Have we reached the saturation point?

[Ariel484]

 

[Anisum]

I do runDisney races because *I* enjoy them. I could not care less whether the running community thinks runDisney races are "serious" or not.

Same. Even if they were serious I would never be able to take them seriously.

I do Disney races for the two free Oreos.

I feel like while a great strategy this may not be the most cost effective.

ALSO! That skirt didn't stop you from looking SUPER homeless before the Marathon. I wasn't sure whether to give you a ride to the corrals or give you $20 ...

He probably would have preferred you do both.

Running is an interesting sport because while there is a sense of community, at the same time it is very personal. I feel like for the most part people -the "community" - are very encouraging until suddenly...they're not.

I agree with your entire TL;DR rant but this line in particular stuck out to me because I think this is a sentiment that goes beyond Disney. My biggest fear when I started to look into local running clubs was that I would be left running slowly alone. And that sometimes happens. When groups of 5-8 min/milers get together they tend to forget that there are one or two 9-15min/milers bringing up the rear and the idea of "no man left behind" is thrown out the window pretty quick. And I hold nothing against them for running their pace but like, don't act like it's no man left behind when it's "no man who runs my pace left behind". Fortunately, I think there are (at least in my area) groups who truly inclusive of all paces and that's the sort of thing I appreciate about the running community. It's certainly what I appreciate about you guys.

 

[ANIM8R]

She told me it seemed worthless and wondered why'd I'd do a race if I wasn't racing to win. Um, I'm never going to win. So should I never race? I had never run with her, though she had asked me to, and knew then I never would. For context, she is a lifelong runner that frequently places in her age group in races and sprint tris, so I get she is coming from a different place, but I still was dumbfounded.

Wow. To me, that's like saying "thanks for the job offer but unless I can be CEO and Chairman, no thanks." or "I don't go to any movies I didn't direct".

In my defense, I often win my age group...
...of course by age group I mean people born the same year, day, and - if necessary - hour/minute/second as me.

 

[ANIM8R]

Does my cadaverous pallor betray an aura of foreboding?

Wizards and witches and ghostly horde...
Give us a response on the DIS message board!

 

[BuckeyeBama]

that's what I thought too....but then my friend said something and she was upset and insulted because he only singled us out as we were walking.

I cannot tell you how many times words of encouragement like that, when I was forced to a walk by dehydration or mental exhaustion, helped me. I would bet a truck load of money that the person was just trying to help. If your friend was upset and insulted - that came from within herself, not the person trying to help.

 

[ZellyB]

I cannot tell you how many times words of encouragement like that, when I was forced to a walk by dehydration or mental exhaustion, helped me. I would bet a truck load of money that the person was just trying to help. If your friend was upset and insulted - that came from within herself, not the person trying to help.

It absolutely does sound like encouragement and also someone likely not familiar with the run/walk interval method. We talked on one of these threads (this one?) about how we as runners often internalize what may be totally innocent statements into judgments. I think that's because we all likely do have an internal drive to achieve and we set up expectations of ourselves and then, unfortunately, we can be our own toughest critics.

I've had several people encourage me to keep running when I drop into a walk interval and I know it comes from a sincere place. I usually just say, "Walking is part of my strategy - but thanks for the encouragement!" And, by that point we've typically left each other's earshot. I do remember appreciating so much a spectator on my first half marathon who I was approaching as I went into a walk interval who yelled out, "Way to go, runner. Rocking it Galloway style." It was such an amazing comment and encouraged me so much.

 

[BelleWannabe4]

Add me to the list of people who would have never done more than a 5k if it weren't for RunDisney! I am just grateful that I am able to keep running and there is a place like this where I can come and talk about running. As long as someone isn't hindering myself or others from running the race, I don't care if you want to dress like a character or stop and take a picture with one or ride a ride.

Add me to the list as well! I remember my friends were running a Color Run maybe 5 years ago and I didn't sign up because there was no way I could run a 5K. And now, thanks to the gateway drug that is runDisney, I just signed up for my first marathon (eek)! I have Crohn's disease and break bones a lot due to malabsorption issues, so I never dreamed that I would enjoy long(ish) distance running. I still will never be a fast runner. RunDisney has taught me that running at my own relatively slow pace is perfectly fine and nothing at all to be ashamed of.

Also, I am glad that other people find that apple mystery sauce horrifying. I ate mine after the DLH while in a hunger haze (didn't plan my Gu consumption right) and immediately realized I had made a horrible, horrible mistake.

 

[cavepig]

I love the GoGo Squeeze applesauce, maybe there needs to be a snackbox trade meet up after races, your applesauce for my Oreos & cheese sauce

Heck, I'll take snooty honest runners over boastful exaggerators any day& I've even been manhandled/pushed in the marathon by a snooty speedster! Nothing annoys me more than when someone lies about times, especially when you overhear their spun story on how they got their corral placement.

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

I will take #allthecheesesauce and tortilla chips (I need so much salt after a distance race) and that's about all I ever eat from the race box. In fact, I think I still have my Oreos from Tink weekend last May.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

My husband was the best husband ever after Light Side Rebel Challenge - he saved me his Nutella and Biscoff Cookies! He was happy getting my Trail Mix with Edamame and Protein Bars. 3 of our 4 applesauces met the trash.

The Nutella/Cookie Combination may be better than Chips/Cheese for me now.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

I thought about this more last night, the "seriousness" or lack thereof of runDisney races...and I'm not directing this at anyone in particular. I have heard the argument that runDisney races are not "serious" enough before, and I have never understood it. Then it came up here, so...

Lately I am just finding the snooty and judgmental feelings from some of my fellow runners to be completely ridiculous (this could probably be its own thread). Is a race "serious" enough or not? Should you accept the half marathon/Goofy/Dopey medal if the race was canceled? The "running community" thinks blah blah blah (which...is there some secret group of running elders who decide their opinion on things is fact so that they can tell the rest of us what is right and wrong? Inquiring minds want to know ). Etc.

Hey, "running community" - why do you care so much about how I run my race, or whether I have a medal from a canceled race? How does what I do really affect your life? Aren't there more important things you can think about?

Running is an interesting sport because while there is a sense of community, at the same time it is very personal. I feel like for the most part people -the "community" - are very encouraging until suddenly...they're not. The shift is strange, and the snark over personal decisions that others make is just bizarre to me. And I know people can have their own opinions, but there's a way to express those opinions without putting others down and acting like you are the the know-all be-all when it comes to running. In this case, however, I'm not sure there's a "nice" way to say that the races are not serious. People put in a lot of time and effort to prepare for them, to get ready for these distances and in a lot of cases try something they have never done...but suddenly it's not good enough because they decide that in the middle of the race they want to hop on Everest? It's stuff like this that makes me never want to join a running group and is part of why I prefer doing my runs solo, because I only have to answer to myself.

And without runDisney - and I know I am not the only one that this applies to by a long shot (@Keels mentioned it in her post) - I can guarantee that I would not have trained for anything beyond a 5K. I never would have dreamed of trying to do a half marathon or a marathon...but I love Disney, and Disney has these races and I thought they looked fun, so I pushed myself way, WAY out of my comfort zone and became a 4-time marathoner* - something I never, ever thought I would do. I think that is why I am so bothered that other runners look down on these races, and why they mean so much to me. These races have been the catalyst for a major good life change for me (I can say for sure that I am healthier and happier because I am a runner), and that is serious and something that, to me, should be celebrated...not looked down upon because I happened to stop for an adorable (if I do say so myself) picture** with Mickey & Minnie in ESPN Wide World of Sports during mile 18 or 19 or whenever that was.

*sorry for the self-congratulatory post but I refused to even run across the street when I was younger, so it's still a little unbelievable to me.
**not like that was the only picture I stopped for, but come on - MICKEY AND MINNIE. In soccer outfits!

TL;DR - I like runDisney races, okay?

I think that what is "serious" to one person can mean something completely different to someone else (and I'm pretty sick of the word "serious" right now LOL). For example, what about a race are you serious about? To some it's about a time or a pace. To others is about crossing the finish line. And to others it's about going out with friends and having fun. All of those are legit and no one should be offended if a race doesn't fit what another runner is looking for in an experience. It's not about "I'm a more serious runner than you are" but rather more about "this race experience isn't what I'm looking for". I think it's clear that Disney races are fun races that offer a different experience than other races out there (that's been my experience). But not everyone is looking for that experience. There are a lot of races out there to choose from, and considering the cost and time you have to put in to a marathon, not everyone can do multiple races a year so you have to pick the one that fits you best. Lucky for all of us runners we have a lot of races to choose from. Seriously.

 

[Ariel484]

Just noticed that all of the events are still open for Wine & Dine...even the 10K

Last year there were 9263 10K finishers...about 5600 of them were challenge runners (rough estimate). So that leaves about 4500 10K-only bibs. Just seems crazy that the 4-5,000 10K-only bibs available for 2017 haven't sold out yet when last year it sold out in minutes or whatever.

 

[DVCFan1994]

Just noticed that all of the events are still open for Wine & Dine...even the 10K

Last year there were 9263 10K finishers...about 5600 of them were challenge runners (rough estimate). So that leaves about 4500 10K-only bibs. Just seems crazy that the 4-5,000 10K-only bibs available for 2017 haven't sold out yet when last year it sold out in minutes or whatever.

I like a lot of people I know lost almost all interest when they changed it to just another morning race. It would be interesting if rD still put up the percentage sold bars on the events pages.

 

[Ariel484]

I like a lot of people I know lost almost all interest when they changed it to just another morning race. It would be interesting if rD still put up the percentage sold bars on the events pages.

Hey, same!

I would be super interested in the percentage bars, too.

 

[camaker]

I like a lot of people I know lost almost all interest when they changed it to just another morning race. It would be interesting if rD still put up the percentage sold bars on the events pages.

Interesting to us, but I think they realized that the bars were detrimental to them. Everything RunDisney has done lately has been to encourage earlier and earlier sign-ups. As long as races were selling out fast, it didn't matter to them, and I think they even had trouble making sure that the percentage bars were up to date and had complaints from some of the disclaimers that they had posted on the site. Now that the races are selling out more slowly, the bars provide a disincentive for runners to sign up early. As long as you can see the bars and the relative amount of room left there's no need to plunk down your money yet. At least without the bars, the unease around the uncertainty of what's left drives people to sign up out of FOMO.

 

[Ariel484]

 

[DVCFan1994]

Interesting to us, but I think they realized that the bars were detrimental to them. Everything RunDisney has done lately has been to encourage earlier and earlier sign-ups. As long as races were selling out fast, it didn't matter to them, and I think they even had trouble making sure that the percentage bars were up to date and had complaints from some of the disclaimers that they had posted on the site. Now that the races are selling out more slowly, the bars provide a disincentive for runners to sign up early. As long as you can see the bars and the relative amount of room left there's no need to plunk down your money yet. At least without the bars, the unease around the uncertainty of what's left drives people to sign up out of FOMO.

Agree totally

 

[croach]

Just noticed that all of the events are still open for Wine & Dine...even the 10K

Last year there were 9263 10K finishers...about 5600 of them were challenge runners (rough estimate). So that leaves about 4500 10K-only bibs. Just seems crazy that the 4-5,000 10K-only bibs available for 2017 haven't sold out yet when last year it sold out in minutes or whatever.

Plenty of room for you all to sign up then right?

 

[roxymama]

FOMO was real for me. I signed up for my race at basically 11:59am first day and I still don't even know what park it will be ran in. Huzzah!
Then again, I already had my disney vacation for that week basically set prior to them even announcing race dates, so that had more to do with my decision on this race than the actual theme, time of day, etc.

I am super surprised 5k & 10k are still open. I'm ok with it, because if my parents end up coming with us, all of a sudden I'll be able to run the 10k too (hubby is running it while I am the responsible parent with the kiddo.) But I won't know that for months. So we shall see.

 

[Ariel484]

FOMO was real for me. I signed up for my race at basically 11:59am first day and I still don't even know what park it will be ran in. Huzzah!
Then again, I already had my disney vacation for that week basically set prior to them even announcing race dates, so that had more to do with my decision on this race than the actual theme, time of day, etc.

I am super surprised 5k & 10k are still open. I'm ok with it, because if my parents end up coming with us, all of a sudden I'll be able to run the 10k too (hubby is running it while I am the responsible parent with the kiddo.) But I won't know that for months. So we shall see.

Are you signed up for the half that weekend? I can't remember.