Marathon Weekend 2026

[nancipants]

SAFD: I am one of those who don't listen to anything. Just my thoughts and solving the world's problems. When I first really got into running, I tried to listen to music, but hearing the same songs over and over, plus dealing with airpods falling out, air trapped in my ear from the airpods, I decided to go no music and never looked back.

 

[camaker]

SAFD: I am one of those who don't listen to anything. Just my thoughts and solving the world's problems. When I first really got into running, I tried to listen to music, but hearing the same songs over and over, plus dealing with airpods falling out, air trapped in my ear from the airpods, I decided to go no music and never looked back.

Sounds like you need to give bone conduction headphones a try. They were a game changer for me!

 

[MissLiss279]

View attachment 994682

At least with running outside the scenery and traffic are always changing/moving, and I have to think about where I’m going (at least on my long runs, because we don’t always run the same route).

 

[jrsharp21]

Sounds like you need to give bone conduction headphones a try. They were a game changer for me!

At this point, no going back for me. I am used to just having my thoughts and surrounding environment get me through the run. Plus, some of the events I have upcoming, no headphones of any kind allowed on the course.

 

[sandam1]

At the SS 10k my wife got annoy with me because I kept putting my AirPods in. She couldn’t understand why I would sign us up for a race if we can’t run and talk together.

I cannot run with listening to something (which, I suppose, is my answer to the SAFD question). When I run with other people, I put one earbud in the ear opposite whoever I'm running with and have music on low in the background. The only catch is that I sometimes have to remind them multiple times to not switch sides on me.

For anything that requires going fast, I use music. I have a pretty substantial playlist (250+ songs and counting) so I don't usually get tired of it. For long runs where there is a speed limit rather than a speed goal, I listen to podcasts (usually Rise & Run and/or 321 Go). For really long runs, I will put on an audiobook.

 

[Erika10021]

Goodness, I have to have music when I run. The only exception is a race at Disney going through the parks. I made a playlist with 1,400 of my favorite songs and set it to play songs in a random order. It's easy enough to skip songs, which I'll do if a slow song comes on when I am pushing for speed.

 

[rick1zoo2]

I listen to music a lot when running, but most times, not for the first mile or so. And then I have the problem of certain songs will make me run way too fast when I am supposed to be doing a slow run, so I do have to be careful about that...

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

My main thing against Galloway is the latter long runs that are SO long. Also I wonder if the two 30 minute runs mid week are sufficient. But I recognize these things work together.

FWIW, my lazy butt busy self has never made the time for the really long weekend runs. OTOH, my weekday runs tend to be 4 miles (going up to about 5 as training steps up in the fall) 3x a week, so one way to look at it is that I'm taking some off the long runs and putting it on the shorter runs.

My gut tells me stick with Galloway because it really does fit my schedule better. And either suck up the highest weeks or just go to 20-22 and call it good. I could add a third 30 minute or 3-4 mile run to the training. But would that over do it on the long run weeks?

IMHO, this would work. As several others have mentioned, the best plan is the one that works for you and your schedule and that you are able to keep doing.

One of Andrew's Theorems of Running is that if you are 65-75% trained for a run (in terms of time or distance) then the race day and crowd energy will get you to the finish line, and this has yet to be proven untrue. (Not counting injury on the course.). So if you are out there putting in the miles/time and building endurance, then you will finish, and should finish ahead of the balloon ladies.
Good luck. YMMV

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

SAFD: Celine Dion and Metal. Or Metal and Celine Dion.

. I got questions.... Several questions.
Or, on second thought, maybe not.....

 

[Barca33Runner]

. I got questions.... Several questions.
Or, on second thought, maybe not.....

I’ve got answers. I am, unironically, a huge fan of Celine Dion and Metal is my favorite genre of music. Nothing more complicated than that.

 

[KCO5988]

I've been seeing a lot of "Sunday will be the only day impacted for getting to the parks" posts, but unless something has changed dramatically in the last year or two, Magic Kingdom can be very significantly affected by the half on Saturday, too. A couple of years ago I tried heading to Magic Kingdom after finishing the half, heading back to the room and cleaning up. It was a nightmare. The bus stops at CBR were loaded with folks who had been waiting an hour or more for MK buses because traffic was so snarled up buy the race and they couldn't run their routes in anything close to their normal timing. Maybe it was a one-off, but I've avoided Saturday MK reservations since then.

So, does this mean MK would likely be less crowded on half marathon day? Since it will be harder for people to get there. If anyone knows from experience. Trying to start plan my park days (even though there's plenty of time - but I like planning haha) and was thinking of doing a few hours until lunch at MK after the half, before heading back to the hotel to relax before the full.

 

[pluto377]

SAFD: Mostly audiobooks. Sometimes a podcast if I'm between books. Races, I listen to music.

 

[LSUlakes]

Good afternoon RunDisney All-Stars! Welcome to this week's edition of Sundays are for Disney (SAFD). As training ramps up and the miles increase, how do you keep yourself entertained as the runs get longer and longer? Do you rock out to your favorite playlists, Disney or otherwise? Are podcasts or audiobooks your distraction of choice? Or are you a treadmill video warrior committed to Netflix and not quite so chill? Do you take the same approach for training runs and races?

SAFD: I tried the music playlist route early in my running career. Unfortunately, I quickly found out that I got tired of hearing the same playlist over and over again, not to mention that when I started using @DopeyBadger training plans the tempo of the music interfered with my ability to manage my pace. I've found that audiobooks are the perfect accompaniment to my running. I put on a good book, usually sci-fi or fantasy, and let my mind get lost in the story while my body ticks off the miles. The downside is the resultant bite Audible takes out of my budget!

Audiobooks are for training only, though. I typically race with nothing other than the voices in my head. I prefer to be tuned in to my body and focused on the moment on race day. The exception to this is if I'm running an ultra where I have access to support, I'll often have my headphones ready to go, if needed. I've found that I can use upbeat music to give myself a surge of energy late in a race and that can be a lifesaver.

When I first started running a long time ago, I did listen to music while doing C25k. I did not enjoy have to carry extra stuff with me so I stopped. But that wasnt the only reason. Without any sound in my ears I found it to be safer to hear cars coming down the road and just being more aware of my surroundings. Some of my long runs are done with a group, so we are social during those runs as well. I can also get into a better rhythm by listening to by breathing. I enjoy the silence of the world as the sun is coming up, the rest of my day is full of noise, so for 30 minutes to 3 hours of running a day, I just step away from it all.

 

[Herding_Cats]

So, does this mean MK would likely be less crowded on half marathon day? Since it will be harder for people to get there. If anyone knows from experience. Trying to start plan my park days (even though there's plenty of time - but I like planning haha) and was thinking of doing a few hours until lunch at MK after the half, before heading back to the hotel to relax before the full.

I'm curious about this as well. I've seen it discussed before that MK is usually lighter on marathon day as well and I'm thinking that they key for us might be to drive from SSR to Epcot (I'm assuming the parking booths will be open for people who are coming to spectate the finish area?!) and then monorail over to MK to avoid the whole trying to drive/bus into MK with all the road closures.

 

[KCO5988]

I'm curious about this as well. I've seen it discussed before that MK is usually lighter on marathon day as well and I'm thinking that they key for us might be to drive from SSR to Epcot (I'm assuming the parking booths will be open for people who are coming to spectate the finish area?!) and then monorail over to MK to avoid the whole trying to drive/bus into MK with all the road closures.

Yeah, I was figuring I could just baby wipe "shower" after the half and monorail straight over to MK when I'm finished running. Maybe stop at Contemporary for QS breakfast to eat while waiting for EE to start (since MK doesn't have any QS breakfast options I can eat).

 

[The Expert]

So, does this mean MK would likely be less crowded on half marathon day?

I'm curious about this as well. I've seen it discussed before that MK is usually lighter on marathon day as well

Can confirm from the last time I spectated the marathon (2024) and stayed at Bay Lake Tower, that MK is EMPTY on marathon day at least until early afternoon. After the balloon ladies went by, I went up to the room, checked my luggage with bell services, took my medals over to the park for pics, where I had my choice of photopass locations with zero wait and virtually nobody in the background. I took the monorail to TTC and waited in a LARGE crowd for the Epcot monorail to continue spectating from WS. When I went back, I got off at TTC, walked to Poly for a Dole Whip and took the boat back to MK, then walked to BLT to avoid monorail crowds at that point. It was a nice way to break up the journey and still get some time on my feet recovering from the other three races.

I would anticipate that HM morning is also pretty empty at MK, but maybe only until about 10:30 or 11am, when the bulk of the runners would start to have time to turn around and get there. Definitely use monorail and boat to get there, though.

 

[jmasgat]

So, does this mean MK would likely be less crowded on half marathon day? Since it will be harder for people to get there. If anyone knows from experience. Trying to start plan my park days (even though there's plenty of time - but I like planning haha) and was thinking of doing a few hours until lunch at MK after the half, before heading back to the hotel to relax before the full.

I cheered on someone from TTC for the half this year with friends. We went to MK after. We went in prior to early entry, and eventually queued up at the holding area by tea cups so we could go to Mine Train. We got on right away and were able to ride multiple times consecutively without even exiting. We wandered over to Tron-walk on. Can’t remember what else we did, but it was great-the crowds were non existent.

So if you can get there easily, it was definitely lighter volume.

 

[RuntheMouse]

We also had a great morning at MK on marathon day. We were staying at BRV so we took the boat over and ended up rope dropping (not on purpose) but knocked out SO many rides in a short amount of time including Mine Train more than once.

It is really hard trying to get there if you aren’t staying close but if you can get there, it’s amazing!

 

[accm]

So, does this mean MK would likely be less crowded on half marathon day? Since it will be harder for people to get there. If anyone knows from experience. Trying to start plan my park days (even though there's plenty of time - but I like planning haha) and was thinking of doing a few hours until lunch at MK after the half, before heading back to the hotel to relax before the full.

I'm curious about this as well. I've seen it discussed before that MK is usually lighter on marathon day as well and I'm thinking that they key for us might be to drive from SSR to Epcot (I'm assuming the parking booths will be open for people who are coming to spectate the finish area?!) and then monorail over to MK to avoid the whole trying to drive/bus into MK with all the road closures.

This is one data point, but as I finished the second half of the half marathon in 2024 by running from the contemporary to the grand and back and finished in from of MK. In the 3 times I passed the park, there was almost no one going in.

I also had people in the hot tub at BLT tell me how empty MK was on the morning of the marathon. We went to MK later in the day, but for some reason (maybe having just finished running Dopey) I have no recollection of it.

 

[accm]

After being away from these boards for a while, I finally caught up! I've had a cold 2 weeks ago and have been dealing with ear pressure/fluid problems since which has made running essentially impossible. I'm hoping to get back to normal so I can get back to running consistently. I feel guilty coming on here when I've been unable to/skipping my runs.

SAFD: If I'm running outside I'll put on music, but to be honest I tend to zone out and not pay attention to it. If I'm running on the tread, I'll do a peloton run. runDisney races I do with no music since I love the atmosphere. Other races I'll usually have music, but once again I'll usually zone it out.