you can maintain 15 minutes per mile, then you can absorb a 2-3 minute character stop or two over 13.1 miles because a 15 minute pace works out to be 3 hours and 15 minutes over 13 miles. Remember that time in line for characters counts towards your per mile pace. You do not want to be the people who spent 20 minutes in line for every character and ran 10 minute miles only to be swept because by the clock, they were maintaining a 30 minute per mile pace. If doing the 10K, your cushion to absorb character stops is smaller because the distance is less. I ran my first half terrified to take any photos because I believed that I could not afford any stops. I finished easily and missed out on some great once in a lifetime photos in Disneyland.

3. Remember that you do not have to go the new distance on your first day of training. Training is what prepares you to reach that distance. It's natural to feel overwhelmed as you being pursuing the new distance. Just remember that you will get there through diligence. Nor do you need to train for 3 hours every day to run a half marathon. 30-45 minutes twice a week with longer runs on the weekend can be sufficient.

4. Your mind is stronger than your body. At some point, your body will tell you that it no longer wants to do this not because it is incapable of no longer doing this, but because it simply wants to sit down and rest. Through developing mental strategies to cope with this response, you can essentially override your initial inclination to stop.

5. Along with the above, determine why you want to take on the next distance. I signed up for my first half because I sort of, kind of, maybe wanted to do it, but not really because it took my little sister persistently reminding me for weeks that I had agreed to run it with her. Once I did, I still wasn't fully committed. That led to me neglecting early training before realizing that I really had to get in gear. Consequently, I had to skip the easy, shorter runs on the weekends in order to get the longer distances in. I was also very much in doubt of my training before that race. This resulted in a finish, like I wanted, but was not the fun experience I have come to enjoy in almost every other subsequent race.

So what is your motivation? Why do you want this? This needs to come from inside yourself. All the friendly pressure in the world from well meaning family members, friends, but especially other runners may not prove to be sufficient for you to enjoy your race. It does not matter what your reasons are. They just need to be your reasons. Reasons can be as vitally important as better health or running in honor of a friend to as personal as I really like the medal and/or character.

I once believed I was physically incapable of handling a 5K and Half Marathon on back to back days. The lure of Star Wars medals caused me to train for a 10K and Half Marathon on consecutive days. I once believed that the demands on my time during the busiest time of year professionally meant that I should never train for a half marathon during that time of year. The allure of a Millennium Falcon medal caused me to do it anyways.

6. Find a training plan that works for you. It certainly needs to include enough volume to build up the endurance necessary. It will require diligence on your part. It will mean that there are days when you simply don't feel like running, but need to get out there and do it anyways. I often like to pretend like those days are really mile x of the chosen distance. Meaning during marathon training, I told myself that when I really did not want to go for a 4 mile run after work, I would do so anyways because I was preparing for mile 22. Well when the real mile 22 hit on race day, I reminded myself that I had spent months preparing for this very run. I knew I could do it because I had already practiced running 4 miles when I did not want to run 4 miles. On an almost daily basis, week after week for months. Yes, the end of the marathon was different than all those 4 miles runs when I was fresh, but the point remained. I could do this. I had prepared for this. Whatever your chosen distance is, the same principle applies.
 


@Sleepless Knight Thank you for the thoughtful replies. I appreciate you putting the time in!
You're welcome. My first race was a half marathon. I did not do the far more sensible approach of building up to the distance. Nor did I listen to those who advised running a 5K or 10K first just to know what race day feels like. Training for that first half was a series of mistakes that led me to conclude that I would either succeed beyond my wildest dreams and finish the race or fail spectacularly. I suppose I did both given that I nearly gave myself shin splints from starting out the half way too fast and having to slow down roughly half a mile in to an acceptable, but not excruciatingly painful pace. I did cross that finish line.

The path from reluctant half marathon runner to actually enjoying the marathon, not just finishing it was an arduous process of many years. For many years, training was the thing I hated doing, but simply endured because training meant fun on race day. I stuck with what worked because it worked. I might have really despised long runs specifically and running in general during training, but putting up with them meant I finished the race and had fun at Disneyland/World. Once I began to consider myself an actual real runner, I also began to seriously try to learn from other runners. This sometimes meant a new way of doing things. It meant trying something completely different. It ultimately meant discovering that I had been making it much harder on myself than it actually needed to be for years.

As it turned out the single most difficult race of my life was half marathon number 8. It took place roughly 6 weeks after I had registered for Dopey. It also taught me invaluable lessons that wound up making a huge difference between just finishing the marathon and actually enjoying the marathon, challenges and all. So if somehow I can help encourage anyone else looking to pursue their running goals, whatever those goals may be no matter how short or long, I will do my best.
 

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