DISDADS 2012 WDW Marathon Weekend, are you going?

[theduck619]

Very flat. A few in-ramp type of bumps (I hesitate to call them hills)... But overall really flat. The course can be a bit congested at points, due to running through the parks and the amount of people running, but overall it's an incredible race to run in.

A couple of questions if you don't mind? What time does it start? My worry is that since it will be my first full ( I have done half ones before) it may take 5-6 hours.

 

[RodBelding]

A couple of questions if you don't mind? What time does it start? My worry is that since it will be my first full ( I have done half ones before) it may take 5-6 hours.

Ask away!

It starts at about 5:45 am, there are a bunch of corrals, so you may end up starting around 6 - 6:15 depending on where you are. If you ran it in 6 hours, you'd finish around noon or so...

The only pacing requirement is that you run it in under 7 hours (16 minute per mile pace), so you'd be fine on that. Plus, it finishes in the Epcot parking lot so you can immediately walk into Epcot, go to Germany, and get a big beer and pretzel!

 

[theduck619]

I have run a half marathon and numerous 5 and 10k and always used what ever shoes I have had at the time. Are there any particular brand or types you guys would recommend?

 

[IamTrike]

I have run a half marathon and numerous 5 and 10k and always used what ever shoes I have had at the time. Are there any particular brand or types you guys would recommend?

I am really interested in shoes technology. I've run in everything from fiveFingers( barefoot shoes) to Triaxs ( a stability shoe) and I have spent the past week trying to help my wife pick out shoes. (yes it does involve a spreadsheet.)

Shoes are something that I think are pretty personal. If you haven't had a gait analysis that's something I would have done. It will help you determine what kind of shoe you need. I think there tends to be some variability there. I have had multiple analysis's and sometimes they say I over-pronate and other times they don't. Usually I wind up in a neutral shoe. I am not fast. I averaged 8:54 mm for the half this weekend and I'm about 200 lbs, so for me a really plush shoes seems to work best. Right now my 2 favorites are the Brooks Glycerin and the Nike Vomero. Brooks has just launched the Glycerin 9 so you can get the 8's at runningwarehouse with the Disney wish discount for about 50 bucks.

 

[cj9200]

Thanks for the shoe info. I need to get DD another pair this week when she registers for her first timed 10K. There is a good running store near the house and armed with your info, I can at least sound like I know a little bit about it. Add Andriana "Andy" to the list of runners for the half.

 

[RodBelding]

I have run a half marathon and numerous 5 and 10k and always used what ever shoes I have had at the time. Are there any particular brand or types you guys would recommend?

I've gone through numerous types of shoes over the years, but have found that I really like Nike's lunarlite line. They're very lite, but have enough comfort and support for longer runs. It all depends on your foot and running style though. I agree with Ryan, getting a gait analysis is worth the time. Any specialty running store will do it for you for free.

 

[IamTrike]

I've gone through numerous types of shoes over the years, but have found that I really like Nike's lunarlite line. They're very lite, but have enough comfort and support for longer runs. It all depends on your foot and running style though. I agree with Ryan, getting a gait analysis is worth the time. Any specialty running store will do it for you for free.

I really like the Lunar Line too. I've run in the lunarflys they are a great shoe. On paper the LunarElite + is the perfect shoe for my wife, but she doesn't like the way they feel.

 

[cj9200]

Today we went to a running store. DD signed up for her first organized 10k on November 12. She is starting to gear up for the 10k and the half. Ran 4 miles today in 35-40 minutes. She was complaining she didn't feel good. I thought it was a good time.

They did an analysis of her stride and she has a tendency to roll her left ankle. Bought new shoes that give her better ankle support. Also bought a few different types of energy food.

My question is does anyone have a favorite type of energy stuff? Not that she needs it for the 10K but if she gets into longer training runs, she might need it.

 

[IamTrike]

Today we went to a running store. DD signed up for her first organized 10k on November 12. She is starting to gear up for the 10k and the half. Ran 4 miles today in 35-40 minutes. She was complaining she didn't feel good. I thought it was a good time.

They did an analysis of her stride and she has a tendency to roll her left ankle. Bought new shoes that give her better ankle support. Also bought a few different types of energy food.

My question is does anyone have a favorite type of energy stuff? Not that she needs it for the 10K but if she gets into longer training runs, she might need it.

That's great CJ. She did really well. Sub 10 minute miles will likely put her in Corral B or C which is near the front. She may find that on her 10k race day she run a lot faster. A support shoe should really help her ankle and feel much better.

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I'm no expert but I have run a fair bunch and read a bit too.
She could probably do the half marathon with just water and gatorade, but most people seem to consume some sort of energy food during the half. If she's going to do this it's a good idea to practice with whatever she is going to use during the race. (If you haven't eaten before mid run, it can give you cramps) I personally prefer clif shot turbo energy gel. I like the double expresso version because it has a very high dose of caffeine I'll usually take one before I run and then one after about 45-50 minutes of running if I am doing a run of more than about 9 miles.

Is she running inside or out? Given that you are in South Florida, if she is running outside she should make sure hydrates.

 

[RodBelding]

Today we went to a running store. DD signed up for her first organized 10k on November 12. She is starting to gear up for the 10k and the half. Ran 4 miles today in 35-40 minutes. She was complaining she didn't feel good. I thought it was a good time.

They did an analysis of her stride and she has a tendency to roll her left ankle. Bought new shoes that give her better ankle support. Also bought a few different types of energy food.

My question is does anyone have a favorite type of energy stuff? Not that she needs it for the 10K but if she gets into longer training runs, she might need it.

I prefer GU gels, they taste ok, and they're convenient to carry around. I would suggest she try it on her runs, and not to use it before mile 8 or so for longer runs (that's when your body typically could need the sugar/energy. Ryan's spot on above, hydrating is the biggest key. She should make sure she has water/sports drink stops every so often for any runs over 5/6 miles. (I hate when my nemesis is right...)

She's going to love the Disney half, it's such a fun race.

 

[cj9200]

Thanks guys. We bought a couple of different ones so she can try out the taste. She will probably pick one to use on the 10K, not that she needs it but to see how it affects her. She likes to run outside. She knows the importance of hydration and drinks both before and after her runs. For the 10K I will remind her to drink on the course. First time for that.

The weather is absolutely gorgeous right now. I even started walking again. Jogging won't be for a while until the feet are better. Still stiff up in the calves after a while and is quite painful at times. I don't overdo it and it is getting better. Wish I could be running with you guys.

 

[theduck619]

Thanks Paul and Ryan. I was going to ask a similar question. During the halfs I ran I always noticed that by mile 9 i felt like I was winding down. I will try some of the gels as I get my miles up.

 

[RodBelding]

Thanks Paul and Ryan. I was going to ask a similar question. During the halfs I ran I always noticed that by mile 9 i felt like I was winding down. I will try some of the gels as I get my miles up.

Gels, or bananas, are a great way to get some sugar into your system when you're running that far. Try incorporating it into your runs and see if it helps... I even bring a bunch of Sprees (candy) with me sometimes on long runs, they're not as good for you as gels, but they're tasty!

 

[Goofy + 3]

Well I haven't been on the disboards for many months, but when I had some questions regarding the marathon weekend, I knew exactly where to go!
Add me to the list of Dads who will be there and running in January. All I've done is a 10k last April, but I arranged this trip to land on marathon weekend so I could do a half. I have no intentions of ever doing a full marathon, so this is probably the peak of my running career. My training is going great, but I'm nervous about the logistics of race day. I'll be staying offsite. Will it be possible for me to just get dropped off at a Disney resort and take Transportation to Epcot for the start of the race? I imagine with traffic and road closures it will be difficult for my wife to drop me off close. Also, I read something about photo ops during the race. How does that work? Do people run with cameras? Are there Disney photogs there to take your picture? If so, how do you get the picture? If Disney is taking the pix, could they link it to my photopass? And what exactly is the "on-course entertainment"? Will Jasmine be involved?

As you can see I'm full of questions.

 

[RodBelding]

Well I haven't been on the disboards for many months, but when I had some questions regarding the marathon weekend, I knew exactly where to go!
Add me to the list of Dads who will be there and running in January. All I've done is a 10k last April, but I arranged this trip to land on marathon weekend so I could do a half. I have no intentions of ever doing a full marathon, so this is probably the peak of my running career. My training is going great, but I'm nervous about the logistics of race day. I'll be staying offsite. Will it be possible for me to just get dropped off at a Disney resort and take Transportation to Epcot for the start of the race? I imagine with traffic and road closures it will be difficult for my wife to drop me off close. Also, I read something about photo ops during the race. How does that work? Do people run with cameras? Are there Disney photogs there to take your picture? If so, how do you get the picture? If Disney is taking the pix, could they link it to my photopass? And what exactly is the "on-course entertainment"? Will Jasmine be involved?

As you can see I'm full of questions.

Hey Chris! Good stuff. Let me see if I can help;

You could probably get a ride to one of the Disney resorts and get transportation from there (they don't ask for any room cards or anything for the busses). The traffic is busy, but not too bad if you stay away from Epcot, which is where the race will start. You could get dropped off at the Contemporary and take the monorail there also.

There are a lot of characters and the like out during the race, and often times there are very rare characters out to boot. You can get pics taken with them with your own camera, if you want to run with it. There aren't photopass people out (that I've seen).

I don't remember Jasmine adding to the entertainment, but she might be there! It's mostly high-school bands playing, trampoline acrobats and stuff like that along the course to watch.

I'll be doing the half as well (going Goofy this year) if you want to meet up before/during the race.

 

[IamTrike]

Hey Chris! Good stuff. Let me see if I can help;

You could probably get a ride to one of the Disney resorts and get transportation from there (they don't ask for any room cards or anything for the busses). The traffic is busy, but not too bad if you stay away from Epcot, which is where the race will start. You could get dropped off at the Contemporary and take the monorail there also.

There are a lot of characters and the like out during the race, and often times there are very rare characters out to boot. You can get pics taken with them with your own camera, if you want to run with it. There aren't photopass people out (that I've seen).

I don't remember Jasmine adding to the entertainment, but she might be there! It's mostly high-school bands playing, trampoline acrobats and stuff like that along the course to watch.

I'll be doing the half as well (going Goofy this year) if you want to meet up before/during the race.

Paul is pretty much spot on. There usually are photographers along the course. They aren't typical photopass photographers though, they are from an outside vendor. If you're getting a photopass CD the race pics aren't on it, they are the race photographers website and you have to buy them on an individual picture basis. I think they take your castle photo, your finish photo and are around at other spots on the course. Last year I had them take my picture with Phineas and Ferb, but they lost that picture.

 

[Goofy + 3]

Ryan & Paul-
Thanks for the responses. I definitely won't be carrying a camera with me. My pockets will be jammed up with gels and tissues (I get snotty when I run for some reason). I don't want the added burden of carrying a camera or even a phone for 13 miles. So meeting up with anyone would be a challenge. I'd gladly run with either one of you, but I have a feeling my pace would be quite a bit behind yours. I like the idea of being dropped off at the Contemporary and taking the monorail in. I guess I'll just follow the crowd at that point. What time do you think I would need to get to the Contemporary in order to make it comfortably to the start?

 

[IamTrike]

Ryan & Paul-
Thanks for the responses. I definitely won't be carrying a camera with me. My pockets will be jammed up with gels and tissues (I get snotty when I run for some reason). I don't want the added burden of carrying a camera or even a phone for 13 miles. So meeting up with anyone would be a challenge. I'd gladly run with either one of you, but I have a feeling my pace would be quite a bit behind yours. I like the idea of being dropped off at the Contemporary and taking the monorail in. I guess I'll just follow the crowd at that point. What time do you think I would need to get to the Contemporary in order to make it comfortably to the start?

I stayed at the Contemporary and I think I caught a monorail at about 3:30 or 3:45 I had plenty of time to stand around and use the porta potties before they started herding us out to the corrals. I'll be running the half with DW and here pace is somewhere between 11 and 12 mms. I'd be up for a pre-race meet. That's probably the easiest time to do it.

 

[RodBelding]

Ryan & Paul-
Thanks for the responses. I definitely won't be carrying a camera with me. My pockets will be jammed up with gels and tissues (I get snotty when I run for some reason). I don't want the added burden of carrying a camera or even a phone for 13 miles. So meeting up with anyone would be a challenge. I'd gladly run with either one of you, but I have a feeling my pace would be quite a bit behind yours. I like the idea of being dropped off at the Contemporary and taking the monorail in. I guess I'll just follow the crowd at that point. What time do you think I would need to get to the Contemporary in order to make it comfortably to the start?

I stayed at the Contemporary and I think I caught a monorail at about 3:30 or 3:45 I had plenty of time to stand around and use the porta potties before they started herding us out to the corrals. I'll be running the half with DW and here pace is somewhere between 11 and 12 mms. I'd be up for a pre-race meet. That's probably the easiest time to do it.

I also left the contemporary at 3:45 last year, and got their with plenty of time to spare. I'm going to walk/jog the half and take a bunch of pictures, with the hopes of keeping my legs fresh enough to get through 26.2 the next day... I am also up for a pre-run meet. That would rock.

 

[Goofy + 3]

I also left the contemporary at 3:45 last year, and got their with plenty of time to spare. I'm going to walk/jog the half and take a bunch of pictures, with the hopes of keeping my legs fresh enough to get through 26.2 the next day... I am also up for a pre-run meet. That would rock.

Wait a second... Does that mean both you and Ryan are running both races? That's downright...Goofy! I'm supposed to run 11 miles on Saturday. Maybe I'll try that carrying a camera just to see how annoying/cumbersome it is. My pace would be in between you guys' if I actually wanted to run the whole thing. But the more I hear about the overall atmosphere, I may want to slow down and enjoy the scenery and get a few pics. On one hand I think it's a shame to train as hard as I have been and not run, but then again I may regret not taking advantage of the photo ops. I'm up for a meet. We can coordinate as the date draws closer. I almost certainly won't have my phone on race day so that would make it difficult to meet but we could try. Most of the dads meet at ball games or restaurants-- slackers... It would be nice to meet at something active.