Marathon Weekend 2019

[wdvak]

SAFD:

1) The cookie sandwich at Earl of Sandwich. Basically a really good, rich, moist, giant round chocolate brownie split in half and filled with vanilla creme icing. It's basically a giant Oreo cookie, but soft. They used to do the same thing with a Peanut Butter filling and it was my wife's favorite treat anywhere, but they must have pulled it for allergy reasons.

2) I second, third, and fourth the motion on the cinnamon roll at Gaston's Tavern. Not to be missed!

That sounds so good. And I agree about the cinnamon roll

 

[cavepig]

I just signed up for a marathon on September 16 & plan on WDW Jan 2019, I've never done them that close together (shy of 4 months I guess). So, to those that have done a Fall marathon, then WDW, do you just take 2 or 3 weeks to recover after the first than get right back to regular training. Or just play it by ear. I'm not too worried really as I know I'll run something, but curious how to handle recovery into continuous marathon training. Or maybe better yet how to reset my long runs from one to the next? Thanks!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I just signed up for a marathon on September 16 & plan on WDW Jan 2019, I've never done them that close together (shy of 4 months I guess). So, to those that have done a Fall marathon, then WDW, do you just take 2 or 3 weeks to recover after the first than get right back to regular training. Or just play it by ear. I'm not too worried really as I know I'll run something, but curious how to handle recovery into continuous marathon training. Or maybe better yet how to reset my long runs from one to the next? Thanks!

For me and for those that I write training plans for, I recommend 2 weeks off after an "A" marathon. My rule of thumb is a day off/easy pacing for every 3k of racing. So a 42k (marathon) race would be 14 days of off/easy. Almost all, I schedule for 2 weeks off. Then, I schedule a reverse taper. So look back at the mileage from prior to the marathon. I do about 30-40% of the peak in the first week back, then 50-60% in the second week back, and around 75% in the third week back. The first and second week back to running are kept completely easy. The third week back is the first week with a hard workout. From there, I restart the training with likely new training paces based on a new assessment of current fitness.

Summary:

Week of 9/10/18 - Marathon Week
9/17/18 - 1st week off
9/24/18 - 2nd week off
10/1/18 - Return to running at 30-40% of peak mileage for total of week (i.e 50 miles peak mileage in last plan would call for 15-20 miles in this week). All paces kept easy (or ~12% slower than marathon pace or slower).
10/8/18 - 50-60% of peak mileage. All paces kept easy (or ~12% slower than marathon pace or slower).
10/15/18 - 75% of peak mileage and first hard paced workout. Resume marathon training.

From 10/15/18 to 1/7/19 is 13 weeks of training. So plenty of time for another good marathon training cycle.

From there, the long runs progressively build back up to the peak. Since the training period of 13 weeks is slightly less than a normal timeframe, I usually only hit peak mileage once. I believe that if one hits peak long run mileage too soon in the plan that the training load will stagnate and you'll stop adapting to training. Then, you'll end up maintaining and possibly burning out. So I don't recommend starting the long runs up too high after coming off a previously completed max long runs (back in early Sept). Save those maxes for mid/late December.

Here's a post I wrote about my own ability to recover from a marathon and how long it usually takes (How long does it take for me to recover from a marathon?).

Hope this helps!

 

[lhermiston]

I just signed up for a marathon on September 16 & plan on WDW Jan 2019, I've never done them that close together (shy of 4 months I guess). So, to those that have done a Fall marathon, then WDW, do you just take 2 or 3 weeks to recover after the first than get right back to regular training. Or just play it by ear. I'm not too worried really as I know I'll run something, but curious how to handle recovery into continuous marathon training. Or maybe better yet how to reset my long runs from one to the next? Thanks!

I read your question and my response was going to be, "Ask @DopeyBadger" but I see that he's already weighed in. So, all I'll add is do exactly whatever DopeyBadger says. I'm not exactly in your situation, but I this past fall I originally planned to take a month off running after my October marathon and then dive into training for my April marathon in January. Instead, I got on a speed training plan, courtesy of DB, about two weeks after the October marathon. The end results were considerable gains in my speed and endurance. Now that I've transitioned into marathon training, I feel awesome.

 

[cavepig]

For me and for those that I write training plans for, I recommend 2 weeks off after an "A" marathon. My rule of thumb is a day off/easy pacing for every 3k of racing. So a 42k (marathon) race would be 14 days of off/easy. Almost all, I schedule for 2 weeks off. Then, I schedule a reverse taper. So look back at the mileage from prior to the marathon. I do about 30-40% of the peak in the first week back, then 50-60% in the second week back, and around 75% in the third week back. The first and second week back to running are kept completely easy. The third week back is the first week with a hard workout. From there, I restart the training with likely new training paces based on a new assessment of current fitness.

Summary:

Week of 9/10/18 - Marathon Week
9/17/18 - 1st week off
9/24/18 - 2nd week off
10/1/18 - Return to running at 30-40% of peak mileage for total of week (i.e 50 miles peak mileage in last plan would call for 15-20 miles in this week). All paces kept easy (or ~12% slower than marathon pace or slower).
10/8/18 - 50-60% of peak mileage. All paces kept easy (or ~12% slower than marathon pace or slower).
10/15/18 - 75% of peak mileage and first hard paced workout. Resume marathon training.

From 10/15/18 to 1/7/19 is 13 weeks of training. So plenty of time for another good marathon training cycle.

From there, the long runs progressively build back up to the peak. Since the training period of 13 weeks is slightly less than a normal timeframe, I usually only hit peak mileage once. I believe that if one hits peak long run mileage too soon in the plan that the training load will stagnate and you'll stop adapting to training. Then, you'll end up maintaining and possibly burning out. So I don't recommend starting the long runs up too high after coming off a previously completed max long runs (back in early Sept). Save those maxes for mid/late December.

Here's a post I wrote about my own ability to recover from a marathon and how long it usually takes (How long does it take for me to recover from a marathon?).

Hope this helps!

Thank you for this, greatly appreciated. I've got loftier goals now so I may you hit up for plans soon to see if it's even possible since you know numbers better than I. Thank you!!

 

[Bree]

SAFD: I don’t really have a favorite snack. I think because we are local that some of that novelty wears off. I do like the pretzels with that warm plastic cheese though! And ice cream is always yummy.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Thank you for this, greatly appreciated. I've got loftier goals now so I may you hit up for plans soon to see if it's even possible since you know numbers better than I. Thank you!!

Commonly with the first plan that I write someone, I help them get their race equivalency per the Riegel calculator. The Hansons calculator (link) uses the Riegel formula:

T2 = T1 x (D2/D1)^1.06

Here I talk about Ian Williams attempt at making a new calculator (link). The key piece of information from that review is that runners from a 1:20 HM to a 2:00 HM (and I believe even higher) can have the race equivalency between a HM and a M be an R of 1.06 (so your speed does not keep you from achieving a better race equivalency performance). In Ian Williams data set (and Vickers as well), the average R for their submitted runners real world data was 1.13-1.15 (range of 1.01-1.30 for the grand majority). So what does that mean?

Let's say you ran a 2:20 HM. If you inputted that time into a Riegel calculator, you would get a M performance of a 4:51:53 (green line). But the average person would run a 1.13-1.15 (per Williams and Vickers datasets). So more like a 5:06-5:10 (red line). What my training plans commonly do is get you much closer to the Riegel value instead of the average value.

So if you type in a 22:00 min recent 5k into the Hansons calculator above, then it'll say your race equivalent 10k is 45:52, HM is 1:41:12 and M is 3:31:00. What my training plans do more often than not, is get you to that 45:52, 1:41:12, or 3:31:00.

The tricky part is when someone already has a nice race equivalency. Where they run a 22 5k, and have already achieved all of the other values in the race equivalent calculation. Then, that sends me down a different path and usually the improvement is somewhere around 3-4% per cycle (sometimes as low as 1-2% and sometimes as high as 15-16%). Individual response certainly varies. Those improvements per cycle can be consistent if you stay consistent. Which means in a few years effort you can get down to times you never thought fathomable.

Here are some testimonials from people who recently completed different plans: 2018 Disney Marathon Weekend; Winter/Spring 2018

 

[cavepig]

Thanks @DopeyBadger for all that! Greatly appreciated!

 

[a-mad]

OK - I know this is an extremely loaded question... but since we don't visit WDW as often as DLR, and since most of our visits in the past have been with kids - I could use your help. As we begin mapping out our days over Marathon Weekend (and beyond..) we are trying to figure out which Table-service restaurants to try. I don't know if we'll go to many - maybe 3 or 4. The rest of the time we will have breakfasts at our BCV and will do a lot of Quick Service. We'll also be watching our diet from Thurs-Sun as we will be (hopefully) running the Dopey. Most of our table service experiences will probably be Sunday night through the next Wednesday or so.

Are there 3-4 table service restaurants that are "musts" each time you visit? I don't think we'll do a Character Experience, but here's some of the table service ADR's we're considering:

• Beaches & Cream (never tried it... but we're staying there and have always wanted to go there)
• Cape May Cafe (for dinner... same thing)
• Via Napoli (wasn't open last time we came... we've heard great things and love this type of pizzeria)
• California Grill (want to have one "upscale" dinner... hopefully time it w/fireworks)

There's many others I've wanted to try (Boma, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Ohana, Yachtsman, Le Cellier...) Just trying to figure out a good balance between our time in the parks, cost, experience, etc.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[ZellyB]

Having tried Tiffins for the first time on this last trip, I would definitely recommend it. We also really enjoyed Brown Derby.

 

[Dis5150]

Beaches & Cream (never tried it... but we're staying there and have always wanted to go there)

We usually go there post race, not because we love the meals but for their awesome ice cream desserts. No Way Jose, yummm! (We do eat the meals, just find them average).

 

[rteetz]

OK - I know this is an extremely loaded question... but since we don't visit WDW as often as DLR, and since most of our visits in the past have been with kids - I could use your help. As we begin mapping out our days over Marathon Weekend (and beyond..) we are trying to figure out which Table-service restaurants to try. I don't know if we'll go to many - maybe 3 or 4. The rest of the time we will have breakfasts at our BCV and will do a lot of Quick Service. We'll also be watching our diet from Thurs-Sun as we will be (hopefully) running the Dopey. Most of our table service experiences will probably be Sunday night through the next Wednesday or so.

Are there 3-4 table service restaurants that are "musts" each time you visit? I don't think we'll do a Character Experience, but here's some of the table service ADR's we're considering:

• Beaches & Cream (never tried it... but we're staying there and have always wanted to go there)
• Cape May Cafe (for dinner... same thing)
• Via Napoli (wasn't open last time we came... we've heard great things and love this type of pizzeria)
• California Grill (want to have one "upscale" dinner... hopefully time it w/fireworks)

There's many others I've wanted to try (Boma, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Ohana, Yachtsman, Le Cellier...) Just trying to figure out a good balance between our time in the parks, cost, experience, etc.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

I have never eaten at Beaches and Cream for a meal but have done ice cream.

Via Napoli is a great choice.

Another upscale dinner option could be Tiffins. Its a great choice.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Are there 3-4 table service restaurants that are "musts" each time you visit? I don't think we'll do a Character Experience, but here's some of the table service ADR's we're considering:

• Beaches & Cream (never tried it... but we're staying there and have always wanted to go there)
• Cape May Cafe (for dinner... same thing)
• Via Napoli (wasn't open last time we came... we've heard great things and love this type of pizzeria)
• California Grill (want to have one "upscale" dinner... hopefully time it w/fireworks)

There's many others I've wanted to try (Boma, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Ohana, Yachtsman, Le Cellier...) Just trying to figure out a good balance between our time in the parks, cost, experience, etc.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

I do a lot of dining reports if you want to see how we do race weekends. They are in my signature such as Jan/Feb 2018, Nov 2017, Feb/April 2017, F&W 2016, April 2016, Food & Wine 2015, Feb 2015, Food & Wine 2014 and probably some more.

We have a few amount of musts that change, but here are our current favorites:

1) The Boathouse
2) Enzo's Hideaway Tunnel Bar
3) Flying Fish
4) Il Mulino
5) Le Cellier - Post Major Race Lunch
6) Sanaa
7) Tiffins

There are some other restaurants we love like the following but we don't repeat as much as some others:
1) Citricos
2) Tokyo Dining
3) Tutto Italia
4) Monsieur Paul
5) Brown Derby
6) Shula's (we skip this one only because we have one at home)
7) Yachtsman
8) La Hacienda de San Angel
9) Chef De France (lunch)

There are more but I don't want to overwhelm you too much!

 

[KingLlama]

Decided on Jiko for the big post-race meal after the upcoming Dark Side half. I've never been there before, but it just felt right.

 

[FFigawi]

Are there 3-4 table service restaurants that are "musts" each time you visit? I don't think we'll do a Character Experience, but here's some of the table service ADR's we're considering:

• Beaches & Cream (never tried it... but we're staying there and have always wanted to go there)
• Cape May Cafe (for dinner... same thing)
• Via Napoli (wasn't open last time we came... we've heard great things and love this type of pizzeria)
• California Grill (want to have one "upscale" dinner... hopefully time it w/fireworks)

There's many others I've wanted to try (Boma, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Ohana, Yachtsman, Le Cellier...) Just trying to figure out a good balance between our time in the parks, cost, experience, etc.

We only have two "musts" at Disney: Jiko and Victoria & Albert's. They're our two favorite restaurants at WDW, have the best vegan options for my wife, and we make sure we dine there every time.

 

[LdyStormy76]

Are there 3-4 table service restaurants that are "musts" each time you visit? I don't think we'll do a Character Experience, but here's some of the table service ADR's we're considering:

• Beaches & Cream (never tried it... but we're staying there and have always wanted to go there)
• Cape May Cafe (for dinner... same thing)
• Via Napoli (wasn't open last time we came... we've heard great things and love this type of pizzeria)
• California Grill (want to have one "upscale" dinner... hopefully time it w/fireworks)

There's many others I've wanted to try (Boma, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Ohana, Yachtsman, Le Cellier...) Just trying to figure out a good balance between our time in the parks, cost, experience, etc.

Ate at Cape May in January during Marathon Weekend. Went more for the pasta and protein the CM who was taking care of me said they had for the weekend than the shrimp and crab that people were eating by the bucket. Would take my husband there if he ever accompanies me to WDW again. If you like sushi, try Morimoto in Disney Springs; he has a quick service outside (think street food) and table service inside.

 

[croach]

OK - I know this is an extremely loaded question... but since we don't visit WDW as often as DLR, and since most of our visits in the past have been with kids - I could use your help. As we begin mapping out our days over Marathon Weekend (and beyond..) we are trying to figure out which Table-service restaurants to try. I don't know if we'll go to many - maybe 3 or 4. The rest of the time we will have breakfasts at our BCV and will do a lot of Quick Service. We'll also be watching our diet from Thurs-Sun as we will be (hopefully) running the Dopey. Most of our table service experiences will probably be Sunday night through the next Wednesday or so.

Are there 3-4 table service restaurants that are "musts" each time you visit? I don't think we'll do a Character Experience, but here's some of the table service ADR's we're considering:

• Beaches & Cream (never tried it... but we're staying there and have always wanted to go there)
• Cape May Cafe (for dinner... same thing)
• Via Napoli (wasn't open last time we came... we've heard great things and love this type of pizzeria)
• California Grill (want to have one "upscale" dinner... hopefully time it w/fireworks)

There's many others I've wanted to try (Boma, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Ohana, Yachtsman, Le Cellier...) Just trying to figure out a good balance between our time in the parks, cost, experience, etc.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

I did Beaches and Cream after the marathon this year and thought it was just ok. But I will admit I didn’t do ice cream which was an obvious oversight on my part.

I think you can’t ever go wrong with Sanaa. Can get overlooked with Jiko and Boma At AKL, but it’s hard to beat the bread service. Also check out some of the DIsney Springs restaurants - lots going on there.

 

[Keels]

I'm the captain of Team California Grill, so I'm always going to suggest there.

After that, I love almost everything at Disney Springs - The Boathouse, PaddleFish, Morimoto Asia, Maria & Enzo's and The Edison are all outstanding.

So those would be my Tier 1 restaurants.

Tier 2 (Love to do, want to do but not deal-breakers if I don't go): Tiffins, Mr. P (Monsieur Paul), Chefs de France, Spice Road Table, Yachstman Steakhouse, Citrico's, Be Our Guest, Boma (breakfast only)

Everything else is Tier 3, except for the following places that I won't eat, even if I was eating for free: Ohana, Le Cellier, San Angel Inn, Via Napoli, Akershus, CRT

 

[Keels]

I did Beaches and Cream after the marathon this year and thought it was just ok. But I will admit I didn’t do ice cream which was an obvious oversight on my part.

You can admit your dining companions were probably the real reason you didn't like Beaches and Cream ...

 

[camaker]

OK - I know this is an extremely loaded question... but since we don't visit WDW as often as DLR, and since most of our visits in the past have been with kids - I could use your help. As we begin mapping out our days over Marathon Weekend (and beyond..) we are trying to figure out which Table-service restaurants to try. I don't know if we'll go to many - maybe 3 or 4. The rest of the time we will have breakfasts at our BCV and will do a lot of Quick Service. We'll also be watching our diet from Thurs-Sun as we will be (hopefully) running the Dopey. Most of our table service experiences will probably be Sunday night through the next Wednesday or so.

Are there 3-4 table service restaurants that are "musts" each time you visit? I don't think we'll do a Character Experience, but here's some of the table service ADR's we're considering:

• Beaches & Cream (never tried it... but we're staying there and have always wanted to go there)
• Cape May Cafe (for dinner... same thing)
• Via Napoli (wasn't open last time we came... we've heard great things and love this type of pizzeria)
• California Grill (want to have one "upscale" dinner... hopefully time it w/fireworks)

There's many others I've wanted to try (Boma, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Ohana, Yachtsman, Le Cellier...) Just trying to figure out a good balance between our time in the parks, cost, experience, etc.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

We don't have too many table service "musts". We generally end up doing a lot of tasty counter service to save money. Some of our favorites, though, are:

• Raglan Road (DS)
• Chefs de France (EP)
• Yachtsman Steakhouse (YBC)