Marathon Weekend 2017!

[DopeyBadger]

16.25 mile training run this morning - somehow it felt awesome! I have really been suffering on my long runs but today was magical.

That's awesome! Getting stronger in time for the Dopey training to begin!

 

[lhermiston]

22 weeks! Marathon is 5 months from tomorrow! 11 miles this morning, 70 degrees when I started. Felt good until I saw @BuckeyeBama 's post! Thanks for showing me up!

Anyway, on to this week's Sundays are for Disney question:

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

I've been struggling with this once since I decided to run the race. I'm an inherently competitive person. In this case, I'm really just competing with myself to see what kind of time I can set. I've been training hard and want my race time to reflect that. This will be my first full, so a PR is automatic. That said, this is my first - and possibly only - runDisney race and it's not like you get to do anything like character stops and rides on any other marathon, so that's something to consider.

I guess my plan right now is to run the best race I can with minimal stops and just appreciate that I'm running through one of my favorite places on earth, but I'm curious as to how you all plan to approach it or have in the past.

 

[DopeyBadger]

22 weeks! Marathon is 5 months from tomorrow! 11 miles this morning, 70 degrees when I started. Felt good until I saw @BuckeyeBama 's post! Thanks for showing me up!

Anyway, on to this week's Sundays are for Disney question:

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

I've been struggling with this once since I decided to run the race. I'm an inherently competitive person. In this case, I'm really just competing with myself to see what kind of time I can set. I've been training hard and want my race time to reflect that. This will be my first full, so a PR is automatic. That said, this is my first - and possibly only - runDisney race and it's not like you get to do anything like character stops and rides on any other marathon, so that's something to consider.

I guess my plan right now is to run the best race I can with minimal stops and just appreciate that I'm running through one of my favorite places on earth, but I'm curious as to how you all plan to approach it or have in the past.

My plan is to go for a Dopey PR effort. I race the Dopey as if it were 4 separate but conjoined events (kind of like my own personal Olympics where I'm in the 5K, 10K, HM, and M competitions). My joy in running comes from pushing myself and running as fast as I can. My Dopey goal is sub 6:30 for the whole 48.6 miles. Since I consider myself a full time marathon runner, I don't afford myself many opportunities to run other distance races during the training season. This leaves me with Dopey once a year being my treat to myself and allowing me to run different kinds of races (like the 5K, 10K, and HM).

Now with that being said, I find the beauty of Disney racing being that if things aren't going my way then I can always switch plans on race day and instead hit as many character stops as well and still fully enjoy the experience. There aren't many marathons in the world where you can have that fallback plan.

 

[rteetz]

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

Disney races aren't very competitive for me. I'm there for the experience I want to stop for photos. I don't know about riding Everest though we'll see. This will be my first marathon so I'm just wanting to finish that. The shelter races of dopey will be all about taking my times and getting photos.

 

[Barca33Runner]

22 weeks! Marathon is 5 months from tomorrow! 11 miles this morning, 70 degrees when I started. Felt good until I saw @BuckeyeBama 's post! Thanks for showing me up!

Anyway, on to this week's Sundays are for Disney question:

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

I've been struggling with this once since I decided to run the race. I'm an inherently competitive person. In this case, I'm really just competing with myself to see what kind of time I can set. I've been training hard and want my race time to reflect that. This will be my first full, so a PR is automatic. That said, this is my first - and possibly only - runDisney race and it's not like you get to do anything like character stops and rides on any other marathon, so that's something to consider.

I guess my plan right now is to run the best race I can with minimal stops and just appreciate that I'm running through one of my favorite places on earth, but I'm curious as to how you all plan to approach it or have in the past.

I'm planning on running the entire Dopey Challenge in under 7:11 which was my first Marathon finish time at WDW in 2013. Depending on costume issues and whether I end up running with family in any of the earlier races it could change to just a sub-4:00 marathon goal. At this point I am likely going to be running in my Eeyore onesie for the 5K again now that I have at least one other family member roped into a Winnie the Pooh onesie theme. I ran just over 30 minutes last year in the onesie so it's not too constrictive, but it definitely held me back by a few minutes. I still could be costumed and running in a group for the Half as well and I really want to make an attempt to ride something (probably in DHS) this year, so I'm not sure how my overall Dopey goal will pan out. It's hard not to get sucked into the fun during Marathon Weekend, but I am going to train to reach my goal regardless of how I end up running the races.

 

[Ariel484]

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

Disney races have never been about PRs for me. I'm going to train the best that I can so that I feel good throughout the races (Goofy) and have time to fully enjoy the experience and take lots of pictures

 

[BuckeyeBama]

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

I run in Disney because it combines three of my greatest loves - my family, running and Disney. So I'll make each run feel like a day in the parks. I will ride a few rides and stop for as many characters as I see. I'll come home with pictures and memories and an overwhelming feeling of having loved and been loved.

 

[PCFriar80]

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

I'm strictly a half person and always strive to come close to the previous year's time if I thought it was a good run, or improve on areas if I thought it was a "not so good" one. I'm a little handicapped this year having not run since May 22nd due to two arm surgeries, so the competitive spirit in me will be to heal as quickly as possible and then train a little harder than previous years, so I can have a good run! I am so looking forward to that first training run again sometime in September.

 

[baxter24]

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

Considering this is my first marathon, it will be my PR, however my goal is to have fun and just to finish. I have a time in my head that I think I can complete it but I don't think I will be disappointed if that doesn't happen. The Glass Slipper Challenge this past February was the first time I stopped for pictures in both the 10k and half. It was so much more fun taking the time to stop and get the pictures and made the races more memorable than previous Disney races. I have no plans to ride Everest but if it happens to work out perfectly with the timing, I don't know if I could turn down that opportunity.

 

[UNCBear24]

I'm hoping to beat my combined Dopey time of last year by 40 minutes and finish the full in under 5 hours.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

I am definitely not going to be competitive for Goofy. As long as I finish both races I will be happy. I don't know about stopping for pictures etc. I'm usually too paranoid during Disney races but if things workout I just might.

 

[camaker]

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

I tend to be pretty competitive (with myself, at least) as well. That being said, I treat Disney races as experiences to be enjoyed and savored, not all out effort races.

This will be my first Dopey, as well, so I am viewing the race weekend as more of a fatigue management exercise than a speed trial. Unless things go completely sideways, I will have set a marathon PR in November in a standalone race and I don't foresee setting a new one at the tail end of a Dopey. I also don't think it wise to go for a PR (or anything close, really) in the shorter races with the marathon looming.

So my plan is to put it on autopilot, manage the crowding, and drink in the on course ambience and entertainment as I pass and with any luck I'll have something Dopey waiting for me on Sunday morning.

 

[Nole95]

DW and I are doing the half in 2017, and planning on Dopey in 2018.

We're running the Savannah Rock N Roll Marathon in November, so we both should still be in prime running shape in January.

If the weather is perfect the morning of the half, I should have a very good shot at getting a PR, and that would be my goal. However, I will not make that decision until race morning. When I ran Goofy in 2015 I was able to double PR both races because the weather was very good both mornings. I'm hoping for the same, and not warmer than normal weather.

 

[FFigawi]

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

I will be taking it easy in all of the races but one. I plan to race the half for the purpose of getting a decent proof of time for the following two years. My current one expires at the end of this year. Other than that, I'll be running easy, taking lots of pictures, and riding as many rides as possible.

 

[ZellyB]

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

Not competitive at all. Disney races are all about the experience for me. Character stops always and I'd really like to try and fit in a ride on EE this year. We shall see.

 

[surfde22]

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

I plan on racing all four races at PR effort. I will be guaranteed a Marathon PR, but will be racing my brother in Dopey. I also have hopes of going under 4 hours for the marathon, but we'll see how we're feeling come time to run that.

 

[pigletliz]

22 weeks! Marathon is 5 months from tomorrow! 11 miles this morning, 70 degrees when I started. Felt good until I saw @BuckeyeBama 's post! Thanks for showing me up!

Anyway, on to this week's Sundays are for Disney question:

How competitive do you plan to be for the marathon (or half or Dopey or etc.)? Is anyone going for a PR or is it more about stopping for characters, riding Everest, etc.?

I've been struggling with this once since I decided to run the race. I'm an inherently competitive person. In this case, I'm really just competing with myself to see what kind of time I can set. I've been training hard and want my race time to reflect that. This will be my first full, so a PR is automatic. That said, this is my first - and possibly only - runDisney race and it's not like you get to do anything like character stops and rides on any other marathon, so that's something to consider.

I guess my plan right now is to run the best race I can with minimal stops and just appreciate that I'm running through one of my favorite places on earth, but I'm curious as to how you all plan to approach it or have in the past.

I'm another person who tries to better my time every race. I've found, however, that one good picture op can sometimes derail that plan. (C-3P0 and R2-D2 short line!) Since this is our first Dopey, I've pretty much decided to enjoy the 5k with friends, so that means stops. I don't plan on stopping during the half or the full. I'll try for a PR in either a fall or spring, non-Disney race.

 

[MissLiss279]

My plan for Dopey (and really any Disney race) is to run a pace that feels good - probably faster than training pace. I will not try and PR a Disney race unless my speed has naturally increased. This happened at Star Wars - The Dark Side. I knew that if I kept up the pace I had been running for half the race I would PR. I also have decided that I will make sure I am having fun during the race, stopping for pictures when I want pictures (mile markers and some characters - I usually won't wait in character lines unless Darkwing is out - and it's not raining and they haven't cut off the line ). I decided during Star Wars that I would stop for pictures even if it meant I would sacrifice my PR (I didn't) because that is not why I do Disney races. Disney races are for fun for me!!

 

[Dis5150]

Well, as it is my first marathon it will already be a PR so I just plan on having fun and finishing it! Maybe stop for pictures, depending on lines, etc. Same with Everest. It will also depend on what DD26 wants to do as it is her first marathon too!

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

There isn't really a list for either of these things. One thing that is nice about the races is that the park bathrooms will be open in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, so you can jump into those (HOWEVER - some of the lines are crazy long! The TTC bathrooms are also open but I never stop because the line is insane!).

As for characters, again, no list. I'd say check out trip reports on this board and others to see where people have run into characters - the line-up can always change but I find that they do use the same locations quite a bit.

Thank you for the info. I will go in search for some trip reports!

It's like the hidden mickey's, potties all over the place including the not-so-secret trees on the walk out to the corrals, surrounding the corrals, and the first couple of miles.

Oh geez! The not so pleasant side of a runDisney race, I guess!

Same!! The longest we've done is a 10K and I (stupidly) started reading reviews and looking at YouTube videos and saw something about people passing out, someone having a heart attack, etc... And I'm freaking myself out (for no reason, I know, I tend to be an anxious person by nature so NO MORE videos and blogs! Haha)

I'm wondering if there's a race FAQ somewhere? There is a LOT of info here and I'm trying to find resort recommendations that make for easiest transportation options for races. I've tried searching, but words like resort and race and run and Disney are so common that I can't seem to find applicable threads. Thanks for any advice in advance!

I figure it is one of those 'The more you know . . .' situations! Any info I have handy while I am trying to push through the run will be helpful to me, I am sure of it!