Marathon Weekend 2024

[RunWI1265]

--> You can park hop anytime but only after January 9 but you still need park reservations but only if we go before 2PM except for Magic Kingdom but only on Saturday and Sunday. Oh and by the way we are announcing "Good to Go Days" which means on select days and/or parks you do not need a reservation but the day and/or the park have not been announced and may vary.

I am sorry, but this is insane!!

I’m laughing because everything you said is true! Like how confusing and complicated can we make something that should be so simple?! Hopefully one day we can go back to just….showing up. The reservations don’t bother me too much because we are AP out of staters so we usually have our park days planned in advance. And reservations aren’t hard to come by like they used to be. But the 2pm park hopping really sucked and I’m glad it’s going away!

 

[1lilspark]

The tulle petticoat I have planned for W&D better be fine. No hoops or anything rigid involved, and it’s knee-length: basically, it’s a tutu, just worn under a dress. If the runner in the image had a thin skirt over the tutu, it would be the same thing. According to the policy, it should be perfectly fine… but we’ve seen how the people policing sometimes go rogue.

I keep waffling about if I want to bring a back up outfit to gear check before the 5k at W&D just in case my 2019 shopdisney queen of hearts dress gets flagged or if worse case scenario I just run in the crop top and bike shorts layered underneath

^^This totally!! I have an AP and a trip in November and then for MW which I am staying beyond 1/9. I need to sign up for an online class just to keep track of what I can or need to do when. At this point, what value is keeping the park reservation system? It feels like those crazy math problems..."two trains leave the station at different times and travel at different speeds..."

--> You can park hop anytime but only after January 9 but you still need park reservations but only if we go before 2PM except for Magic Kingdom but only on Saturday and Sunday. Oh and by the way we are announcing "Good to Go Days" which means on select days and/or parks you do not need a reservation but the day and/or the park have not been announced and may vary.

I am sorry, but this is insane!!

This complexity is 100% why in April I may gamble on letting my AP lapse to focus on cruising (DCL or other wise)

 

[Naomeri]

I keep waffling about if I want to bring a back up outfit to gear check before the 5k at W&D just in case my 2019 shopdisney queen of hearts dress gets flagged or if worse case scenario I just run in the crop top and bike shorts layered underneath

This complexity is 100% why in April I may gamble on letting my AP lapse to focus on cruising (DCL or other wise)

I can’t imagine them having a problem with any clothes bought from Disney (aside from things that are too long)

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I keep waffling about if I want to bring a back up outfit to gear check before the 5k at W&D just in case my 2019 shopdisney queen of hearts dress gets flagged or if worse case scenario I just run in the crop top and bike shorts layered underneath

This complexity is 100% why in April I may gamble on letting my AP lapse to focus on cruising (DCL or other wise)

Snarky me: "I'm sorry, but those bike shorts are layered. Please make your way to this opening in the fence where you will be escorted from the event."

;-)

 

[Zutroy]

^^ At this point, what value is keeping the park reservation system? It feels like those crazy math problems..."two trains leave the station at different times and travel at different speeds..."

The reservation system purely benefits Disney because they know ahead of time how to staff the parks. The highest cost of any business is payroll, and the reservation system lets Disney not over staff a park on slow days and to manage employee schedules for busy days. Everyone hates it, but I feel it’s going to stay for a while.

 

[nekonekoneko]

The reservation system purely benefits Disney because they know ahead of time how to staff the parks. The highest cost of any business is payroll, and the reservation system lets Disney not over staff a park on slow days and to manage employee schedules for busy days. Everyone hates it, but I feel it’s going to stay for a while.

The reservation system before the pandemic was prebooking FP+s. They were able to adjust how many people were coming into the park by how many FPs they were offering, especially for the T1 rides. Once they took the prebooking away, they needed a way to limit crowds (and thereby limit staffing).

So prebooking G+ will do something similar.

 

[Baloo in MI]

Good morning runDisney All-Stars!! The pace is picking up! My days to Disney World countdown say 79. Becoming more real all the time. For today’s question it is time to talk about nutrition, how do you handle calories on race days?

My answer: For Dopey I divide the 4 races into two different plans. 5K & 10K I follow my standard race day breakfast - bagel with peanut butter, small amount of coffee and an apple. But then I just have whatever the race is providing (though for the 10K I do bring one fruit bar to eat at the half way point). But for the half and full I try to focus on bringing in at least 100 calories every three miles. I use either Clif Bloks or fruit bars. To this I add in the race banana and sometimes the sports beans. I always drink water and Powerade at each station. When it is hot it is one Powerade - drink immediately, one water - pour it on my head or in my hat and put that on my head and then one more water to drink usually with Bloks or a bar. Very interested to see how others approach nutrition on race day.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

SAFD: I run 5k and 10k races with the occasional 15k or ten miler so I don't need a big breakfast. I'll have a complex carb and a quick carb for breakfast, plus a banana with my caffeine of choice. Then I'll bring another quick carb to have in the car at local races or in the corral at Disney, probably an hour before the race. Then during the race is my water and honey packets and salt chews. I can't do gels, even Honey Stinger, but the honey goes right down. I take a honey every 30 minutes or so and I take my salt chews based on the weather and humidity. If I don't replenish my electrolytes I get a horrible headache so my focus is on that for sure.

 

[Herding_Cats]

SAFD:
Pre-race: toast (or similar) with peanut butter and then an oatmeal for later (this is super easy to put in a disposable coffee cup and bring with me to the corrals, although it will be cold by the time I get around to eating it.)

5k/10k: I don't fuel. One water and one powerade at each aid station.

Half: One water and one powerade at each aid station. 2-3 "energy" things (gu, huma, stroopwaffle, etc) approximately 1 every hour, depending on how I'm feeling. I bring food in my gearcheck bag and eat something as soon as I get through the finish chute and can get to my bag, usually a PBJ. If things go well, I try to eat a big lunch. If things don't go well I try to nibble on snacks all day, and I'll eat anything that sounds good. This is because if things aren't going well I will have zero appetite and really struggle to eat anything for the rest of the day.

Full: One water and one powerade at each aid station. Energy" things (gu, huma, stroopwaffle, etc) approximately 1 every hour, depending on how I'm feeling. Bananas when they are offered. Chocolate when it's offered. I bring food in my gearcheck bag and eat something as soon as I get through the finish chute and can get to my bag, usually a PBJ. Last MW, DH met me by mission space and handed off a donut, which I annihilated after crossing the finish line (so there's a good chance I'll make a food stop coming through Epcot this coming weekend as well.)

Aside from IN-RACE food, I try to eat a bigger lunch, smaller dinner, not too much fried food. If I can manage a vegetable, that's good, but I want to be taking in calories, not just filling myself up (if that makes sense.) I don't do any kind of formal carb-loading, but I do give myself permission for more starchy things in the 3 days leading up to the half and full marathon (hello, bread service at sanaa or nomad lounge!) The longer races can really shut down my appetite, so I'll eat almost anything on Saturday.

I do try to limit myself to one adult beverage per day when I have a race the next day. (Parking lot pineapple ciders don't count.)

 

[matt and beth]

Good morning runDisney All-Stars!! The pace is picking up! My days to Disney World countdown say 79. Becoming more real all the time. For today’s question it is time to talk about nutrition, how do you handle calories on race days?

My answer: For Dopey I divide the 4 races into two different plans. 5K & 10K I follow my standard race day breakfast - bagel with peanut butter, small amount of coffee and an apple. But then I just have whatever the race is providing (though for the 10K I do bring one fruit bar to eat at the half way point). But for the half and full I try to focus on bringing in at least 100 calories every three miles. I use either Clif Bloks or fruit bars. To this I add in the race banana and sometimes the sports beans. I always drink water and Powerade at each station. When it is hot it is one Powerade - drink immediately, one water - pour it on my head or in my hat and put that on my head and then one more water to drink usually with Bloks or a bar. Very interested to see how others approach nutrition on race day.

1. Pop tarts and coffee before the race.
2. Mostly water and maybe a Powerade or two but don’t drink too much during race.
3. Eat the seeds, pretzels, bananas after the race for electrolytes.
4. Lunch includes protein with some carbs.
5. 2-3 Jai Alai at the pool. And nap in lounger.
6. Early dinner with 50/50 protein and carbs. And 1-2 Jai Alai.
7. Bedtime by 8.
8. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: probably very poorly

I eat a little brioche waffle while standing around in the starting area, and probably another in the corral. I figured out on a virtual half in August that I can also stuff one in my pocket and eat it mid-run. I’ve used gummy bears in the past, but they weren’t filling enough.

 

[huskies90]

The reservation system purely benefits Disney because they know ahead of time how to staff the parks. The highest cost of any business is payroll, and the reservation system lets Disney not over staff a park on slow days and to manage employee schedules for busy days. Everyone hates it, but I feel it’s going to stay for a while.

Yes, this was true when everyone was using the park reservation system. Now it is pretty much just AP. It cannot be providing that much info. Especially at this level of precision. There are other ways statistically to predict crowds without making your guests jump thru convoluted hoops every time they want to visit. Heck, Len Testa has been doing it for 20+ years without the precision of a reservation system.

 

[azrivest]

1. Pop tarts and coffee before the race.
2. Mostly water and maybe a Powerade or two but don’t drink too much during race.
3. Eat the seeds, pretzels, bananas after the race for electrolytes.
4. Lunch includes protein with some carbs.
5. 2-3 Jai Alai at the pool. And nap in lounger.
6. Early dinner with 50/50 protein and carbs. And 1-2 Jai Alai.
7. Bedtime by 8.
8. Rinse and repeat.

This might be TMI, but how do you avoid GI issues with alcohol? I have to go zero alcohol during race weekends if I want to avoid bathroom breaks during the race

 

[matt and beth]

This might be TMI, but how do you avoid GI issues with alcohol? I have to go zero alcohol during race weekends if I want to avoid bathroom breaks during the race

Don’t generally have any issues. Definitely avoid hard alcohol under any circumstances. The beers are spread out over several hours. Had a couple of beers at the pool and then shared a bottle of red with my wife at the Flying Fish before the Princess Half and that WAS rough (sluggish). I generally avoid medicine including ibuprofen because it’s hard on my stomach. The Jai Alai is an IPA with hops that provides carb loading, ani inflammation, helps relax blood vessels for increased circulation, and antioxidants.

 

[RunWI1265]

SAFD: I stick to something simple in the morning like bagel w PB. My daughter has a peanut allergy so when I travel without her I eat as much peanut butter as possible because I miss it so much! Sometimes I’ll bring a Clif bar or Rx bar to eat in the corral. I’d love to have coffee pre-race but the risk is not worth the reward for me. When I’m doing Dopey or any challenge I try to be mindful of what I eat in the parks throughout the day as well. Usually chicken + veggies (borrrring!) Nothing too wild or out of the ordinary except the egg roll cart as many days as possible

During the races I do water only + stinger gels every 30 mins or the gummies if I need to switch it up but I prefer the gels. And I do salt every 30 and eventually one every 15 to keep myself busy in those later miles. I think this is what I do? I never remember and always have to check my notes the night before the race when I’m questioning myself and whether I should add or subtract something new I’ve never calculated my intake and whether or not it’s enough or too little.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

SAFD: This year I had a bagel, peanut butter, half a cup of coffee, and water before the 10k, half, and full. For the half and full I also had a Huma gel and water 15-20 mins before the start and then approx every 30-45 mins. Water at all stations. Huma gel w/ caffeine about half or 3/4 way through.

But in real life I run in the mornings and don’t eat before hand (except for a Huma and water 15-20 mins before a long run), so this year I’m going with more of a ‘don’t do anything different’ approach. Eating and the coffee before the race seemed to throw me off on stomach/bathroom timing in a way I didn’t like, so sticking with what I know this time.

I am also going to try carrying my own bottle so I can add Huma powder from time to time. I was hesitant to do that this year but saw people doing it pretty frequently so seems easy enough.

Funny the alcohol talk, not that I’m some lush but WDW usually = vacation and I found avoiding my usual favorite spots and beverages very hard!

 

[accm]

SAFD:
I’m still playing around to figure out what works best for me.
I’ll generally force myself to eat an English muffin with almond butter and honey while waiting for the buses.
During the races, I don’t stop for water or fuel for the 5k or 10k. For the half and full, starting at around 20ish minutes, I’ll take a cliff block every 15ish minutes, then half an hour later take a gel, then 20ish minutes later do that again. I’m still figuring out water. I was scared of the heat/humidity everyone was talking about, so took two waters at every water station. I over hydrated and ended up needing to stop to pee over 4 times.

 

[flav]

This might be TMI, but how do you avoid GI issues with alcohol? I have to go zero alcohol during race weekends if I want to avoid bathroom breaks during the race

Boring answer coming: No alcohol prior. I might have one drink sometime (maybe even the next day) after the last race. Alcohol affects my sleep and I already do not have enough during race weekend One thing I like about Disney is the variety of non-alcoholic drinks: Dole Whip floats, slushies, various at Epcot booths, Nohito, Carbon Freeze at Oga’s, Night Blossom at AK, POG, etc.

 

[camaker]

SAFD: I've got things pretty standardized for the races. I eat a Zone Perfect bar and a Kind bar before each race. For the 5k & 10k no nutrition is needed during the race. For the half, I'll typically take a Huma gel or Honey Stinger gummy pack mid-race. During the marathon, I'll take a Huma gel or Honey Stinger gummy pack every 45 minutes or so, supplementing with a banana when available. Other than that, I eat whatever I'm feeling in the parks throughout the rest of the day.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

SAFD: Fueling is something I am definitely still working on. Right now, my strategy is to start with coffee and a light-ish breakfast (banana bread with PB is my favorite if I have it). If I'll be waiting a long time before the race, I'll bring a snack for the corrals too.

For a 10K or less, I don't carry fluids or nutrition, though if it's warm I'll grab a cup from a water stop to dump on myself and maybe throw in the general direction of my mouth. For longer races, I carry my handheld water bottle with Skratch and then refill with water on-course, and I try to do a gel every 30-45 minutes - I like the brown GUs, Maurten, and UCAN. I'm really bad about remembering to take the gels, though! I get distracted by the race

Re: alcohol - I don't drink the day before a race where I'm actually racing. If I don't care about my time, though, it's not a big deal to have a drink or two, especially if I'm out doing something fun. I often have a glass of wine with dinner and run the next morning, so I guess my body has just gotten used to it