Marathon Weekend 2017!

[PrincessV]

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 even remotely competitive! "Survive" is pretty much my end goal for a first (and last?) Dopey. If I can have fun while surviving, too, it'll be icing on the cake, lol!

 

[FFigawi]

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

What's so unpleasant about it? People pee on trees and behind bushes during races all over the world? Hell, Paula Radcliffe stopped to go during the London Marathon on her way to winning several years ago.

 

[Nole95]

Nothing wrong with peeing in the bushes. During the 2015 marathon, our pace leader had to run off into the woods about mile 10 to take care of business. She caught back up a little ways up the road. Happens in every race I have ever run in.

 

[PCFriar80]

Nothing wrong with peeing in the bushes. During the 2015 marathon, our pace leader had to run off into the woods about mile 10 to take care of business. She caught back up a little ways up the road. Happens in every race I have ever run in.

I was wondering about those red and white pace balloons in the woods!

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

What's so unpleasant about it? People pee on trees and behind bushes during races all over the world? Hell, Paula Radcliffe stopped to go during the London Marathon on her way to winning several years ago.

I personally think public urination is unpleasant (and in most cases unnecessary, I understand there are always exceptions). In the case of an elite runner like that I suppose they may feel differently. I certainly did not mean to offend- to each their own. I have not run many races. This is my first longer race it will be my first runDisney race. I did not expect that that public urination would be part of it since there are bathrooms and porta-potties available, and public urination is not normally something I would see at Disney World. Now I know.

 

[Barca33Runner]

I personally think public urination is unpleasant (and in most cases unnecessary, I understand there are always exceptions). In the case of an elite runner like that I suppose they may feel differently. I certainly did not mean to offend- to each their own. I have not run many races. This is my first longer race it will be my first runDisney race. I did not expect that that public urination would be part of it since there are bathrooms and porta-potties available, and public urination is not normally something I would see at Disney World. Now I know.

It happens but, as far as I've seen, people attempt to be discreet about it. I'm guessing for most people that it wasn't part of the plan and has somewhat become a matter of necessity (panic can sometimes set in when you have to go and don't know when the next facilities may be coming up). I've never seen it outside of a few places on course with nearby trees/shrubs and it's pretty easy to ignore and just go about your own business. In almost any other situation I would find it unpleasant, but I can understand it in this limited circumstance.

 

[IamTrike]

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.?

The goal is to beat last years marathon PR of 21 different character pictures in one race.

 

[Keels]

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 planning to go for a PR in the 10K, but the rest of the races will be about having fun and getting my BFF through her first Dopey!

 

[IamTrike]

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.

The number of people peeing in the woods on the way to the corrals surprised me too during my first race. That being said those porta-potty lines are so long I appreciate people doing what they can to keep them shorter. Given the potentially long waits and the long distance back to the porta potts I don't think it's any surprise that people find themselves using the woods.

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

It happens but, as far as I've seen, people attempt to be discreet about it. I'm guessing for most people that it wasn't part of the plan and has somewhat become a matter of necessity (panic can sometimes set in when you have to go and don't know when the next facilities may be coming up). I've never seen it outside of a few places on course with nearby trees/shrubs and it's pretty easy to ignore and just go about your own business. In almost any other situation I would find it unpleasant, but I can understand it in this limited circumstance.

Thanks! Like I said. I am new to all this and would have never expected to hear such a thing. Now at least I know what to expect!

The number of people peeing in the woods on the way to the corrals surprised me too during my first race. That being said those porta-potty lines are so long I appreciate people doing what they can to keep them shorter. Given the potentially long waits and the long distance back to the porta potts I don't think it's any surprise that people find themselves using the woods.

Thanks for the info! At least I won't be surprised during the race, I guess! I wish there was a 'Hey you might not expect this but . . .' FAQ! Lol

 

[jhorstma]

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.

A modest proposal: plan 2 Disney marathons! That's what I'm doing, and after taking 6+ hours this past January sauntering around WDW, taking pics everywhere, riding Everest, running the bonus cone, etc, this year I plan to apply a disciplined race strategy designed to break 5 hours. Perhaps not competitive, and certainly not 26 miles of continuous running, but this time the focus for me will be on being in the top half of finishers. I guess I'd call my first time a fitness achievement whereas the second time will be (in my mind at least) an athletic achievement.

 

[WhereInFlorida]

...running the bonus cone...

What is that?

 

[Tardisblue]

I personally think public urination is unpleasant (and in most cases unnecessary, I understand there are always exceptions). In the case of an elite runner like that I suppose they may feel differently. I certainly did not mean to offend- to each their own. I have not run many races. This is my first longer race it will be my first runDisney race. I did not expect that that public urination would be part of it since there are bathrooms and porta-potties available, and public urination is not normally something I would see at Disney World. Now I know.

Well, yes - they are available before you enter the corrals and along the course in certain spots. However, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, for the half and full you have to line up in your corral something like 30 minutes to an hour before the start of the race, then march from the Epcot parking lot to the starting line and once you are in your starting line corral there is no exiting. So, if you've been hydrating all morning and it's been an hour since you've been able to hit the porta pottie, then those trees and shrubs along the first mile or two of the course look inviting.

 

[jhorstma]

What is that?

The stretch from MK to AK included an out-and-back near the treatment plant - simply a road bisected by a series of traffic cones and an endless line of runners coming and going. A couple DJs were set up at the turnaround point, where they took one of the cones, set it down by them about 25 feet or so beyond the actual turnaround, and had an ongoing schtick extolling the virtues of running the bonus cone. To me, when life presents you with the challenge of a bonus cone you take it - and now I'm confident that I'm a better person for it. Bonus coners do it longer...

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

Well, yes - they are available before you enter the corrals and along the course in certain spots. However, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, for the half and full you have to line up in your corral something like 30 minutes to an hour before the start of the race, then march from the Epcot parking lot to the starting line and once you are in your starting line corral there is no exiting. So, if you've been hydrating all morning and it's been an hour since you've been able to hit the porta pottie, then those trees and shrubs along the first mile or two of the course look inviting.

Thanks for sharing this information- all good things for a 1st timer like me to know!!

 

[WhereInFlorida]

The stretch from MK to AK included an out-and-back near the treatment plant - simply a road bisected by a series of traffic cones and an endless line of runners coming and going. A couple DJs were set up at the turnaround point, where they took one of the cones, set it down by them about 25 feet or so beyond the actual turnaround, and had an ongoing schtick extolling the virtues of running the bonus cone. To me, when life presents you with the challenge of a bonus cone you take it - and now I'm confident that I'm a better person for it. Bonus coners do it longer...

Ahhh, I remember the DJs but do not think they were doing that when I went through there. Sometimes humor in the midst of a marathon is harder to grasp.

 

[IamTrike]

A modest proposal: plan 2 Disney marathons! That's what I'm doing, and after taking 6+ hours this past January sauntering around WDW, taking pics everywhere, riding Everest, running the bonus cone, etc, this year I plan to apply a disciplined race strategy designed to break 5 hours. Perhaps not competitive, and certainly not 26 miles of continuous running, but this time the focus for me will be on being in the top half of finishers. I guess I'd call my first time a fitness achievement whereas the second time will be (in my mind at least) an athletic achievement.

Pushups with Sarge could be added to this list too.

Well, yes - they are available before you enter the corrals and along the course in certain spots. However, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, for the half and full you have to line up in your corral something like 30 minutes to an hour before the start of the race, then march from the Epcot parking lot to the starting line and once you are in your starting line corral there is no exiting. So, if you've been hydrating all morning and it's been an hour since you've been able to hit the porta pottie, then those trees and shrubs along the first mile or two of the course look inviting.

While they open the corrals that far in advance you aren't required to stay in them. There are a lot of people that will jump out of the corrals at least in the first 7 or 8 corrals and run to the woods to pee right before the race.

 

[BwoZoo22]

"Survive" is pretty much my end goal for a first (and last?) Dopey.

You say that now...

rD races have such a mix of runners. We are defiantly not typical runners, not built for it by any means, have a hard time keeping to a training schedule, but we do love these races and enjoy running local runs and destination events (R&R Nashville!). Our marathon time for Dopey last year was about what some of you want to run all 48.6 miles in. But we do it and we have fun.

Last year was our first marathon, and our first Dopey. Our goal was to finish with the balloon ladies behind us at the very least and still be able to enjoy the parks the day after. The plan was to take each race at an easy pace, take photos if we felt like it, and try to minimize park time until after the full. We spent lots of time at the pool and hot tub, or laying around elevating our legs. And we ran each race, except the full (too freaking humid!), in costume. For us, it's all about the costume! Before we ran the Dopey, we swore it would be our only full, ever. As a non-runner, I was happy with that. Somehow another Dopey registration ended up with my name on it though...

 

[DOOM1001]

I personally think public urination is unpleasant (and in most cases unnecessary, I understand there are always exceptions). In the case of an elite runner like that I suppose they may feel differently. I certainly did not mean to offend- to each their own. I have not run many races. This is my first longer race it will be my first runDisney race. I did not expect that that public urination would be part of it since there are bathrooms and porta-potties available, and public urination is not normally something I would see at Disney World. Now I know.

Public urination is definitively something you don't want to see,the one exception where its tolerated would be in these races.One thing to note is that 99% of the public urination you'll see in Disney races will happen in the first 3-4 miles on World Dr.In my opinion its perfectly understandable,you have 25,000 runners standing around for a couple of hours in the cold,you probably are trying to hydrate before the races and are excited and nervous,that combination lends itself to getting the urge to go multiple times in a short period of time.Its happened to me,you use the port o potties before you enter the corral and by the time your corral is about to start you have to go again.And another reason why the first 3-4 miles you'll see tons of people hitting the bushes is that that's the longest stretch of the race without real bathrooms and the spots where they have the potties set up the lines are likely super long for all the above reasons,this is the most peeing you'll see all race.After the TTC the real bathrooms start popping up more regularly and the people start sweating and needing to go less.

 

[Tardisblue]

Public urination is definitively something you don't want to see,the one exception where its tolerated would be in these races.One thing to note is that 99% of the public urination you'll see in Disney races will happen in the first 3-4 miles on World Dr.In my opinion its perfectly understandable,you have 25,000 runners standing around for a couple of hours in the cold,you probably are trying to hydrate before the races and are excited and nervous,that combination lends itself to getting the urge to go multiple times in a short period of time.Its happened to me,you use the port o potties before you enter the corral and by the time your corral is about to start you have to go again.And another reason why the first 3-4 miles you'll see tons of people hitting the bushes is that that's the longest stretch of the race without real bathrooms and the spots where they have the potties set up the lines are likely super long for all the above reasons,this is the most peeing you'll see all race.After the TTC the real bathrooms start popping up more regularly and the people start sweating and needing to go less.

Exactly this.