Best friend is running and I am doing the planning

[bearlyanne]

I am NOT a runner and my BFF is doing her first Princess this february. I promised her that I would do all of the trip planning, but I am at a loss. Normally, I could plan a Disney trip with no issues, but I am not sure what works the best when someone in your group is running.

So please, I would love to hear some of your suggestions on what worked for you. What type of meal/restaurant you liked the day before. What times you ate after the marathon and where. Did you have an energy left?

I was also thinking of doing a spa treatment...when is your fav time for that? Immediately after the marathon? The next day? Before?

We will be arriving on Thursday night and leaving on Tuesday

 

[FireDancer]

First and foremost there is no single formula for everyone. For me the only thing I'd do different if I were running a half at Disney is take the day before a little easy, have my pre-race meal planned out with an ADR, and get to bed a bit early (which for me is 11ish). Running a half wouldn't impact my vacation much other than that

The thing to look at for the Princess is to stay at a host hotel if you are going to be relying on Disney transportation. Unlike marathon weekend all the resorts don't have transportation, only specific resorts.

Getting back to that pre-race meal, every runner has a different routine and they don't want to change it. I always eat pasta with meat (chicken breast or meatballs) the night before a run so I'd go with Portobello. A good friend of mine always does sushi as their pre-race meal. What I or anyone else would do though doesn't really matter. Ask your friend what her pre-race and post-race ritual is and plan accordingly.

 

[bearlyanne]

Thank you. She is a newbie to running, so I don't think that she even knows what she wants as a last meal yet

I just want to make it as easy as possible for her

 

[es45]

My BFF and I ran the Princess for the first time last year. What worked for us:

*You can go to a park the day before the race but take it easy and leave early to get plenty of rest before the race.
*We ate a normal meal the night before; we were too nervous about our first half to carb load and we didn't try anything new (food-wise). Avoid the alcohol until after the race. We enjoyed a meal of fish and chips with a cold beer for lunch afterward.
*Go to a park after the race. It is fun to meet other finishers wearing their medals. Or go to your resort pool. It is important to keep gently moving those muscles after the race.
*Book the spa treatment for Monday. Massages too soon after running can create more muscle soreness.

Have fun!

 

[stitchfan18]

I wouldn't plan too much meal wise after the race. Every person feels different after running a 1/2 marathon, so if she needs a little extra time to bounce back after the race leave that time open to allow for that. We walked around Epcot and ate CS for lunch that day before we had to leave to catch our flight home. I would save any celebration type meals for the evening to encourage her to keep moving at her own pace. Several people do lunches, which might work for them, but sitting for a long time soon after the race usually leads to stiff/sore muscles.

Definitely take it easy the day before the race, and make sure you allow several hours to pick up her race bib. There is a lot to see at the expo, especially for a first timer.

 

[MouseDogMom]

Echoing pretty much what everyone else has said...

After my first half, my family was eager to get to the park, but I wasn't. They left me in the room, and I grabbed a sandwich in the food court, then went to the pool and took a nap. After a couple of hours, I felt refreshed enough to meet them in the parks for the rest of the day.

A celebration meal either that night or the next is a great idea. We've saved a celebratory dinner for Monday night a couple of times to make sure we feel up to really enjoying it!

Jackie

 

[bunnyfoo]

I usually pig out a couple of hours after a race - I go back to my room, do an ice bath, shower and go out to WCC The massage I do the next day but I know people who do them right after the race - like everyone else has said, it's a matter of personal preference.