Marathon Weekend 2023

[Silvermist999]

Here’s a link to the road closures from this year’s events. They may change a little but I would expect similar in 2023.

Road Closures | 2022 Walt Disney World Marathon
https://maps.app.goo.gl/T4apPLpEzo2FNZYLA?g_st=ic

Thank you! How long do these closures last? Is it from the 5th to the 8th? Or do they open up after each race ends on that day? I’m getting a bit worried!

 

[GollyGadget]

Thank you! How long do these closures last? Is it from the 5th to the 8th? Or do they open up after each race ends on that day? I’m getting a bit worried!

The roads open up after the races each day. That map has all of the closures for the entire weekend but which roads are closed and the duration of closure will vary for each race.

If you click on view map legend you can filter to just the marathon and then clicking each red line will display the times of the closure.

They schedule the race and course such that most runners are out of MK before it opens so the roads in that area will be some of the first to reopen.

 

[Silvermist999]

The roads open up after the races each day. That map has all of the closures for the entire weekend but which roads are closed and the duration of closure will vary for each race.

If you click on view map legend you can filter to just the marathon and then clicking each red line will display the times of the closure.

They schedule the race and course such that most runners are out of MK before it opens so the roads in that area will be some of the first to reopen.

Thank you!

 

[jmasgat]

Hi everyone, hope you don’t mind me coming in here as I’m not doing the marathon.
But we will be at WDW including over the marathon weekend, checking out of the Poly on the 8th in the morning to fly home. What time does the race end on Sunday? Will we have any issues with road closures around the resort or the general area and for how long? We are considering changing our flight to leave on the 6th, it’s going to be a huge issue for us. Thx!

If you plan on checking out after 9-ish, you should be okay. You would need to take the "back way" out of Poly--Seven Seas Drive-World Drive-Vista Blvd, where you can get back towards the highways. The "normal" way of leaving Poly and going South on Floridian Way to World Dr will be closed for longer.

Any earlier than that and it's a no-go. And they do sometimes run late in re-opening road sections.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Got my tickets for the After Hours on the 9th. Probably my only foray to the parks on the trip. Starting to get excited.

 

[RunWI1265]

My hero. I was on the app and not the website.

BTW, has anyone ever done these before? Is it worth the price of the ticket? It looks like a cool option, but I'm wondering what the wait times are actually like for things like RotR and SDD, which would be the main reason I would do it.

Looks like you already got a lot of good feedback about After Hours but I'll add my experience. I've done AH twice at MK and both times the park was empty and everything was walk-on. Definitely worth the money in my opinion especially if you are on a short trip or in replacement of a park day. We are considering doing Hollywood Studios but we're hesitant without knowing if they will truly limit capacity. Because HS doesn't have as many rides as MK it's harder to spread out. We have AP's so my husband is telling me no but I'm over here trying to justify it by saying we don't have park ticket expenses so why not! He's not buying it. Anyway - I definitely think it's worth it at MK and I'd go out on a limb and say it's worth it at HS too. Especially that time of year.

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

Looks like you already got a lot of good feedback about After Hours but I'll add my experience. I've done AH twice at MK and both times the park was empty and everything was walk-on. Definitely worth the money in my opinion especially if you are on a short trip or in replacement of a park day. We are considering doing Hollywood Studios but we're hesitant without knowing if they will truly limit capacity. Because HS doesn't have as many rides as MK it's harder to spread out. We have AP's so my husband is telling me no but I'm over here trying to justify it by saying we don't have park ticket expenses so why not! He's not buying it. Anyway - I definitely think it's worth it at MK and I'd go out on a limb and say it's worth it at HS too. Especially that time of year.

Thank you for this feedback! I went ahead and bought a ticket for MAH at HS for 1/4. It will most likely be in lieu of a park ticket, although I am now arriving to BC on 1/3 instead of 1/4 and I am not sure if I can stand to not enter the parks for over 24 hours after arrival. Haha! Anyway, I'm stoked to check out the event!

 

[Silvermist999]

If you plan on checking out after 9-ish, you should be okay. You would need to take the "back way" out of Poly--Seven Seas Drive-World Drive-Vista Blvd, where you can get back towards the highways. The "normal" way of leaving Poly and going South on Floridian Way to World Dr will be closed for longer.

Any earlier than that and it's a no-go. And they do sometimes run late in re-opening road sections.

Thank you for this! We won’t be checking out till at least 10:30am, so hopefully the roads will be reopened by then since the parks will be open by then.

 

[Baloo in MI]

Good Morning runDisney All-Stars! It is time for SAFD.

Here is this weeks question: I know in my training plan, and am assuming in yours, the runs are getting longer. How are you doing? Any challenges?

My Answer: I am doing well, and enjoying the longer runs. This is especially true with the weather cooling and the leaves changing. Most of the time I use Sunday mornings for my long run and I have been enjoying podcast time and looking at nature as I run. Though this week my long run was on Saturday and not Sunday. Yesterday I went pretty far beyond the scheduled 18 mile run I had for this week. I completed a self created 8-hour mile-a-thon as part of a fundraiser for the New York Marathon that I am running next month. I completed 35.5 miles. I went easy and slow, walked a few laps of the 1.5 mile loop course and worked hard to keep my pace slow and easy. Had a wonderful time and am very happy with the outcome. The next two weekends I have long runs, but thank goodness much less than yesterdays’s distance. Then the taper to NYC. I really enjoy the fall!

 

[Herding_Cats]

SAFD: the challenge for me with the longer runs is the time they take (which is why they're on Sundays when I have someone around to watch DD) and not letting my brain make too big a deal about them. I'm already catching myself in "avoidance mode" this morning regarding my 9mi run.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

SAFD: So I am doing the customized Galloway plan I have done as long 18 miles. This is my first marathon and long mile days are ruff now. They hard to plan around esp since I am so slow and take up like half my day and then I am tried the rest of the day. I listen to podcasts to help the time to go by. Next week I am going to do 20. I feel proud after I have done it, but during it kinda of sucks not going to lie. I think marathons are just not going to be my thing.... like I miss my sons soccer games when I have to do these super long runs. Half marathon training was just easier to fit around my busy schedule and did not have to miss out on my son activities.

 

[jpeterson]

SAFD: So I am doing the customized Galloway plan I have done as long 18 miles. This is my first marathon and long mile days are ruff now. They hard to plan around esp since I am so slow and take up like half my day and then I am tried the rest of the day. I listen to podcasts to help the time to go by. Next week I am going to do 20. I feel proud after I have done it, but during it kinda of sucks not going to lie. I think marathons are just not going to be my thing.... like I miss my sons soccer games when I have to do these super long runs. Half marathon training was just easier to fit around my busy schedule and did not have to miss out on my son activities.

I think my customized plan is similar to yours. Just finished my 18 last week and have 20 in 2 weeks. I really enjoy the long runs. They let me just clear my head and be with myself. Physically they can be a struggle by mile 16+ but I love the sense of accomplishment

 

[lookingforsunshine]

SAFD: My longest run so far has been 7 miles but my longest in my plan overall is only 11 or 12 I think. So far they’re going well. I am loving my @DopeyBadger training plan. I don’t feel like the runs take up too much time and because they’re generally so easy I’m not like… dreading them (and I find the hard ones more exciting although I have no idea what I’m in for with next week’s hard run). My longest mileage is short compared to most people but I have also ran more miles than I have ever have in my life so hooray for that. I can feel it in my legs.

I see a lot of people on Instagram who are frustrated with Galloway and the long mileage and it’s interesting to know that there are alternatives out there. I can’t wait to officially test the method out come race day. As of right now @DopeyBadger feels like my training hero haha.

I also love listening to podcasts for long runs and my Shokz headphones have been amazing— it’s so good to be able to hear what’s around me. There was one super windy day where I had trouble hearing my podcast but otherwise the sound quality is clear. I usually listen to the running/fitness adjacent podcasts during my runs— loving Rise and Run and Annika’s training journal (I think it’s called Running on Pixie Dust). It feels like I’m just running along with friends!

If you’re ever struggling to motivate yourself to run, I recommend having a dissertation you should be working on Writing avoidance is real, and apparently I will do anything for it— including run for several hours lol.

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: Since I’m not doing Marathon Weekend, I actually just finished my training plan, and all the hard work paid off at my races last weekend. I did have challenges, including having to completely restart training from scratch at the beginning of July, and then having a problem on my peak long run (10 mile) day that made me stop running after 2.7 miles and walking the rest of the way.

I’m now just doing maintenance runs through Wine & Dine, and will start a new plan after that, with speed work for the first time, to take me through Princess and Springtime Surprise.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I’m not doing MW either, and I actually have a 10k in December before I shift focus to Princess. I did a 10k last Sunday and PR’d, and the struggle this week has been the recovery. I also got a blister on my arch after mile 4 last weekend, and I’ve been racking my brain to figure out why. The shoes weren’t new, and neither were the socks. I could need new socks, or it could be by that point in the course the roads were banked and I wasn’t landing on a flat surface.

I turned two of my three runs this week into non runs. One was a cycle class and one was a walk. When I did run on Thursday, because I wanted to, my legs did not feel springy and my calves were quite tired. That’s why I turned yesterdays run into a walk. Today was more yoga to help my legs recover before testing them again tomorrow.

 

[HangWithMerida]

Good Morning runDisney All-Stars! It is time for SAFD.

Here is this weeks question: I know in my training plan, and am assuming in yours, the runs are getting longer. How are you doing? Any challenges?

Training is going well over here. My biggest challenge with this plan has been fitting all the runs in. 6 days a week will not be sustainable for me long term. Physically I am handling it fine, but it is tough with my life. I’m glad mapped out my schedule to accommodate some events my family does every year and some wiggle room for holidays. It stretched the plan out a few weeks but I’m not agonizing about missing some key things with the family. I’m still glad I chose this plan (Hanson’s beginner) because I feel like I’ll be well prepared not just for the marathon but the dopey experience of back to back race days, but I think I’ll go back to 5 days a week once Dopey is over.

It’s still early enough in my plan that the long runs aren’t any longer than what I do for HM training so no big deal just yet. And, as we head into fall, which is my favorite time of year, I actually look forward to getting out the door for longer runs. As usual, my biggest anxiety factor is the speed work. In fact, I was either going to do my workout this morning or tomorrow morning, and when i woke up this morning I immediately pushed it off. We were at a music festival yesterday and got back late. I set the alarm with the intention to see how I felt and make a game day decision. Decided on more sleep and a skipped rest day during the week to keep myself on track.

 

[camaker]

SAFD: I had planned to bridge my summer 50k training over to a fall marathon and then pick up a shortened Dopey training plan from there. I haven't been happy with the way my legs have recovered from the Labor Day weekend race, though, and I just had to have some maintenance dry needling on my posterior tibialis, so I decided a reset was in order.

I took this week entirely off from running and reset my training plan to go directly to Dopey from here. Hopefully this week off will be the recharge my legs need and I'll get back into rhythm next week.

 

[RunWI1265]

SAFD: Training is going well over here. Tomorrow I’ll be “officially” starting my dopey training. I just did a HM a week ago so I was on a DopeyBadger plan for that and nailed my goal time. I worked hard for it and it took two attempts.

To echo @lookingforsunshine my dopey plan also peaks low compared to most (13 miles). I used @DopeyBadger for last MW and am using his plan again. I’m a believer!! I just printed the plan and when I saw it was *only* two pages it reaaaally hit me that MW is just around the corner!

 

[sandam1]

SAFD: My training is actually going really, really well - and it has me kind of nervous, like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. I've had a few glitches and a few aches and pains pop up from time, but absolutely nothing compared to last year. My biggest struggle has been with the mental game. I've managed to get in my own head at times (I had a major freakout re. my 17 mile run) and spooked myself when anything happens to my feet, but I'm working through these issues. The system and plan that I set up (customized training, physical therapy/RunSmart, and mental mastery) have been invaluable in keeping me on track.

I have my 3-7-20 mile weekend this coming weekend. There is a level of confidence (although I hope I'm not getting too cocky) that comes from having already done 3/15 and 5/17 mile weekends in September.

I see a lot of people on Instagram who are frustrated with Galloway and the long mileage

This kind of amazes me! Galloway has ONE long mileage day - and it isn't even once a week at this point. On my plan, I literally have 4 double-digit runs (including the Wine and Dine half) and 2 double-digit walks over the next 3 months. I know what weekends they are going to be and in my mind I just treat the long run day as a work day. I am unavailable for between 5-7 hours that day because I am SLOW. It's been on the calendar as non-negotiable for a while now.

I will 100% give up those 3 days to have my evenings during the work week. I love being able to do my 45 minute runs or cross-training and being done. My short runs can easily be squeezed in without taking up the whole evening. On Mondays, I actually stop at the gym on my way home from my evening activity. Pop in, run, and be home less than an hour later.

My biggest challenge with this plan has been fitting all the runs in. 6 days a week will not be sustainable for me long term. Physically I am handling it fine, but it is tough with my life.

My hat's off to you! Now that we are in the depths of training, I know with absolutely certainty that I could NOT do a plan that required me to run 5-6 days a week. I don't think that my body would hold up to it and I know that I wouldn't be able to keep my life on track.

I think marathons are just not going to be my thing.... like I miss my sons soccer games when I have to do these super long runs. Half marathon training was just easier to fit around my busy schedule and did not have to miss out on my son activities.

I've been saying this since I did my 15 miler. But everyone can tell us "I told you so" when we sign up for our next one.

 

[RuntheMouse]

Good Morning runDisney All-Stars! It is time for SAFD.

Here is this weeks question: I know in my training plan, and am assuming in yours, the runs are getting longer. How are you doing? Any challenges?

Things are going pretty well…..not perfect. I am still dealing with a cranky IT band but making progress. I had to bail on my 14 mile run at 11.5 this weekend. I’m still feeling good about it because a few weeks ago mile 6 is where I‘ve crossed the pain threshold. I’m being diligent about foam rolling and stretching, icing after runs and slowing down (except for my race last weekend ) so I feel like I’m moving in the right direction.