Marathon Weekend 2020

[steph0808]

SAFD: runDisney-related- I would love the option of being picked up by Magical Express at MCO and taken directly to the Expo. And my bags would magically show up at my resort. Also, a pre-printed list in the race guide of which characters will be on the course and where. And maybe a way to vote beforehand on which rare characters you would most want to see and they would include the top 5 winners or something like that.

other: Choosing your resort room from the app/site (like airline seats)

That would be great. And then a bus from the expo to the parks!

 

[SarahDisney]

SAFD:
More variety in race weekends. More Disneyland races (or, y'know, any Disneyland races). Also, maybe a challenge that doesn't involve a Saturday race? (that's a purely selfish thing that I know will never happen)

 

[mjcorral]

SAFD:

Definitely on board for the return of the Disneyland races, and while we are dreaming, a Disneyland marathon. I live about 20 minutes away from the park and it would be awesome to have them back.

I did not get to experience Journey through the Imagination before it changed into it's current rendition. So I would totally be on board for that as well. I would actually like to see Epcot as a whole go back to an updated version of its original self. I am not too thrilled with all the "Disney" going into Epcot, especially with the Illuminations replacement.

 

[PrincessV]

Related to the SAFD question, I had a question about piece of advise I saw on the NY Marathon and wondered if anyone had tried it at Disney.

The advise was to bring something inflatable to sit and relax on while waiting. At NY the pre corral area at Disney is a lot more spread out and you have more time in it. People were talking about bringing inflatable rafts to lay on them while they waited. I don't think you'd have room in a Disney corral for a raft, but has anyone brought a small inflatable seat cushion to sit on while waiting in the corrals?

No, I've never felt the need - I'm only ever sitting for a few minutes at a time before the races. If it's cold, I bring a fleece blanket, which I wrap around myself and top with a mylar blanket to trap heat in, so when I sit down, I wind up sitting on that, but it's primary purpose is warmth, not seat cusion.

I read somewhere that you can wear old clothes that you're planning to donate to goodwill over your race gear and discard the outer layers just before the race starts. If this is the case, two layers of track suits/PJs should provide warmth as well as cushioning.

For those who have done this, are there donation bins set up in the corrals?

Yes, but they look exactly like the trash bins, so people wind up tossing trash in the clothes bin, and clothes in the trash bin. CMs have told me it doesn't really matter: they sort through it all and separate clothing to wash and donate. But you don't have to us a bin at all: I've dropped stuff halfway through a race. It's nice to drop things with things that were already dropped by others earlier, and/or near water/food stops, but not necessary: they go down the entire course cleaning and collecting.

Good morning, runDisney all-stars! We are 128 days away from Marathon Weekend!

For this week's Sundays are for Disney, we just got some big announcements at D23, but what if you were in charge? What announcements would you make?

I would also introduce a runDisney loyalty program that would give discounts for those who continue to run multiple race events. It would encourage runners to come back and reward those of us who continue to spend our hard-earned money down there.

I love the idea of a loyalty program!

SAFD: I'd announce that the 2020 Star Wars races will take place in Batuu!
I'd also like to see an option for a discounted registration for those who decline medals and/or shirts.
In WDW, an announcement of a return of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride would make me very happy, indeed.

 

[CDKG]

SAFD: I have a secret soft spot for Body Wars, and DH and I were just talking about how we’d love it to come back!

I like Ink Master, because ❤ Dave Navarro.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

This will be my first full marathon...I would love to know some Jedi Mind Tricks!

I learned that you should never count down the miles. As others mentioned, that becomes very daunting in a marathon. Thankfully, I had been warned of this ahead of time so I learned in training to recalibrate my mind.

When I was trying to find excuses as to why I did not want to go on a particular run on a given day, I would tell myself that I was really at mile 22 of the marathon and needed to practice what that felt like that. While obviously, it does not replicate what that actually feels like, I was able to tell myself at the real mile 22 that I had practiced the remaining 4 miles for months on end and this was why I did it.

Do you have a mantra? Something positive you can say to yourself. I read somewhere for them to be effective that you want them to be positive affirmation. So "I can do this" is better than "I won't give up".

I went so far as to print out a variety of mantras consisting of quotes from Disney movies, Star Wars, very successful sports stars who I respect, and personal heroes. The variety was to have some serious quotes if I needed those, but also some mantras that would make me laugh and thus hopefully distract my mind to the finish line.

-I only ran X distance in training and I just passed that mile marker. So everything I do from here until the end of the race is new territory. To solve this one, instead of using X as a means to say I've never done this distance before. Consider instead thinking of the total race distance - X and then start counting from there. For instance, your longest training run for a 26.2 mile race is 15 miles. Instead of counting up the miles from 1 to 15, and realizing that 16 is a new mile. Try starting the count from mile 11 instead. Miles 0-11 are just the WU. Consider now that you are fully rested and tapered unlike in training. So once you reach mile 11, it's really like reaching mile 0 of your 15 mile training run. You've done that before, so now just do it again. Alternatively break the race up into chunks like 4 x 6.5 miles or 6 x 4.5 miles.

One of my aforementioned mantras came to address this specific instance came from Rhino the Hamster in Disney's animated film Bolt. Whenever I came to a mile that I had never run before in training or a race, I would tell myself "each mile I run the new single greatest mile of my life." This accomplished two things. It helped me laugh because I remembered how funny Rhino is in the movie so I laughed and it helped me stay positive about the new distances.

My running mantra is:

I’m good enough.
I’m smart enough.
And gosh darn it, people like me.

Now you've got me thinking about the time when Stuart Smalley met Michael Jordan. "You don't have to make the game winning shot today Michael. It's okay if you're not at your best today. Just be the best Michael you can be."

If you are thinking at mile 3 that you have 23 miles to go you will kill your mojo!

If I did catch myself slipping back into my old counting down the miles habit or if I overheard someone say at mile 5, only 21 miles remaining, I would act like the luggage scan droid on Star Tours. Clear the thought, clear the bag. This helped me to refocus on what I prepared for and not get derailed by someone else's method of dealing with the miles.

SAFD: I'd announce that the 2020 Star Wars races will take place in Batuu!

Seconded. And while we're at it, I also want them to announce the return of Star Wars The Light Side Half Marathon to Disneyland where we will also run through Batuu in 2021 and beyond.

 

[ANIM8R]

I learned that you should never count down the miles. As others mentioned, that becomes very daunting in a marathon. Thankfully, I had been warned of this ahead of time so I learned in training to recalibrate my mind.

What I do is sooooo antithetical to that! (But it works for me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )
Seriously, when running a marathon I get to the 1 mile marker and think "only 25 more of those to go!". At 3.28 miles - "only 7 more of those to go" and so forth. Of course, I don't say it out loud or else I would (deservedly so) get punched!

But very quickly it goes from a large number to a small number.
Then at 17.5 it's "I only have to run half of that to finish"...then "I only have to run a third of that" at Mile 20 (actually 19.67).

Good or bad - that's how my mind works.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Good or bad - that's how my mind works.

I think that's the key. How your mind perceives the task at hand and copes with it. In some respects, it's almost natural to count the miles. It's inevitable when you see the mile markers. So figure out how to attack it.

I knew that some runners hit the wall. I also know that others do not. So I decided to have a strategy in place if the wall came. That way, if it did come, my first response would be along the lines of "you prepared for this, so it's time to fall back on the preparation." Again for me this is where training becomes crucial. Not just to build up the endurance, but also to learn what works and what may not work in dealing with race day itself.

For me the biggest key to finishing the marathon came in settling on and implementing my mental strategy. U.S. Olympian Jared Ward has talked about how once your mind decides that you're finished, then your body will almost immediately follow. The key is learning how to stop the negative thoughts especially during the race. When you hit the wall and/or your body starts to feel the fatigue, it will tell your mind that it no longer wants to do this. But if your mind wants to keep going, then your body will follow suit.

 

[IamTrike]

What I do is sooooo antithetical to that! (But it works for me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )
Seriously, when running a marathon I get to the 1 mile marker and think "only 25 more of those to go!". At 3.28 miles - "only 7 more of those to go" and so forth. Of course, I don't say it out loud or else I would (deservedly so) get punched!

But very quickly it goes from a large number to a small number.
Then at 17.5 it's "I only have to run half of that to finish"...then "I only have to run a third of that" at Mile 20 (actually 19.67).

Good or bad - that's how my mind works.

This is my mind on most every run. I'm constantly doing math about pace and distance to keep my mind occupied. It usually switches back and forth between I've completed this fraction of a mile and I've completed this fraction of the total run.

 

[kirstie101]

SAFD: You can add me to the “Bringing back Disneyland races” list!!!!!

 

[DerTobi75]

IKEA has one that’s a bit bigger then the Walmart ones for $2.49. I use them for every race.

Is there an IKEA in Orlando?

 

[Bree]

Is there an IKEA in Orlando?

Yes. It's off of I-4 over by the Mall at Millenia.

 

[lhermiston]

Good morning, runDisney all-stars! We are 121 days away from Marathon Weekend!

For this week's Sundays are for Disney I want to know, when you're on a Disney vacation, what are your favorite things to do outside of the parks?

My kids would probably say going to the pool, but I'm not a big pool guy. I think my top non-park activities would be eating at the resort restaurants (Boma and Ohana are my top WDW restaurants), riding the boat from POR to Disney Springs and just exploring whatever resort I'm staying at.

Have a great week, everyone!

 

[rteetz]

For this week's Sundays are for Disney I want to know, when you're on a Disney vacation, what are your favorite things to do outside of the parks?

I’m a big Disney Springs guy. They have some amazing dining options and I love to look around in the shops. I will jump in the pool once in a while but it depends on the temperature and the resort I’m at.

Exploring resorts is always fun. I always try to hang out around the boardwalk or MK resorts a bit.

 

[michigandergirl]

SAFD: We like to spend time at the pool because coming from Michigan, it's usually cold back home, and so the sun and a swim feels great. Plus pool beers.

I also like to wander around the resorts and look at plants & flowers, which my kids think is dorky.

 

[IamTrike]

SAFD: While we like pool time, Disney Springs and the outlets our favorite thing is probably exploring the resorts. I love getting up early and going for a couple mile run as the suns coming up. We love going to different resorts and exploring them. Fort Wilderness/ Wilderness Lodge and the monorail resorts are good for that. We also really like renting a pontoon boat to explore bay lake and the seven seas lagoon.

 

[steph0808]

I'm not going to lie - I have stayed on Disney property five times and I have never went to the pool. And I love swimming! But our trips are usually only 4-5 days, and I feel wasteful if I'm not in the parks every single second of it! I did go to Blizzard Beach once (when AK was still being built!) and had a great time. I was also 11.

I really like doing tours and exploring the other properties. We did the segway tour at Fort Wilderness last year during MW and this year, we are doing Keys to the Kingdom, as well as the Rhino one at AK. I like learning Disney history in a different way.

 

[CDKG]

For this week's Sundays are for Disney I want to know, when you're on a Disney vacation, what are your favorite things to do outside of the parks?

I like to take afternoon breaks at my resort. But, that time is usually just spent relaxing in my room and watching a little TV (the kinds of things I would do at home). I also enjoy wandering over to Disney Springs (my room is usually a 10 min walk). But, I rarely walk past the Marketplace. Finally, I’m a big fan of resort hopping at the monorail and Epcot resorts (a fun way to end a night at Epcot)!

 

[lhermiston]

I'm not going to lie - I have stayed on Disney property five times and I have never went to the pool. And I love swimming! But our trips are usually only 4-5 days, and I feel wasteful if I'm not in the parks every single second of it! I did go to Blizzard Beach once (when AK was still being built!) and had a great time. I was also 11.

I think this is one of the reasons I don’t do the pools much. It cuts into precious park time for me. I did go to the pool the day of the 10K this year because I was majorly on the struggle bus and needed to take it easy.

 

[garneska]

SAFD: we usually stay at fort wilderness. My favorite things to do after my morning run is sit outside with the dogs having coffee. In the late afternoon or evening, sitting outside with the dogs having wine. If it’s hot, we do enjoy renting water mice.