Lesson Learned from Cold Marathon

[WDWFAN9]

Also, I learned that I need to find a way to keep my feet warm before the start.
Anybody have a solution for that?

Lily wore cheap ski caps over her shoes while we for the race to start. Her hubby's idea - and it looked like it worked well.

 

[Kirsty-Leigh]

The worst part was there was no "meets" at the end of the race! JUST A HORRIBLE STUPID bus line from H...! I saw so many shivering from what looked like hypothermia! Stupid on the race part - all those empty busses waiting in line!

I was one of those people, I didn't stop shivering for several hours after I got home, even after a really hot shower! I couldn't keep down food for a while too! Then I felt like c@#* for the full.

Dave - I am only just getting over the cold that I got that weekend!

And why am I signed up for Goofy again next year

I too had a warmed heart from all the amazing volunteers that spent their free time freezing their butts off to give us poweraid slushies

 

[FFigawi]

What I learned on Saturday is that bringing a dry shirt is equally important in both the cold and the heat. I always bring a dry one to wear after warm runs so I don't have to worry about standing around being all wet and sweaty. For the half, I didn't bring a dry shirt, only warm clothes to put on over my attire, and I froze while waiting in line for food and the bus.

 

[dizneyfan23]

I learned two very important things during the half marathon:

1. Those little disposable hand-warmers things are a must!!! My hands were never cold during the entire race.

2. Having a dry sweatshirt to change into after the race, also a must.

Hopefully next year will be cool, not freezing

 

[jbucci]

• layers are good
• so are hand warmers
• dry stuff to change into would have been a good idea
• dollar store ponchos are awesome
• drinking tons of ice does not agree with my stomach-- by mile 16 of the full I was really nauseous
• volunteers totally rock

with all of the ups and downs of marathon weekend this year we are in it again for Goofy next year-- just paid a ridiculous amount of money to do this all over

 

[jmasgat]

I actually learned to trust my training, since I'm used to running in the cold, and not worry about what anyone else was wearing. It only matters what works for me. I ended up wearing tights and a LS shirt on Sunday and was comfortable. I didn't throw away my gloves as planned, just in case. But I never did put them back on. And fortunately, I did bring clothes for afterwards--my marathon shirt and a jacket.

Maura

 

[scuba diver]

I was reminded how great it was to drive to the race and have a car to wait in before heading out to the corral.

I was in the parking lot by 3:15 and in my sleeping bag for the next 2 hours.

That weekend, it paid to be a local who had a car to wait in.

A motorhome next time would be even better.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

The weekend taught me that it is worth the extra $$ to have a pair of Gore-Tex treated running shoes in my shoe rotation. Not only did my feet stay dry on Saturday, but I think they kept the cold out as well. I could certainly feel the difference on Sunday when I changed shoes.

 

[bunnyfoo]

The weekend taught me that it is worth the extra $$ to have a pair of Gore-Tex treated running shoes in my shoe rotation. Not only did my feet stay dry on Saturday, but I think they kept the cold out as well. I could certainly feel the difference on Sunday when I changed shoes.

Is that something you spray on your shoes? I should have packed dry shoes and socks into my checked bag but really wasn't expecting such a rainy day.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

No, shoes and other items come already treated with Gore-Tex and there is a Gore-Tex tag somewhere on the garment. You have to do a bit of work to find Gore-Tex running shoes. I have a pair from Merrell--which give me blisters after 10 miles or so...which led me to my new favorites, Asics Trabuco Gore Tex. Very comfy even at high mileage. Now the Merrells are my winter about-town shoes.

 

[GBBTomorrow]

5) the Race Retreat was THE BEST MONEY DH EVER FORCED ME TO SPEND. FIL and I were so grateful for it, especially after the race when we were cold and wet. I would not hesitate to spend the money again, and when I run the full in a few years I will definately do it.

Would you mind telling a little more about the Race Retreat? How long were you in there before and after the race? What was the food like? Better than what we got going through the line at the end of the race? Was it terribly crowded?

Thanks!

 

[Goofed98]

1) Having a car to wait in makes a WORLD of difference. We got there early on Saturday, and we were freezing our butts off. Luckily, my SIL had friends that were there. With a mini-van. Sunday, my dad woke up to drive me. Well worth it.

2) As has been stated, dry, warm clothes for after the race. Sunday I was fine, since I was the only one in my party doing the marathon. Saturday, I wound up waiting over an hour for my parents and sister-in-law to finish. I actually spent most of that time waiting over by the news trucks behind the bleachers, because they were running, and the exhaust, while maybe not "healthy", was nice and toasty to stand in.

 

[VernRDH]

Would you mind telling a little more about the Race Retreat? How long were you in there before and after the race? What was the food like? Better than what we got going through the line at the end of the race? Was it terribly crowded?

Thanks!

The Race Retreat: Private tent with mens/womens private porto potties and changing areas. Bag check, characters for photos, event merchandise for sale.

We got to the staging area around 3:50-4:00am. FIL and I went to the retreat. There were bagels with peanut butter and bananas that I remember. Also coffee, tea, water. There was a countdown clock as well. We stayed until about 5:20 then headed out to the start.

Post race, we did not go thru the line to get any food or drinks, so I don't know what was available there. At the retreat, there was again coffee and tea, water. There was also cans of soda and bottles of powerade. More bagels, muffins, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes and fruit salad. There were computers where you could check your official time and print a race result. There was massage for $10, but we did not partake. The food was very welcome, especially since it was warm food and we were so cold.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. Now the weather may not be as bad (at least we hope) the next time I go, but I really liked being in the tent with amenities. We definately felt it was worth the money.

 

[queen mimi]

One thing that I learned from the Disboards prior to race weekend was what to do about mesh running shoes. We bought duck tape and put it all over the tops of our shoes. By mile 9 we heard people complaining about how soaked and freezing their feet were. Our feet, amazingly, were completely dry. The duck tape stayed on for the entire race.

We also used those back warmers that are like the hand warmers. That helped us while we were waiting. Fortunately, our bus got stuck in traffic, so we had a nice warm place to wait and we had seats!

I also learned that looking at the different outfit variations was even more entertaining than looking at the different outfits in the Princess half marathon. Watching people run in their pajama bottoms with garbage bags wrapped around their feet while clutching a dollar store poncho is not something you see everyday. We even tried our outfits on the night before and had our picture taken because the outfits were so outlandish!

But the best thing I learned from this is my husband is proud of me for doing it. When DD and I got back to our room, my husband just kept saying that he couldn't believe we had finished and how proud he was of us.

All in all, the whole race was an amazing experience.

 

[Bookwood]

I learned I didn't miss the "post race" lines- photos, food ect. DD#3 and I finished then skipped the lines trying to see DD#2 finish. We barely missed her as I got a text she had finished about 2 minutes after we got to a place we could see the finish. We met up at the checked bag tents and went right to the bus line- luckily our bus was there and loading still and we basically walked on.

 

[sk8ingmom]

I guessed right on my layers for the half - by mile 3 I was down to a headband, long sleeve tech shirt and tights. I tied my last fleece shirt around my waist until mile 6 and I kept taking off and putting on my cheap stretch gloves the entire race. The problem was that I had NOTHING to put on after a very wet half marathon. That was a long, cold monorail ride back. Luckily, DH finished about an hour before me, so our room was a toasty 80 degrees when I returned!

Sunday, I jacked the heat up before I left for the parks so DH could go home to warmth after the full. Not exactly eco-friendly, but worth it under the circumstances!

 

[crewmatt]

OK so my lessons learned. First the best decision of my life was to throw my running tights and a sweatshirt into my bag, literally I was going down with shorts and a singlet and a thin longsleeve just incase it was a little chilly (I was thinking 45 at the start).

Second I need to start bringing throwaway clothing to the start, it would've made a huge difference in my comfort at the start. I noticed a lot of people had their mylar blankets from previous races, that could be a good idea.

Third and most important, I didnt realize how much extra sugar I would need to complete the race due to the cold, I crashed around 21 after burning through all the food I packed for myself (1 thing of cliff shot bloks and 1 thing of sportbeans). I also ate the banana on the course but am not too fond of gu, too messy for my taste. I was in bad shape by the time i got to DHS and ate more than my fair share of chocolate (sorry for anyone behind me who didnt get any I promise next year to leave some extra chocolate at the table).

 

[bunnyfoo]

I didn't know about eating extra sugar when it's cold out. I might have to do try that on my next LR.

 

[suzannews]

Here's what I learned from the cold 1/2 marathon...

I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to, my goal is not to win a race, just to finish. A friend on facebook summed it up after I posted that I finished, I am like the mailman/woman, rain, sleet and snow will not stop me!!

 

[Paul (tigger fan)]

The Race Retreat: Private tent with mens/womens private porto potties and changing areas. Bag check, characters for photos, event merchandise for sale.

We got to the staging area around 3:50-4:00am. FIL and I went to the retreat. There were bagels with peanut butter and bananas that I remember. Also coffee, tea, water. There was a countdown clock as well. We stayed until about 5:20 then headed out to the start.

Post race, we did not go thru the line to get any food or drinks, so I don't know what was available there. At the retreat, there was again coffee and tea, water. There was also cans of soda and bottles of powerade. More bagels, muffins, scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes and fruit salad. There were computers where you could check your official time and print a race result. There was massage for $10, but we did not partake. The food was very welcome, especially since it was warm food and we were so cold.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. Now the weather may not be as bad (at least we hope) the next time I go, but I really liked being in the tent with amenities. We definately felt it was worth the money.

I wish i had been in the retreat and will splash the cash next year to get access, it was super cold out in the open, bundling up with layers before the start, some warm layers in my bag for after as i cooled down quickly after the race on the way back to my family's meeting point at the monorail and pack some more sport beans in my waist pack they were great in the last 5 miles these are my lessons from the cold marathon.

Paul