Marathon Weekend 2018

[princess_jamie]

I'm leaning towards POP too so it's nice to hear a few people who are pro-POP

 

[DVCFan1994]

I own at BCV and the Studios are already sold out for Friday, 1/5 and Saturday, 1/6. 1BR and 2BR villas are still available but the general inventory of rooms for BCV is small in comparison to the other DVC resorts so this might not be a good barometer. I think this year will be even tougher with the closeness and overlap of the New Years holiday weekend with the arrival of marathon weekend guests.

Yeah, I'm checking the resort availability tool daily. So far everything I want is available. But I'm afraid that will change soon. Need to hammer out the February plan before I book. I'm fine with a studio or 1 bedroom. I'd prefer 1 bedroom, but will take a studio at Poly, if that's left, as it is now.

 

[Sailormoon2]

@ZellyB I heard back from the DVC rental store that they were all out of AKL studios, I didn't want the others that were in. My budget for this trip so back to the (likely POP) drawing board for me. I hope something comes through for you.

 

[CanadianPaco]

Hey @CanadianPaco, DATW is Drinking Around the World at Epcot on the Monday after the marathon. Each of the 11 countries in World Showcase serves alcohol in one form or another, so we start at one end and have a drink in each country until we get to the other end. We stop along the way to explore the exhibits, eat lunch and snacks, and have fun poking around parts of the pavilions most people walk right past. It's great way to stretch your legs after the races, have lots of laughs with friends new and old, and make sure you're fully rehydrated.

FANTASTIC! I will keep my eye open for more posts - this is exactly what we were hoping to do after the marathon! THX

 

[michigandergirl]

I was already thinking of a marathon outfit...is it too early???

Definitely not too early! I'm so excited I get to plan 4 race outfits this year. For sure, one of them is going to be Captain America themed...I love me some Captain America.

 

[Simba's Girl]

We rented a deluxe studio at BC this past marathon weekend. We loved it there and it was very convenient to the race. We had 5 in the studio. Me, DH, and our 3 teenage kids. It was very snug. Manageable, but snug. Biggest problem was the storage space was very limited, so we just didn't have places to put our clothes and suitcases. I'm usually an unpacker on vacation and there was no way to do it with 5 of us in the studio. It sort of drove me crazy, but that might just be me.

@ZellyB we aren't looking at DVC-looking at CL Deluxe room. I agree with you about DVC studios though which is why we are looking for a room that's a bit bigger w/CL.

 

[rteetz]

Dopey now sold out

 

[jAcKs_x0]

Marathon Weekend Goals

I did this last year and thought it was a good experience. Full disclosure this time (last year I was sneaky), I am saving your responses to be revealed at a later time closer to race day.

Now that registration is out of the way for most of us, I'd love to hear your goals for Marathon Weekend. Here's how I see goals. They're personal. You chose it because that goal means something to you. It's important to you. Which means your goal is important to me. No goal is too big or too small. The person's goal to finish their first 5K and another's to take down Michael Wardian's Dopey World Record are equally important to me. So, I'd love to hear yours. And yes, even the super secret I don't want to admit it goals.

Here are some ideas if you haven't thought about it:

Finish my first: 5K, 10K, Half, Full, Goofy, Dopey
Finish with a time goal
Run a race with a family member
Overcome an adversity in your life
Drink a beer or margarita at a certain mile marker
Participate in DATW (Drinking Around the World) *Happens on Monday in EPCOT (ask @FFigawi about it)
Beat a family member
Get as many character photos as possible
Get a character photo with a certain character
Do lots of park time and enjoy the races
Have fun

So, let's hear them! What's your goal? Remember yesterday (or a few weeks ago) you signed up for a race during marathon weekend for a reason, so what is it?

2018 will be my third marathon weekend in the books, my first Dopey, and technically my first Goofy because of the cancellation of the HM this year (even though I ended up running it on my own). I feel like I've been insanely lucky these past two marathon weekends and I hope my luck continues. In 2016, I trained really hard leading up to the race, was in the best shape, and ended up completing my first HM in 2:00 exactly. In 2017, I didn't train nearly as hard as I had hoped, my longest run being 11 miles, but somehow I managed to run a 1:58 HM on my own and the full marathon in 5:11. If you asked me before I ran my first runDisney race if I would ever run a marathon my answer would have been "no" and that HM were enough for me. Needless to say, I ran the full completely, finished, and it didn't feel anything like I'd imagine it would. I felt strong and happy and like I could conquer the world. I think when I say I've been "lucky" I mean I've never had an injury, I've never had to run a "hotter than hades" race (which would be very challenging for me, personally), and there was never a time where my mind gave up. So from this little anecdote I wanted to draft my goals and remind myself of the best times I've ever had, the things I've accomplished, and how at one point I never thought I'd do it, yet here I am. I'm at a point in my life where everything is uncertain (I'm 23, with a bachelors degree that I'm not quite sure I know what I want to do with yet, and living on my own far from where my roots were planted) and I guess the certainty in having a goal and knowing that a year from now more of my life will be figured out is sort of comforting. If you're still reading this, I commend you, but I know @DopeyBadger will tuck this away somewhere that I'll enjoy looking back on in the future, so without further ado my 2018 weekend goals:
1. Really stick to my training plan (thanks dopeybadger)
2. PR the half and the full
3. Finish at least one race in the top 50 of my age category
4. Continue the same race morning routine
5. Convince my mom to come to race weekend to watch me finish
6. Don't doubt yourself or lose sight of why you love to run

And since we are making goals I hope to figure out:
1. What I want to do with my life
2. Where I want to live this figured out life
3. How to love the person I am inside and out

thanks for listening, you guys are the greatest! I wish you all luck on achieving your goals by race weekend

 

[princess_jamie]

And since we are making goals I hope to figure out:

3. How to love the person I am inside and out

This...

I could use that too.

 

[GrandAdmiralStrife]

Dopey now sold out

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

... I've been insanely lucky these past two marathon weekends and I hope my luck continues...

No such thing as luck.

I haven't posted this in a while, but the "luck" post gives me an excuse. I watch it every morning during training season. The video is exactly as long as it takes my coffee to make, so the coffeemaker beeps 1 second after the alarm at the end.

DW is ready to axe murder me because when ever she says 'Good Luck' before a race, I respond with (I have it memorized!): 'Luck is the last dying wish of those who want to believe that winning can happen by accident. Sweat on the other hand is for those who know it's a choice; so decide now because destiny waits for no man.'

DW sharpening axe.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

On a different topic: we are going to rent DVC points for a 2 bedroom at Saratoga Springs. We'll probably use David's. Never rented DVC points before. Any idea on how soon I need to do it for a SS 2 bedroom Dopey stay? Any pointers or tips or gotchas I should know about ahead of time?

The no-cancellation policy has me spooked, as we'll be taking my elderly mom and plans could change.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DopeyBadger]

2018 will be my third marathon weekend in the books, my first Dopey, and technically my first Goofy because of the cancellation of the HM this year (even though I ended up running it on my own). I feel like I've been insanely lucky these past two marathon weekends and I hope my luck continues. In 2016, I trained really hard leading up to the race, was in the best shape, and ended up completing my first HM in 2:00 exactly. In 2017, I didn't train nearly as hard as I had hoped, my longest run being 11 miles, but somehow I managed to run a 1:58 HM on my own and the full marathon in 5:11. If you asked me before I ran my first runDisney race if I would ever run a marathon my answer would have been "no" and that HM were enough for me. Needless to say, I ran the full completely, finished, and it didn't feel anything like I'd imagine it would. I felt strong and happy and like I could conquer the world. I think when I say I've been "lucky" I mean I've never had an injury, I've never had to run a "hotter than hades" race (which would be very challenging for me, personally), and there was never a time where my mind gave up. So from this little anecdote I wanted to draft my goals and remind myself of the best times I've ever had, the things I've accomplished, and how at one point I never thought I'd do it, yet here I am. I'm at a point in my life where everything is uncertain (I'm 23, with a bachelors degree that I'm not quite sure I know what I want to do with yet, and living on my own far from where my roots were planted) and I guess the certainty in having a goal and knowing that a year from now more of my life will be figured out is sort of comforting. If you're still reading this, I commend you, but I know @DopeyBadger will tuck this away somewhere that I'll enjoy looking back on in the future, so without further ado my 2018 weekend goals:
1. Really stick to my training plan (thanks dopeybadger)
2. PR the half and the full
3. Finish at least one race in the top 50 of my age category
4. Continue the same race morning routine
5. Convince my mom to come to race weekend to watch me finish
6. Don't doubt yourself or lose sight of why you love to run

And since we are making goals I hope to figure out:
1. What I want to do with my life
2. Where I want to live this figured out life
3. How to love the person I am inside and out

thanks for listening, you guys are the greatest! I wish you all luck on achieving your goals by race weekend

 

[bryana]

So - question for those knowledgable (@DopeyBadger) perhaps:

I am currently half way through training for Dark Side (16 week program). While I've run races before, it has been a few years. So I eased into it and am just following the rD Galloway beginner's plan. I definitely think it's working better for me than any other plans I tried in the past (primarily I really like the timed runs during the week as opposed to the distance runs), and that's evident in the fact that this is the most consistent I have ever been with training. I haven't missed a training run yet.

Now that I've established a good base (and routine!), I was thinking about maybe adding another day of running. The hardest thing to get used to at first with this plan is that it was 3 run days instead of 4. I was thinking about adding a 45 minute run in between to the two 30s (maybe like a Tuesday30/Wednesday45, Friday30). However, then I was just wondering if I'd be better suited doing it as I am but adding a day or two of cross training at the gym that I have a membership but never go to. Eventually those 30 minute runs will turn into 45 minute runs as I start to really train for the marathon in the summer, but until then.. I don't know.

So, thoughts?

 

[jeanigor]

On a different topic: we are going to rent DVC points for a 2 bedroom at Saratoga Springs. We'll probably use David's. Never rented DVC points before. Any idea on how soon I need to do it for a SS 2 bedroom Dopey stay? Any pointers or tips or gotchas I should know about ahead of time?

The no-cancellation policy has me spooked, as we'll be taking my elderly mom and plans could change.

Thanks in advance.

I'm in the same boat. We want a 2BR, but not sure we want to pay the 11 month premium. I have rented from David's service in the past, and I cannot recall any issues, glitches or hidden surprises. My only thing that bugs me a little is the all at once payment, when I rent from a friend or stay in a non-DVC room, I can make payments up until much closer to check-in. As for the no cancellation policy, I can understand it from a business standpoint (unlike runDisney's policy).

 

[Diskidatheart]

My goals for Dopey 2018 are:

5k - Not run it as fast as I did in 2017 (33 minutes with about 8 minutes of stopping for pics). Take as many pictures as I possibly can again this year.
10k - Finish with my wife and hopefully have time to stop for a couple of pictures along the way.
Half - No time goals...just finish with some added pictures.
Full -As much fun as I had last year getting all the pictures that I did and riding EE, I will probably try and run the marathon in 4:30 this year while riding RnR at the end. Oh, and if I can finish with a beer and pretzel again, that would be a bonus!!!

 

[BikeFan]

My long winded answer is that it depends on a myriad of factors such as runner's history, current fitness, continuous runner vs run/walker, balance amongst the week (both from an easy/hard split and from a duration of training throughout the week), race equivalency profile, amount of time available to train on a daily basis, amount of time available to train prior to the event (in weeks/months), number of days per week willing to train, etc. My go to limit is 2.5 hours for the long run for a continuous runner. I've had pretty good success limiting runners of all levels to this maximum and yet still matching their goals and desires. I truly believe duration and pace are the real considerations when making a plan, moreso then the end result of pace X duration which is mileage. For some, that means I limit them to 12 miles maximum for training for a marathon (seems crazy, I know). For others, I limit them at 18 miles. For others, I limit them at 22 miles.

I successfully trained an athlete to their first marathon doing the Dopey while limiting their long run to 12 miles (3 hrs, only time I've done that) at 6 days per week for 15 weeks (but essentially only 8 weeks of the real stuff). This person nailed the predicted times on all 4 events within minutes of my projections.

Another athlete maxed at 14 miles (2.5 hrs) for their long run on 4 days per week training for 19 weeks. This person saw an improvement from their first marathon of over 80 minutes (can't remember the exact number).

So, I'd say the optimal long run is really dependent on a myriad of factors and how well it fits with that person. But in a general statement, I schedule no more than 2.5 hours for a long run regardless of the person's fitness (with only one exception). I am however willing to go less dependent on the circumstances.

Thanks for the response. Interesting results with some of your trainees and your use of a 2.5 hour limit on long runs. I've heard 3 hour limits from other coaches, and generally agree with the rationale, that additional time/mileage isn't really beneficial after that. Another data point to consider as I work with my relatives.

 

[WhereInFlorida]

So - question for those knowledgable (@DopeyBadger) perhaps:

I am currently half way through training for Dark Side (16 week program). While I've run races before, it has been a few years. So I eased into it and am just following the rD Galloway beginner's plan. I definitely think it's working better for me than any other plans I tried in the past (primarily I really like the timed runs during the week as opposed to the distance runs), and that's evident in the fact that this is the most consistent I have ever been with training. I haven't missed a training run yet.

Now that I've established a good base (and routine!), I was thinking about maybe adding another day of running. The hardest thing to get used to at first with this plan is that it was 3 run days instead of 4. I was thinking about adding a 45 minute run in between to the two 30s (maybe like a Tuesday30/Wednesday45, Friday30). However, then I was just wondering if I'd be better suited doing it as I am but adding a day or two of cross training at the gym that I have a membership but never go to. Eventually those 30 minute runs will turn into 45 minute runs as I start to really train for the marathon in the summer, but until then.. I don't know.

So, thoughts?

The jump from 3 to 4 days of running would be a good thing, it gives you some back-to-back days in addition to the additional mileage. Going to 4 days can be accomplished pretty easily in most plans, remember adding that additional day is at an easy pace and keep every other day the same. Nothing wrong with cross-training but improving at running requires running.

Now going to 5 or 6 days a week you will really see some changes and that can take some time

 

[ZellyB]

@OldSlowGoofyGuy I love that video!

I've rented from the DVC rental store and we are trying to rent right now for a Poly studio. Have the request in, but no match yet with a member. Anyway, I agree there's not much in the way of a gotcha, but the worrisome part is that once you book that's it. You are locked in. DVC rental store does not require the whole amount up front which is some of why I used them. They do also offer a protection plan (insurance) in case of cancellations, but it comes at a pretty dear cost so we decided not to get it. Otherwise, just be sure you read through all the information on the websites about it. I found it to be very straightforward.

 

[JeffW]

Now that I've established a good base (and routine!), I was thinking about maybe adding another day of running. The hardest thing to get used to at first with this plan is that it was 3 run days instead of 4. I was thinking about adding a 45 minute run in between to the two 30s (maybe like a Tuesday30/Wednesday45, Friday30). However, then I was just wondering if I'd be better suited doing it as I am but adding a day or two of cross training at the gym that I have a membership but never go to. Eventually those 30 minute runs will turn into 45 minute runs as I start to really train for the marathon in the summer, but until then.. I don't know.

So, thoughts?

4 days a week plus one day of cross-training has been my marathon pattern for years, and I think it works well. As far as picking between your 4th day being run or cross-training as you build up, some of it may be dictated by your body and injuries. I needed to add cross-training first, before the 4th day of running, because the cross-training was working on muscle imbalances that were affecting my knees (ITB Syndrome and plantar fasciitis ) and back (not enough core strength). If you go the route of adding a 4th running day, ease into it so your total mileage for the week doesn't jump dramatically at the start. If you haven't been running 3 days in a row, it will take your body a few weeks to adapt