Poor Unfortunate Soles: Marathon Weekend 2013 (5K, Half and Full Marathon)-COMPLETE!!

[BigEeyore]

Oh no, not foot pain at the half way point! Good job on the negative split though. I didn't see the snake - not that I would have done that! Did you see the super cute donkey with the "Keep Hoofin' It" blanket on? I stopped with him, so adorable!
Remember the Pocahontas/John Smith/Meeko stop just before AK? The woman in front of me in that line just started gushing to Pocahontas how she was her most favorite princess, what an honor to meet her, such an inspiration, etc etc. The woman was genuinely star-struck! I guess the heat and the miles make us all a little giddy

 

[garneska]

My feet were aching at 14. By 16 I was pretty miserable, I could feel the heat and my feet were swollen and ached. I think the heat was causing it, but I also lost 8 weeks of training for goofy due to a stress fracture. I only had 3 weeks of training prior to marathon weekend. I have run Goofy before and never had that issue. Hope someone solves the mystery.

BTW, Love the trip report. I read your training log but i did stop while i was injured. It was very hard to go to the boards when i was not running. Once i was back to running, your training log helped me. I just knew i could do it just not as fast as i would like.

 

[ZellyB]

My feet were a real problem too. Strange so many of us had the problem. We did do AK on Saturday but tried to keep our walking to a minimum. My feet really started to bother me around mile 18 or so and never let up.

Expedition Everest was open and no wait for runners when we passed by but the ride makes DH sick so no go for us. :-(

 

[beachta1]

I'm curious... Why did you carry your phone in your hand wrapped in a paper towel? And what did you use to take pictures along the way?

 

[Ariel484]

Sorry that you're starting to hurt! My feet hurt so bad starting at mile 16 - I am thinking it was from walking around the parks the previous two days, as well as running on all that pavement (I did all long runs on a trail). (It also didn't help that I looked at my watch at mile 16 - I was already out on the course longer than my 20 mile training run. Damn sickness).

Keep up the good work!

Yeah, it was not good. I guess it was probably unrealistic to expect that I would make it through the entire weekend pain-free...though that was certainly my hope. I've had foot pain before but never quite like it was that day. I did all of my long runs on concrete so you think I would have been used to it...

I feel so bad that you were so sick during your race! You're a trooper for toughing it out.

That sounds so painful! I don't know how I am going to resist wandering around the parks before the race next year, it's so hard to stay away! But I'm hoping that by staying Deluxe there will be more to do at the resort to take my mind off park time. I'm still getting park tickets just to take advantage of dining in the parks and touring on Saturday and Sunday. The real test will be Thursday and Friday, lol.

I know! I mean...you know you're SUPPOSED to take it easy, but you are in Disney after all, soooo...??? Walking around a lot beforehand wasn't a problem for me when I did the Princess Half or marathon before though...just this year for Goofy.

Oh no, not foot pain at the half way point! Good job on the negative split though. I didn't see the snake - not that I would have done that! Did you see the super cute donkey with the "Keep Hoofin' It" blanket on? I stopped with him, so adorable!
Remember the Pocahontas/John Smith/Meeko stop just before AK? The woman in front of me in that line just started gushing to Pocahontas how she was her most favorite princess, what an honor to meet her, such an inspiration, etc etc. The woman was genuinely star-struck! I guess the heat and the miles make us all a little giddy

The snake was sort of at the end of the line of animals...!! Now that you mention it I do remember seeing the donkey! What a little cutie. I know I saw other animals but I don't remember specifically what they were, if that makes sense. Things were getting cloudy at that point!

That's so funny about that lady and Pocahontas! "Giddy" is a nice way to put it. Things were getting nuts out there...

My feet were aching at 14. By 16 I was pretty miserable, I could feel the heat and my feet were swollen and ached. I think the heat was causing it, but I also lost 8 weeks of training for goofy due to a stress fracture. I only had 3 weeks of training prior to marathon weekend. I have run Goofy before and never had that issue. Hope someone solves the mystery.

BTW, Love the trip report. I read your training log but i did stop while i was injured. It was very hard to go to the boards when i was not running. Once i was back to running, your training log helped me. I just knew i could do it just not as fast as i would like.

Wow, just 3 weeks of training?! Congrats on making it through!

In talking to other people I've gotten a few guesses as to why this happened...low sodium levels (take salt caps to help this I guess?), lack of potassium, etc. I just don't know! A certain amount of swelling is normal I think (that's why people sometimes buy a size up in shoes) but I know for some people it was a whole other level of swelling that day. I'm sure the heat played a big part for everyone.

And thanks for reading the report and my training log! I'm glad it helped you. I totally know what you mean about avoiding the boards at certain times. I won't log on for weeks if I'm in that post-Disney depression, and since I'm most likely not running at Disney at all next year I can see myself avoiding the WISH section altogether. I hope you're completely recovered from your stress fracture...happy running!

My feet were a real problem too. Strange so many of us had the problem. We did do AK on Saturday but tried to keep our walking to a minimum. My feet really started to bother me around mile 18 or so and never let up.

Expedition Everest was open and no wait for runners when we passed by but the ride makes DH sick so no go for us. :-(

Blech, more feet pain! The heat must have been a big culprite...a combination of dehydration and loss of electrolytes? Potassium, sodium?? Ack. I'm going to try to research this...don't want it to happen again!

I find that each time I come off of Everest I feel a little more rattled than I did the previous year (and that's just on a normal day...not during the marathon), so I can totally understand why your husband avoids it.

I'm curious... Why did you carry your phone in your hand wrapped in a paper towel? And what did you use to take pictures along the way?

Okay, so the skirt I was wearing has 3 pockets - 1 on each leg of the shorts and a big one with a zipper at the waist. When I got the skirt in the mail there was a note suggesting that if I was going to carry my phone in a pocket that I should wrap it in a paper towel and then seal it in a ziploc bag to protect it from sweat. I mentioned this somewhere else and another person chimed in that he DID NOT do anything like this with his phone, which was in his pocket for the Tower of Terror 10-miler, and due to the humidity/sweat his phone screen now looks permanently foggy. After hearing that I wasn't taking any chances. Then I went on a few test runs in the skirt with the phone wrapped and ziploc-ed up, and no matter what pocket I put it in (waist or leg pockets) I felt like my skirt was falling down. The pockets are fine for gels, chomps, etc. but I guess the phone was too heavy, so I just carried it. When I run races at home I leave my phone in the car and really would have preferred to just leave it in my room for these Disney races, but now I had to coordinate meeting people on the course/after the race. I didn't mind keeping it in the bag because I knew I wasn't going to use it for pictures.

So the phone was in one hand...in my other hand I carried a point-and-shoot camera (this one...except that it wasn't this expensive when I bought it! ). I made sure to have the strap around my wrist at all times so I wouldn't drop it. I've used this camera for 5 races now and it's held up very well, so I wasn't worried about how it would handle the sweat...the phone (which is a brand new iPhone that I got in September, and I didn't pay for insurance on it) was another story. I have a decent case for it and a screen protector, but I didn't feel like that would be enough to protect it from sweat. I babied the crap out of that thing.

I wish the skirt pockets would have worked out a bit better and that I could have kept the phone and camera in those pockets, but carrying the stuff in my hands just isn't that annoying to me. I think it helped that I had something in each hand to sort of balance it out, and pretty soon after I started running I didn't really think about carrying stuff at all. I carried both in my hands for the half and full (for the 5K I just took the camera) and it was fine.

Haha sorry, that was probably MUCH more than you wanted to know!

 

[emilyindisney]

Sorry to hear about the pain! I know I under-trained for my first half and was in a lot of pain by mile 11. You're right- the best thing to do is just keep moving! Glad you ended up with a negative split, though!

I love hearing how Disney caters especially to the runners, by letting them do things like cut the lines for rides if they wanna hop off the course. Sounds like fun!

 

[Ariel484]

2013 Walt Disney World Marathon! Miles 13-16

We left Animal Kingdom and were finally at about the halfway point of the marathon, and two-thirds Goofy!

Half split: 13.1 miles in 3:09:36, average pace of 14:28/mile. Estimated finish time of 6:19:10 (12:09PM).

This is another course change that I didn't like so much. On the old course we were in Animal Kingdom for miles 16-17, which was a nice boost so late in the race. Today we were gone from the park and only at the halfway point with almost 10 miles to go until the next park. I'm such a crab.

After leaving the AK we ran past the entrance and toward the parking lot. The course was super narrow here but there was great spectator support.

Mickey and Pluto were out for photos in front of Mickey's Jammin' Jungle float...they had a pretty decent line so I passed them up since I got a photo with Jammin' Jungle Mickey last year.

Then it was past Mile Marker 14...

...and time for what I've seen others call the Highway March of Death. This was a 2-3 mile straight shot down Osceola Parkway toward the Wide World of Sports and it was AWFUL. This was my least favorite area of the course last year too (it came later...miles 18-20 I think). It's just boring highway, out in the sun, and unfortunately it seems to keep popping up in a few Disney race courses. And despite the fact that my legs kept moving the entire time, for a brief, fleeting second, I just wanted to be done. Physically I wasn't feeling any worse than I had been before - actually, except for my quads screaming at me and the desire to get a feet transplant I felt surprisingly great - but mentally I momentarily lost it. I wanted to find a bus, stagger up the steps, stick my legs in giant ice buckets and not have to do this anymore. I don't know if that was me technically "hitting the wall" because I never actually stopped running (yes, I was still running at that point...like I said, the feet and quads were dunzo but everything else was good), but it was certainly the first time I'd ever thought about quitting a race at Disney. I knew I was never actually going to drop out of the race though, and the thought left my mind almost as soon as it had arrived.

After mile 14 we approached some Haunted Mansion gravediggers. They had the same photo-op set up as last year, where the gravediggers posed next to gravestones and runners would lie on the ground to get their photo taken. And just like last year, there was no way I was laying on the ground. I would need some serious assistance to get back up. So I cautiously approached one of the grave diggers not posing near the gravestones. We had a brief stare-down and I held up my camera and meekly asked, "Smile?" This is what I got:

Pretty.

Continuing along the highway...please note the guy behind the mile marker stretching his calves. Another runner approached him and was like, "Don’t jump! You have so much to live for!" I definitely appreciated any little moment of humor I could get at that point.

By now I was back to auto-pilot mode...I don't remember feeling sad or discouraged or happy or anything. My mind was blank once again, which I think was helping me to ignore the pain in my feet. I was just all-business and wanted to get it done, and I felt like I was still running at a somewhat decent pace...but then...

When there's trouble you call D-W!!...

...*quads seize up...waddle waddle*...

Okay, back to normal-ish running.

Up next were some trampolinists. I was hoping for a cool action shot similar to this one from the 2011 Princess Half:

I stopped and waited for the chick on the trampoline to start doing something cool. This is what she gave me:

Umm thanks, but not quite what I was looking for. I can do that, give me a cool back flip or something!

And the march continued on...

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Sorry to hear about the pain! I know I under-trained for my first half and was in a lot of pain by mile 11. You're right- the best thing to do is just keep moving! Glad you ended up with a negative split, though!

I love hearing how Disney caters especially to the runners, by letting them do things like cut the lines for rides if they wanna hop off the course. Sounds like fun!

"Just keep moving" is definitely the way to go! And yeah, the negative split was a pleasant surprise...I'm sure it helped that there wasn't another Mickey and Minnie-sized line to wait in during the second half of the race.

It is definitely cool about runners getting to cut the line on Everest...not just that Disney is okay with it, but that other guests are as well. Very neat.

 

[emilyindisney]

"Just keep moving" is definitely the way to go! And yeah, the negative split was a pleasant surprise...I'm sure it helped that there wasn't another Mickey and Minnie-sized line to wait in during the second half of the race.

It is definitely cool about runners getting to cut the line on Everest...not just that Disney is okay with it, but that other guests are as well. Very neat.

Are the guests cool with runners jumping the character greet lines as well? I'd hope so but I could see how some people might get testy.

In regards to miles 13-16...

That's rough. 2-3 boring miles in the sun that far into the race? I give you some serious credit for trekking through! I'm glad to see that people were having fun with it (like your blurb about someone telling the guy not to jump, haha!) I love the friendship between runners!

I don't blame you for not wanting to climb into the grave. The picture of the grave digger is hilarious! Definitely a keeper!

 

[steph0808]

OMG! You got Darkwing Duck?! No way!!!

But, when I got there - it was Launchpad McQuack - who I absolutely adore (even more than Darkwing!). DuckTales, woohoo! I am still so flipping excited about him (I have my picture with him as my Facebook profile pic!)!

So when I missed Scrooge McDuck after the race (he switched out with Daisy - boo, got her and Safari Minnie during the race), I was pissed because DuckTales is my favorite - and I still am pissed! I am seriously contemplating next year's marathon just to get Scrooge.

 

[creativeamanda]

I can't imagine running in that much pain in my feet. Knees? Yes. Feet? No. You are my new hero--deciding to run it instead of just walk the rest of the way!

 

[Practically_Perfect]

Hi!

I've been lurking on your report (your title is so catchy!), and have even gone back and read through your 2011 PHM/2012 WDW Marathon reports and your "In Training" report for Dopey Challenge. You've been very inspirational to me

I have a question for you - I'm planning on running my first 5K on Mother's Day weekend. You mentioned that you used a C25K to train for your first - do you remember which one? I found the Easy 5K App by Jeff Galloway, and am pretty tempted to use his. There's also a clinic with a Running Room near my office that I'm tempted to use, specifically because it has a "Women's Only" clinic, but also because of the 20-30 minutes of instructional talk beforehard.

However, if you have any other suggestions they're more than welcome! You are obviously a gal who does her research

Thanks for writing your reports - can't wait to hear how the rest of the race went!

 

[jlovesee]

From one lurker to another! I have been reading your trip report since you were writing about the 5K! I have really enjoyed it!

My husband and I are hoping to run the Goofy next January 2014, its a lofty goal but I think we can. We are running our 2nd 10K tommorow (saturday) and are working ourselves up to a Half in May.

You have an absolute knack at story telling, and I really enjoy all the details, though how you remember it all is beyond me. We ran the 5K this year and I can only remember bits and pieces of that.

Thanks so much for report so far, and I am looking forward to the conclusion!

Jennifer

 

[beachta1]

You should look into a spibelt! I bring it on my longer runs for my phone and carry ID and jellybeans. It's one less thing to carry!

 

[annabanna]

That is too bad about the foot pain. I totally understand what you mean about finding it better to run instead of walk when you get to that point. I do run/walk intervals, but it seems that I get to a point around mile 6-7 that my knees and ankles just will not take the slow down to walking and it takes the "waddle" steps to get going running again. I just get to a point where I just tough it out and run the rest of the way.
I am expecting this at the PHM, figuring that I will end up running the most of the second half. I guess I'll have a negative split!

 

[BigEeyore]

HOW did I miss Darkwing Duck? I must have been really out of it.
I had to get the HM gravediggers shot - it really is a priceless photo op! I didn't think about how hard it would be to get back up after...oh, well, it was worth it!
Osceola Parkway was mentally really tough. And then your big reward at the end of it was...a never ending march through the WWoS! The sun, the "major" hills on the overpasses...not the prettiest part of the marathon!

 

[Ariel484]

Are the guests cool with runners jumping the character greet lines as well? I'd hope so but I could see how some people might get testy.

In regards to miles 13-16...

That's rough. 2-3 boring miles in the sun that far into the race? I give you some serious credit for trekking through! I'm glad to see that people were having fun with it (like your blurb about someone telling the guy not to jump, haha!) I love the friendship between runners!

I don't blame you for not wanting to climb into the grave. The picture of the grave digger is hilarious! Definitely a keeper!

I have heard that guests are okay with the runners cutting the line! Seems pretty surprising to me...

Yep, lots of people were climbing into the grave...I seriously would have been DONE if I did that.

OMG! You got Darkwing Duck?! No way!!!

But, when I got there - it was Launchpad McQuack - who I absolutely adore (even more than Darkwing!). DuckTales, woohoo! I am still so flipping excited about him (I have my picture with him as my Facebook profile pic!)!

So when I missed Scrooge McDuck after the race (he switched out with Daisy - boo, got her and Safari Minnie during the race), I was pissed because DuckTales is my favorite - and I still am pissed! I am seriously contemplating next year's marathon just to get Scrooge.

Launchpad McQuack is a great one too! I seriously would have been thrilled with either.

I didn't know Scrooge was on the course at all this year. Last year he was meeting before and after the race in the staging area, so we got a picture with him then. Scrooge and Minnie seems like a really odd combo!

I can't imagine running in that much pain in my feet. Knees? Yes. Feet? No. You are my new hero--deciding to run it instead of just walk the rest of the way!

Haha, thanks. I have never felt foot pain before like I did that day. The only thing that kept me running was the thought of getting done SOONER.

Hi!

I've been lurking on your report (your title is so catchy!), and have even gone back and read through your 2011 PHM/2012 WDW Marathon reports and your "In Training" report for Dopey Challenge. You've been very inspirational to me

Hi! Thanks for checking out my reports, glad you like them!

I have a question for you - I'm planning on running my first 5K on Mother's Day weekend. You mentioned that you used a C25K to train for your first - do you remember which one? I found the Easy 5K App by Jeff Galloway, and am pretty tempted to use his. There's also a clinic with a Running Room near my office that I'm tempted to use, specifically because it has a "Women's Only" clinic, but also because of the 20-30 minutes of instructional talk beforehard.

However, if you have any other suggestions they're more than welcome! You are obviously a gal who does her research

Thanks for writing your reports - can't wait to hear how the rest of the race went!

I used this Couch-to-5K plan when I first started running. Basically it has you slowly work your way up to running 30 minutes non-stop. I'm sure the Jeff Galloway plan is similar, so I'd suggest just comparing the 2 of them and deciding which one works better with your schedule and which one you feel the most comfortable following - which one you think will work best for you. But I know a lot of people have had success with both plans. Personally I don't use Galloway plans anymore, but I DO like that he has helped to take away the stigma of taking walk breaks. I personally think there is nothing wrong with taking walk breaks.

The clinic sounds like a great idea too, especially because you'd have someone giving you the instruction and you'd have the support if a group of people that are working toward the same goal you are. I'd like to join a running group at some point, I think - it would keep me more accountable and would be a good way to make friends!

Other suggestions...before you run a single step, make sure to go to a running store and get fitted for running shoes. Running in old shoes or shoes that aren't right for your feet will make things harder and could lead to injury. And when you do start running, start out slowly and don't worry so much about your pace. The important thing is that you're getting out there and that you're getting used to a schedule of running 3-4 times per week. And least that's what I think. The first few weeks may be frustrating...don't give up! You'll get there.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions.

From one lurker to another! I have been reading your trip report since you were writing about the 5K! I have really enjoyed it!

My husband and I are hoping to run the Goofy next January 2014, its a lofty goal but I think we can. We are running our 2nd 10K tommorow (saturday) and are working ourselves up to a Half in May.

You have an absolute knack at story telling, and I really enjoy all the details, though how you remember it all is beyond me. We ran the 5K this year and I can only remember bits and pieces of that.

Thanks so much for report so far, and I am looking forward to the conclusion!

Jennifer

Hi Jennifer! Thanks for checking out my trip report. How was your 10K?

I think it's great that you and your husband are tackling this goal together! Lucky you! If you have any questions about Goofy training, let me know...but it's totally doable.

Since I've done a few Disney races now I think I have gotten better at "mentally tagging" stuff that I know I want to remember, but taking lots of pictures helps a LOT. Otherwise I'd probably forget 80% of the races.

Thanks for reading!!

You should look into a spibelt! I bring it on my longer runs for my phone and carry ID and jellybeans. It's one less thing to carry!

I used to use this Amphipod fuel belt for races and haven't used it since I starting running in the running skirts. I know lots of people swear by spibelts, but I think I just don't like having stuff around my waist. Maybe I'll look into it someday though...maybe it's more comfortable than my Amphipod model. ???

That is too bad about the foot pain. I totally understand what you mean about finding it better to run instead of walk when you get to that point. I do run/walk intervals, but it seems that I get to a point around mile 6-7 that my knees and ankles just will not take the slow down to walking and it takes the "waddle" steps to get going running again. I just get to a point where I just tough it out and run the rest of the way.
I am expecting this at the PHM, figuring that I will end up running the most of the second half. I guess I'll have a negative split!

Yep, I totally know what you mean. The knowledge that I would finish faster definitely drove me to running most of the second half too. And I kind of hate that I wanted to get the race over with, because I really do love doing these races...but that was my mindset that day. But hooray for negative splits!

HOW did I miss Darkwing Duck? I must have been really out of it.
I had to get the HM gravediggers shot - it really is a priceless photo op! I didn't think about how hard it would be to get back up after...oh, well, it was worth it!
Osceola Parkway was mentally really tough. And then your big reward at the end of it was...a never ending march through the WWoS! The sun, the "major" hills on the overpasses...not the prettiest part of the marathon!

Don't worry, I was a bit out of it by then too. The character radar was still working though, I guess.

Here's what we did with the grave diggers last year...this was as far as we were willing to go.

Ugh, WWoS...the more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that I really, REALLY didn't like that part of the course.

 

[schoonersky]

Subbing- great report!! Inspiring!

 

[RNBelle]

Another Marathon Weekend at Disney has come to a close. Let me tell you about it!

The cast includes me (Shannon, 28), my husband Will (27), my brother Craig (aka Princess Craiggy, 26), my mom, Kriss, my aunt Laurie, and my mom’s childhood best friend Barb. I got no photo of all 6 of us, and in fact have no photos at all of my mom, aunt or Barb (not my choice). Le sigh.

Anyhoo, as the title of this report suggests, this year I participated in the 5K, half marathon and full marathon (unofficially known as the Dopey Challenge) during Disney’s Marathon Weekend. Originally this trip was strictly for the Goofy Challenge (the half and full), but the idea of the 5K had been in the back of my mind for a while...eventually I pulled the trigger and signed up in August.

In my previous race reports (for the 2011 Princess Half and the 2012 WDW Full) I rambled on quite a bit about training. This time I posted a whole darn thread about it! I really enjoyed documenting my training and feel like I made a friend or two along the way, so I'm glad I kept up with the "In Training" journal. The Cliff's Notes version: I am extremely Type A and was very, very diligent when it came to preparing for these races. Having said that, I should warn you that you won’t find any speedy fast times here, but if you’re looking for a somewhat detailed play-by-play of all 3 races with lots of character pictures, you’ve come to the right place.

4 parks. 3 races. 42.4 miles. Let’s do this!

I just read your 2011 TR. I am 28, my husband is 25, and we want to run the half in January of next year. Reading your TR is such motivation! I have never ran more than 3 miles, and have only ran/walked in ONE 5k.

I also am from Ohio- Cleveland specifically, and so I figure I won't get to start running until April (although tomorrow's supposed to be beautiful, so I may try to get out on my lunch break!)

Thanks for writing these, they give me hope!

 

[Ariel484]

Subbing- great report!! Inspiring!

Thanks, and welcome!

I just read your 2011 TR. I am 28, my husband is 25, and we want to run the half in January of next year. Reading your TR is such motivation! I have never ran more than 3 miles, and have only ran/walked in ONE 5k.

I also am from Ohio- Cleveland specifically, and so I figure I won't get to start running until April (although tomorrow's supposed to be beautiful, so I may try to get out on my lunch break!)

Thanks for writing these, they give me hope!

Hi there!

I'm also from the Cleveland area! Not to be blunt, but if you're training for the half in January, you're gonna have to get used to running in less-than-ideal weather...or get friendly with the treadmill. It stinks, but it's worth it.

That's awesome that you and your husband are running together! I'm going to give you a (totally unsolicited) suggestion: train for and run a 10K sometime this year. It'll get you ready to train for the half, you'll get more race experience, and you can use the time for corral placement for the WDW Half.

Good luck to you and your husband with your training!