Marathon Weekend 2023

[lookingforsunshine]

Are you sure that you want to do Epcot after the marathon? No castle pics with your medals? (Maybe that's just me?)

This is my dilemma… I’m doing the cruise so I won’t have the option of getting pics on Monday. I am also not convinced I will be able to walk after the marathon lol.

 

[fatmanatee]

- Be flexible and be ready to bail on plans as need be. I made sure that I placed my "must do" things either at the start of the trip or after the races were over. I know that flexibility and Disney/Genie+ don't always go together (which is why I stay at Universal, but I digress), but remember that you're there for the races first (at least I assume you are).

Also co-sign. I've mentioned before that as things went on, my ambitious park hopping plans did not exactly hold up and I was running on fumes by Saturday. I think a Saturday at DS and pool lounging is a good idea in that respect and probably something I should have considered as a way to recharge for the marathon on Sunday.

RE: medal pics, you could definitely swap MK and Epcot days if that's something you want to do, but my sense was that there was a reason @NYC_MW wanted to go to MK specifically on Thurs or Fri.

 

[sandam1]

I have the luxury of having an AP though. I didn't have to plan around ticket purchases and there was no pressure to "make the most of them"

That is exactly the argument that my travel partner made before our first runDisney trip. We have APs for Universal and she pointed out that if we went to Disney, I would feel the need to do "everything" to justify the cost of the tickets. With Universal, we know that we'll be back (soon). Being that she's been my best friend forever, she was dead on right in regards to this.

In my mind, runDisney trips are about running first and everything else second. Maybe I stick to that principle a little too well as my friend has mentioned that she wishes we could schedule a trip sometime that wasn't in conjunction with a race.

 

[NYC_MW]

- Be flexible and be ready to bail on plans as need be. I made sure that I placed my "must do" things either at the start of the trip or after the races were over. I know that flexibility and Disney/Genie+ don't always go together (which is why I stay at Universal, but I digress), but remember that you're there for the races first (at least I assume you are).

Are you sure that you want to do Epcot after the marathon? No castle pics with your medals? (Maybe that's just me?)

Yes, super important reminder! Definitely there for the races first, but have tendency to try to do all the things, must remember to pace parks and not just race. Already had to talk myself off the ledge of trying to add HP world to the itinerary. Hopefully next trip.

I also headed back to the resort as soon as I felt tired.

That's a very good tip I'll have to keep repeating to myself.

RE: medal pics, you could definitely swap MK and Epcot days if that's something you want to do, but my sense was that there was a reason @NYC_MW wanted to go to MK specifically on Thurs or Fri.

I'm probably an odd one out, but really want medal pix in Epcot

 

[Naomeri]

Jumping in on the medal pic convo—I like medal pics in all the parks. Some of my favorite ones from Princess 2022 were in HS

 

[GollyGadget]

All of you with your training for marathon weekend figured out certainly have your life way more planned than I do . That's a future me problem

 

[sandam1]

Already had to talk myself off the ledge of trying to add HP world to the itinerary.

You could always completely come over to the dark side and only do Universal. Medal pics look great in front of their castle too.



(Yes, I can be a bad influence!)

 

[Marebear_runs]

SAFD: late response because I’ve been without power thanks to a major storm! I used the Hal Higdon Dopey plan for MW 2022 and it worked well for me, so I’ll probably use it again, maybe with some modifications. I’m currently using the Higdon Intermediate 2 plan for what will be my third marathon next month.

Is anyone aware of a pace calculator that takes course difficulty into account? My marathon next month will be somewhat difficult and hilly. I have a recent very difficult half marathon for comparison but I’m struggling to translate those results to a full marathon.

 

[LilyJC]

Just grabbed our flight over to MCO on SWA as they just released through January 5th! Not fantastic options for me, but check it out if you typically fly Southwest! We’ll be hoping for a change to our flight, so we can pick whichever one is best closer to the trip.

 

[nekonekoneko]

Just grabbed our flight over to MCO on SWA as they just released through January 5th! Not fantastic options for me, but check it out if you typically fly Southwest! We’ll be hoping for a change to our flight, so we can pick whichever one is best closer to the trip.

I got my flight to Disney, as well, via Southwest. The prices aren't great, but they were better than anything else the other airlines are offering.

 

[sandam1]

Booked my return flight from Wine and Dine and two options for the flight down for Marathon Weekend - one on Tuesday night and one on Wednesday morning. My prices and flight options were pretty good.

For Marathon Weekend - the flight on Wednesday morning has a stop in Baltimore which doesn't make me happy. I was very happy that there is a nonstop option on Tuesday evening that would allow me to work until 4 p.m. (working Tuesday is mandatory) and still get to the airport, which is why I grabbed it. With both flights booked, I'm probably going to be a little short of points for the trip home, but I'll deal with that later.

All in all, I'm happy - and a little relieved - to have these booked. Next is my hotel arrangements, which should be fun with two different potential arrival dates.

 

[jpeterson]

Just grabbed our flight over to MCO on SWA as they just released through January 5th! Not fantastic options for me, but check it out if you typically fly Southwest! We’ll be hoping for a change to our flight, so we can pick whichever one is best closer to the trip.

Just got my wine and dine return flight and my flight out for marathon in southwest. Both non stops and prices weren't awful. At least comparatively

 

[DopeyBadger]

Is anyone aware of a pace calculator that takes course difficulty into account? My marathon next month will be somewhat difficult and hilly. I have a recent very difficult half marathon for comparison but I’m struggling to translate those results to a full marathon.

My preferred method is using Strava Premiums Grade Adjusted Pace from a previous participant. I look up past results on the race website. Then I type in those names into Strava to find a past participant. The goal is to find a premium member who then has the GAP data. I then find the difference between their real pace and the GAP to determine the effects of hills on my real pace. If you tell me the race, I can find someone for you.

You can also use Garmin’s PacePro feature but in my experience the adjustment for hills is less aggressive than GAP. I’ve found the Strava GAP to very closely match my personal effort adjustments.

 

[Marebear_runs]

My preferred method is using Strava Premiums Grade Adjusted Pace from a previous participant. I look up past results on the race website. Then I type in those names into Strava to find a past participant. The goal is to find a premium member who then has the GAP data. I then find the difference between their real pace and the GAP to determine the effects of hills on my real pace. If you tell me the race, I can find someone for you.

You can also use Garmin’s PacePro feature but in my experience the adjustment for hills is less aggressive than GAP. I’ve found the Strava GAP to very closely match my personal effort adjustments.

Thank you, that’s a great idea! It’s the San Francisco marathon.

 

[NYC_MW]

Jumping in on the medal pic convo—I like medal pics in all the parks. Some of my favorite ones from Princess 2022 were in HS
View attachment 676696
View attachment 676697

How do you get the medals to display so nicely?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Thank you, that’s a great idea! It’s the San Francisco marathon.

Alright, these are from 2021, and I confirmed the course is the same for 2022.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5986622694
https://www.strava.com/activities/5993629600
https://www.strava.com/activities/5987441242/overview
https://www.strava.com/activities/5987577986
https://www.strava.com/activities/5987228703

These five runners are using five different watches. They measure the GPS distance of the race to be an average of 26.57 miles (range of 26.42-26.95). So if I had a specific time goal, I would base the pace off a 26.57 mile GPS finish. For example, let's say I was aiming for a 3:59:59 finish. For 26.22 miles, that's 9:09 min/mile average pace. But for 26.57 miles, that's 9:02 min/mile pace. So you need to plan to be faster than you think for a specific time goal.

These five runners have an average pace vs average GAP difference of 8 seconds (range of 5-17 seconds). So this course is 8 seconds per mile harder than a flat course. Over the course of 26.57 miles, that makes this course 212 seconds (3.5 minutes) harder (at least!). So going back to our theoretical sub-4 runner's goal. They would need to run a 9:02 min/mile pace (based on 26.57 miles), but be capable of running an 8:54 min/mile marathon tempo pace on a flat course. So what was once a 9:09 min/mile pace is now 15 sec/mile faster based on actual fitness level.

Next, I would look at each individual split. The goal is a 9:02 min/mile (for our sub-4 runner), but running 9:02 min/mile pace for every mile split is not the best strategy. It's better to take into account the elevation changes in each individual mile. So I go through and calculate the GAP difference of each individual mile.



The grey is the miles. Each of the white columns represent the five runners. The values within the white columns represent the individual's GAP difference split for each mile. The green column is the average seconds difference (or impact of hills). The purple column would be the goal splits for someone aiming for a sub-4 marathon using a 26.57 mile GPS finish time. So while their actual average pace will be a 9:02 min/mile based on their GPS, the goal split for Mile 12 is a 9:55 min/mile and goal split for Mile 15 is an 8:38 min/mile.

Hope that helps and let me know if you've got any questions. Admittedly this is one of the hardest road marathons I've seen. It's a very trying course because of its steep uphills but also because of it's rolling nature. Best of luck, and save your energy until at least after mile 18 is done. Things calm down after that.

 

[Naomeri]

How do you get the medals to display so nicely?

I put them on one by one, either right-left or left-right and make sure they’re spread apart as much as possible. I don’t wear my medals around the park, I keep them in my bag until I see a photo op I want, then I step off to the side and get myself organized.

 

[pluto377]

SAFD- I'm using a DopeyBadger plan. Right now I'm focused on a 5K in August and a 10K in September. After those, I'll get a new plan to take me through MW (I'm only doing the 5, 10 and Half).

Booked my flight down on SW today. Right now I'm flying out Tuesday night on a nonstop. There's also a nonstop on Wed morning, so I might switch to that. I'm struggling with making this feel like a vacation, but also not spending too much. I'll see what my options are for the return flight and then finalize my exact dates.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Thanks for the SW flight info! Looks like I can take a nonstop either at 6:15 am or 10:40 am on Tuesday… trying to decide which is better. 10:40 is better for me so I don’t have to be up so early, but 6:15 leaves more room for adjustments in case of cancellation, etc.

 

[sandam1]

10:40 is better for me so I don’t have to be up so early, but 6:15 leaves more room for adjustments in case of cancellation, etc.

If I have the option, I always take the first flight out. That way I know that the plane will be there in the morning.

And think of the early morning as practice for the race days.