I somehow lost the quote re: to carry a water bottle or not, but here's my answer should anyone care! I carry my own for halfs and fulls. Because I like to sip every 1/2 mile and whenever I feel like it rather than down a whole cup at a time. I'd love to not carry the bottle, but in the end it's worth it to have fluids exactly when I want them.
There shouldn’t be any need to break shoes in. If they’re what you normally run in (brand/model) give them a couple of runs to ensure that the fit and feel is consistent with previous pairs and you should be good to go.
Bolding is mine and here's why: I've run through 3 pairs of the same shoe make and model: no problems. But I just pulled out a new one of the same make and model to get a few runs in before the marathon... and they feel very different. More roomy, less pop, as if they were already worn out, despite being brand-new out of the box. I'm glad to know now! I have two more new pairs, so I can see if one of them feels better, or I can give this wonky pair a couple more runs to see if they get better, or both.
Another interesting thing I notice, it appears the marathon does not run through the Magic Kingdom toll booths (green is the marathon course).
Oh wow, I totally missed that bit!
I am very excited about the new map. Some thoughts:
1. Happy that the first 7 miles of the half and full aren't identical. I always disliked that about doing Dopey.
I'm of two minds on this, and will be interested to see how it actually hits me. What gets to me most in WDW races is the mental exhaustion from being constantly alert for other runners, the tangents, looking for characters, etc. The great thing about the first 7ish miles being the same was that I could mentally "turn off" a bit during the marathon and not think about tangents and characters, at least - it made that first chunk go by really quickly and easily. IDK if the new route will be more tiring, or will keep me occupied in a way that also make the miles go by quickly.
4. While the time in the parks may not be as plentiful as many want, I think the backstage parts are a lot more interesting. We get to run behind Mission: Space, WoL, and UoE. Plus, behind the Land. I almost prefer that to the parts on stage in parks.
Same! I love seeing what goes on behind the scenes.
5. If the temps are warm, the earlier start and course route should keep us shaded for more of the course than before? Time along Bear Island Road, in Animal Kingdom, and perhaps in BB. I'm assuming Western Way is better than the sunrise in our eyes on Osceola Parkway.
I ran on Beuna Vista a couple weeks ago - around 11am, on the stretch from CSR to BB. Some nice shade on the sidewalk and far lane!
8. I like the longer route around Crescent Lake by YC and BC. I wonder how the route around Boardwalk differs. Was that the route last year?
Last year was BW, but all previous years I ran it was YC/BC. I MUCH prefer YC/BC. I don't know why!
