Marathon weekend scheduling

[hops&dreams]

I'm trying to schedule out Marathon weekend. As someone who has never run an out of town race before (and has only done one IN town half, so far)... I don't know how much to tackle at Disney before the race.

This is my current plan:
Wed before the race - work full day, kiddo at school. Flight out around 5:30, arriving in Orlando around 8. Take Magic Express to our hotel.
Thurs - Be at Expo when it opens (10) to pick up race packets. Stay till noon? (is that enough time?) Spend the rest of the day at Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Carb load during dinner for the half.
Fri - Do 5k with kiddo. spend rest of day in Disney parks showing off our medals.
Sat - do the half. finish the half with a PR. (shouldn't be too hard - my last half stunk!). Ice bath, quick shower and wardrobe change. Spend the rest of the day wandering the parks TOTALLY showing off my medal.
Sun - cheer on full marathoners. Dream of when I'll be doing a full...
Mon-Fri - Parks - Disney and Wizarding world of Harry Potter.

Plan is to get a 2 day pass to Universal to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Should I do those days before the race, or might it be too much walking? Is that enough time? Will I want to do more at Universal? (we haven't been there before).

This whole "out of town" race thing is freaking me out. DH is freaking me out more, being all worried that the race is going to ruin our vacation. He's paranoid that DD or I will get hurt during our races, and ruin the remaining 6 days of Disney, which we only do every other year. So we all want to get the most out of each trip. To me, the "most" just includes doing a race too!

I also have to remember to hydrate - I have kidney issues, so hydration is always like walking a tight rope for me. After the plane, it'll take me a day or two to get back to normal. Thank goodness that Disney Parks have Smartwater. LOVE that stuff!

Any thoughts? (thanks for reading my ramble. DH is sick of listening to me worry about it when it's still over 6 months away!)

 

[jmasgat]

Jhennifer 2hours at the expo will be plenty of time to get numbers, bags, scount the expo---unless you are a diehard "have to shop everything" type. Word of advice---if you say ANY Disney race shirt for sale that you like, buy it. Stuff always goes.

Never been to Universal, so can't help you there. I wouldn't sweat what you do on Thursday--the 5k race is not timed, so it's really just the experience. I WOULD take it somewhat easy on Friday. Wouldn't spend all day/night on my pre-race legs. My MO for the day before is to go to park early, return around 1-2 for lunch/rest/pool or whatever and then leisurely dinner.

Post-race: Make sure you do your usual routine--i.e. icing, stretching, etc. And then go walk around. As a veteran of about 4 1/2's and 3 marathons, I have gotten to the point where halfs are just another long run and don't bother me that much (It took a couple years to get there!)

Tell DH not to worry. There is no reason to think that you will injure yourself during this race.

Don't forget to have fun--and definitely do the medals (and go to the parks and get pictures with your medal with Donald for the half and whoever is for the 5k)

maura

 

[WVUFan]

Your schedule looks good!

Depending on how much you like expos, you might want to schedule some more time there. I usually spend 3 hours or so depending on who is with me.

Also, I try to have an early night the day before a race, which can be hard at Disney! On Friday, try to take it easy and do whatever park you walk least in.

I have found that I recover quicker from races at Disney than at other places. I think it is a mixture of walking after and wanting to have fun!

Enjoy your training.

 

[stitchfan18]

My family thinks I'm going to ruin the trip too. They all keep joking that at least we'll get to use the wheel chair entrances because they think I will be so sore and unable to walk. I have a feeling that I'll be outlasting them in the parks with all my training though...
Your running definitely won't ruin your trip; you have plenty of time after the races to enjoy the parks. I ran the 5k the day before the princess 1/2 this year then went to one of the water parks for the rest of the day. It was the perfect way to get ready for the 1/2. I'm hoping it's warm enough for the same plan again in January, although I'm not too optimistic considering the time of year it will be...

 

[MouseDogMom]

Mostly echoing what others have said...

The expo will be crowded, and possibly overwhelming. Definitely grab any shirt you see that you like and hang on to it. Don't think you might come back to it. And it will all depend on how much you like to browse and shop. You could be done in an hour; you could spend 3.

Do try to get to bed early Friday night, but accept the fact that you won't get much sleep. IF you're interested, there will be a WISH meet at POP at 4:30 on Friday afternoon, but if DH is already concerned about how much time the race is going to consume, he may freak out completely about that. Mine does!

My personal experience with my first half at Disney - I finished the race, got back to the room, took a shower, ate lunch, and took a short nap while DH and DD went to the park. Then I met them there and spent the rest of the day doing the park thing (with my medal!) I can't remember how late we stayed in the park that night. Even when I've been sore I've still managed to limp through the parks - plenty of other people are doing the same thing!

The only time the running has adversely affected the trip was after Goofy in 2010, when the temps were freezing. After doing both races in arctic conditions, we'd planned to spend all day Monday in the parks. I woke up coughing and congested, and ended up going back to the room at lunch and sleeping the entire afternoon!

Have fun!

Jackie

 

[cewait]

In addition to the above....

If planning on arriving at the Expo for the opening, two hours may not be enough time. Folks start lining up early for the opening and the line will remain for a couple hours. Absent that, the time in the expo is all about your need to see everything or just the important stuff. Just so you know, the process for the expo is to arrive with waiver and ID in hand. The first stop is the Hp Pavilion (formerly known as the MilkHouse). It is on your left as you pass the baseball field. They have played with the arrangement in the pavillion but you may be on the upper deck at the far end for one race and on the floor for the other race bibs. There you receive your bibs. From there you walk to the Josten's Center for the freebie stuff pick up. The shirts are in the very back of the building so you must walk through the expo to get there. Official merchandise is also located there. As mentioned, make sure you buy what you want while there.

As far as your Friday schedule, just make sure you do not overcook it. What first time Disney runners do not realize before they go through it a couple times is that you will be up on race morning between 2 and 3 AM. Likewise, you will not sleep week on Friday night so the combination of a heavy park day, tough time sleeping and an really early wake up time can make the last half of the race feel a little tough.

Post race, after stretching and bathing a late breakfast is always a great start to cruising the parks. You will start to feel the need to nap in mid afternoon... just go with what your body says.