Marathon Weekend 2025

[Stitch&Co.]

Running math is definitely its own thing. I like to refer to it as Fuzzy math.

 

[stitchnj]

SAFD… and running is for listening to music. It’s the only sustained time I have to indulge my love of music, so I make the most of it! I have a bunch of different playlists, including a general running one with a couple thousand songs in it to shuffle up. Others are thematic: Totally 80s (which is mostly alternative 80s stuff like Love & Rockets, Adam Ant, New Order), Dead Run (all Grateful Dead), Just the Classics (all classical, mostly symphonies), Big Band Baybee (swinging big band tunes from the 40s), All That Jazz (classic jazz - everything from Sidney Bechet to John Coltrane to Miles Davis), Speed Kills Del (all fast stuff to motivate me for speed work), Runnin’ & Rhymin’ (rap and hip hop), Dark Side (all Star Wars), Flooooow (all EDM), The Nick Rhodes of It All (all Duran Duran), Go For Baroque (all chamber music with a lot of Vivaldi and Handel). Oh and special Halloween and Christmas seasonal playlists, too. I also love taking a long run to listen to an entire amazing album in recorded order, as the gods and musicians intended - if I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be The Police Synchronicity, but the TRON Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk is a close second.

I do sometimes do a podcast if I’m falling behind on those: I prefer to podcast in the car, though.

Are these fabulous playlists on Spotify and if so, are you willing to share? I’m always looking for new tunes!

 

[PrincessV]

Are these fabulous playlists on Spotify and if so, are you willing to share? I’m always looking for new tunes!

Sorry, no Spotify - I’m old: 80% of my music came from CDs (that replaced the cassette tapes that replaced the vinyl…) that I transferred to my Apple Music file and the other 20% I’ve purchased digitally over the years!

 

[Baloo in MI]

SAFD… and running is for listening to music. It’s the only sustained time I have to indulge my love of music, so I make the most of it! I have a bunch of different playlists, including a general running one with a couple thousand songs in it to shuffle up. Others are thematic: Totally 80s (which is mostly alternative 80s stuff like Love & Rockets, Adam Ant, New Order), Dead Run (all Grateful Dead), Just the Classics (all classical, mostly symphonies), Big Band Baybee (swinging big band tunes from the 40s), All That Jazz (classic jazz - everything from Sidney Bechet to John Coltrane to Miles Davis), Speed Kills Del (all fast stuff to motivate me for speed work), Runnin’ & Rhymin’ (rap and hip hop), Dark Side (all Star Wars), Flooooow (all EDM), The Nick Rhodes of It All (all Duran Duran), Go For Baroque (all chamber music with a lot of Vivaldi and Handel). Oh and special Halloween and Christmas seasonal playlists, too. I also love taking a long run to listen to an entire amazing album in recorded order, as the gods and musicians intended - if I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be The Police Synchronicity, but the TRON Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk is a close second.

I do sometimes do a podcast if I’m falling behind on those: I prefer to podcast in the car, though.

Such a good idea! I always just listen to a playlist. Listening to a full album in order on a run. Going to try this on next long run.

Synchronicity, such a good album!

 

[DisneyParrothead]

Sorry, no Spotify - I’m old: 80% of my music came from CDs (that replaced the cassette tapes that replaced the vinyl…) that I transferred to my Apple Music file and the other 20% I’ve purchased digitally over the years!

I'm the same way. I have everything on my phone because God forbid something was going on with Spotify on race day.

 

[stitchnj]

I pay for spotify premium and can download the playlists.

 

[lahobbs4]

SAFD: I also raw-dog it when it comes to running & listening! I focus on my breath and steps much better that way. Also it's usually the only time in my day where there isn't any noise and I thoroughly enjoy that part of running the most!

 

[Psymonds]

Running math is definitely its own thing. I like to refer to it as Fuzzy math.

it involves a lot of negotiation on my part. (oh I'm just .25 miles from halfway to the turnaround)

 

[kps7795]

I have been using a Nathan hydration belt for the last two years, but I want to switch to a handheld water bottle. It seems a little silly, but the impetus is to not cover up my costume shirt. For those that use a handheld water bottle, which can you recommend?

 

[runwithperseverence7]

SAFD: Music is my preferred listening on the run. Mostly praise and worship songs (don’t be surprised to find me throwing my hands in the air). I have a marathon grind playlist (Skillet, Tedashi, Lecrae, etc.) with songs that help get through those hard miles at the end. Sometimes I’ll go through the Apple Music pop hits playlists (90s & 00s). If I listen to podcasts it’s usually on long runs. Dopey training I’ll get to listen to more. My favorites are Choose Strong, Ali on the Run Show, Another Mother Runner, Rise and Run, Run for God: Run Club podcast. Props to the people that don’t listen to anything. My mind can’t do it. The music actually helps me stay focused on my intervals and paces. If I end up forgetting AirPods or they die, my fall back is to pray. My brain will also zero in on a couple of lines from a song and constantly repeat it. Over and over and over. I’ve even had people tell me when I ran track it looked like I was listening to music when I ran. well I was, but only one or two lines over and over again.


Also, I completed my 10 miler on Sunday. Hit a PR. Was 4 minutes faster than last year. But it was hot! So taking my rest and then starting Dopey training next week. But please tell me that Disney in January does not come with a start temp of 74, 98% humidity, and dew point of 74.

 

[LorrieAnn5]

SAFD: Listening on Runs.....
Mostly for training runs I listen to whatever audiobook I'm "reading" at the time.
If the training run is an easy run of 20-35 minutes then I put on Duolingo Spanish Podcast. The episodes are usually about 30 minutes give or take, and are a combination of English and Spanish. Then after the run, I read the transcript to make sure I understood the episode fully.
During a race I have a playlist of pop and country songs that give me a mental boost and maybe, sometimes a cadence or speed boost too, in theory.

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD: Celine Dion and metal. Or metal and Celine Dion. Either works.

 

[PrincessV]

I have been using a Nathan hydration belt for the last two years, but I want to switch to a handheld water bottle. It seems a little silly, but the impetus is to not cover up my costume shirt. For those that use a handheld water bottle, which can you recommend?

I’ve been using the same amphipod 12oz handheld for a decade now - super comfortable to carry and easy to use. This seems to be the current version of what I have: https://amphipod.com/jett-lite-thermal/

 

[RuntheMouse]

I have been using a Nathan hydration belt for the last two years, but I want to switch to a handheld water bottle. It seems a little silly, but the impetus is to not cover up my costume shirt. For those that use a handheld water bottle, which can you recommend?

I’ve been using a Nathan insulated handheld for a couple of years. Carried it for the past 2 Disney marathons.

https://www.nathansports.com/collec...d-handheld-bottle-18oz?variant=40999362297944

 

[Herding_Cats]

Also, I completed my 10 miler on Sunday. Hit a PR. Was 4 minutes faster than last year. But it was hot! So taking my rest and then starting Dopey training next week. But please tell me that Disney in January does not come with a start temp of 74, 98% humidity, and dew point of 74.

One of the DopeyBadger posts in here has the historic weather temps, etc for the last 8+ years for the race weekend. And it's color coded. It'll definitely get posted at some point in December when we start obsessing over the weather forecast. But to answer your question, it's unlikely to be quite that warm.

 

[kps7795]

I’ve been using a Nathan insulated handheld for a couple of years. Carried it for the past 2 Disney marathons.

https://www.nathansports.com/collec...d-handheld-bottle-18oz?variant=40999362297944

Have you tried using the noninsulated as well as the insulated handheld? I'm curious about the weight over the course of a marathon and if the insulated water bottle would get overly cumbersome over 26.2 miles.

 

[Zutroy]

One of the DopeyBadger posts in here has the historic weather temps, etc for the last 8+ years for the race weekend. And it's color coded. It'll definitely get posted at some point in December when we start obsessing over the weather forecast. But to answer your question, it's unlikely to be quite that warm.

Lol, 2020 Marathon says hello, where starting temps were in the 70s, rose to 86, and the humidity was 94%. I remember that year someone handed me what I thought was a large block of Swiss cheese around Hollywood Studios, and I was thoroughly confused before I realized it was a wet yellow sponge. It’s Florida in January. It could be anywhere from 20 degrees to 80 degrees.

 

[jrsharp21]

SAFD: Like others, I originally would listen to music. After a while I got tired of listening to the same songs over and over. On top of that, always having to make sure my airpods were charged up. I finally decided to ditch the music. I have never looked back after that. My runs now consist of solving the worlds problems in my head and listening for bikers coming up the rear.

 

[fatmanatee]

Here's the old @DopeyBadger T+D chart:



2022 was also really rough. High of 79 degrees and you felt all of it in that dead zone between AK and HS.

 

[The Expert]

Lol, 2020 Marathon says hello, where starting temps were in the 70s, rose to 86, and the humidity was 94%. I remember that year someone handed me what I thought was a large block of Swiss cheese around Hollywood Studios, and I was thoroughly confused before I realized it was a wet yellow sponge. It’s Florida in January. It could be anywhere from 20 degrees to 80 degrees.

^^^ THIS ^^^ And those sponges were LIFE at that point! Hot tip: If it is warm and they do hand out sponges, don't toss it after it dries or warms up. Rewet it at the next water stop -- or even better, plunge it in the ice bag they'll likely give you later in the course! I stored mine in the front of my sports bra between refreshes.