Official 2018 Star Wars Dark Side Weekend

[PrincessV]

Are you all following training plans or just making up your own as you go? If so, where do you get your training plans from? I like the Runner's World plans a lot.

Both: I make my own training plans.

 

[BikeFan]

Got in a 14 mile long run yesterday and surprisingly my legs feel great today.

Are you all following training plans or just making up your own as you go? If so, where do you get your training plans from? I like the Runner's World plans a lot.

That's a good sign three weeks out. Good work!

As for plans, since Dark Side is more of a fun run, I've got no plan - just running my usual 5-6 runs per week as part of base maintenance mileage. My only worries are how long the photo stop lines might be! Lots of pictures and finishing with a smile are my only real goals.

When I follow a plan, I usually use a Hansons plan, or something designed along those principles. 3 easy runs, 3 workouts (speed work, tempo, and long run) in between, and a rest day.

 

[kywyldcat03]

I was worried I might be placed in Corral C since my POT was just over 2:00 by a few seconds but I am in Corral B. That is my best start yet and very excited! Hopefully I will run into some of you at the race!

 

[Goofy2015]

Well, I was hoping for Corral A for the Half, ended up in Corral B. Probably will be in Corral A for the 10K.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Got in a 14 mile long run yesterday and surprisingly my legs feel great today.

Are you all following training plans or just making up your own as you go? If so, where do you get your training plans from? I like the Runner's World plans a lot.

I follow the runDisney Galloway plans, but tweak and adjust as needed. For instance, this weekend calls for a 5 mile and 14 mile back to back runs that I cannot afford to run given much more pressing demands on my time. Instead, I'm running 8 miles on Saturday so my body doesn't forget what a long run feels like.

 

[DisneyLove2015]

Anyone have any advice? DS and I are running the 5k together. Our training runs have us at about 40 minutes to complete a 5k, obviously not factoring in stopping for characters.

Would an 8:15 Adr at Epcot be pushing it? DH and DD would meet us there for breakfast. We currently have a reservation at Garden Grill that morning. I just wasn't sure if we could expect to be done before 8 to go check in for breakfast with the rest of our family. Or if it's even easy to get from the finish area back to the front gate.

 

[Keels]

Anyone have any advice? DS and I are running the 5k together. Our training runs have us at about 40 minutes to complete a 5k, obviously not factoring in stopping for characters.

Would an 8:15 Adr at Epcot be pushing it? DH and DD would meet us there for breakfast. We currently have a reservation at Garden Grill that morning. I just wasn't sure if we could expect to be done before 8 to go check in for breakfast with the rest of our family. Or if it's even easy to get from the finish area back to the front gate.

I think you'll be just fine. If you start at 6 a.m., and then finish by 7, you'll have a little time to kill in the finish area and then you can just walk from the Finish Area in the Create portion of the Epcot Parking lot up to the front gate of Epcot - it will give you a buffer on time to get through bag check and what not.

 

[jaxonp]

I think you'll be just fine. If you start at 6 a.m., and then finish by 7, you'll have a little time to kill in the finish area and then you can just walk from the Finish Area in the Create portion of the Epcot Parking lot up to the front gate of Epcot - it will give you a buffer on time to get through bag check and what not.

Plus they give you a solid 10 min window

 

[Jsciv]

I'm starting to get nervous and excited (in a good way)! This is going to be my first half marathon ever as well as my first WDW race. I had been doing the 10k races at DL and was thinking of increasing to a half, but after construction canceled runs there for a while I had to decide what to do for motivation (there are local runs, but I'm a Disney kid and that's way more fun) so I landed on making this my first half. I'm going to make the distance I'm pretty sure, though my time won't be probably what I'd like it to be, but I love that the end of the route is through DHS and Epcot: that's going to motivate me to finish strong. I'm glad to hear any general advice, but I do have a couple of specific questions regarding WDW races:

For people who come from the west coast, any tips on moving sleep schedule around so that I'm not too tired on the day? I have some ideas on what I want to do, but any tips would be cool.

I'm at All Star. How long does it take to get from there to the corrals?

They seems to strongly discourage a gear bag (I suppose because they have to transport them), but I am absolutely going to want a towel and a dry shirt to change into at the finish line. Do a lot of people do gear bags?

The map shows plenty of water stops so that's cool. It also shows a food stop. What's at the food stop?

 

[Keels]

Now for the really important stuff - does anyone remember what color the beer cup at the Expo was last year? I'm leaving for Florida on Saturday and want to bring one with me if I have the right color because, you know, fiscal responsibility ...

 

[FFigawi]

Now for the really important stuff - does anyone remember what color the beer cup at the Expo was last year? I'm leaving for Florida on Saturday and want to bring one with me if I have the right color because, you know, fiscal responsibility ...

They don't weigh much. Bring them all.

 

[Keels]

They don't weigh much. Bring them all.

If I pack nine cups with me just to save a couple bucks during race weekend, Mr. Keels is going to look at me like I've sprouted a third head.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

If I pack nine cups with me just to save a couple bucks during race weekend, Mr. Keels is going to look at me like I've sprouted a third head.

Haven’t you already?

Pretty sure it was white or black

 

[Keels]

Haven’t you already?

Pretty sure it was white or black

Bah, you're probably right.

I guess I'll just bring a clear one from Marathon and see what they say. Maybe I'll film myself getting denied, create a viral video on YouTube and become internet famous!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I guess I'll just bring a clear one from Marathon and see what they say. Maybe I'll film myself getting denied, create a viral video on YouTube and become internet famous!

Says the official Keels of RunDisney

 

[Keels]

Says the official Keels of RunDisney

You're right. They'll probably just give me whatever I want.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I'm starting to get nervous and excited (in a good way)! This is going to be my first half marathon ever as well as my first WDW race. I had been doing the 10k races at DL and was thinking of increasing to a half, but after construction canceled runs there for a while I had to decide what to do for motivation (there are local runs, but I'm a Disney kid and that's way more fun) so I landed on making this my first half. I'm going to make the distance I'm pretty sure, though my time won't be probably what I'd like it to be, but I love that the end of the route is through DHS and Epcot: that's going to motivate me to finish strong. I'm glad to hear any general advice, but I do have a couple of specific questions regarding WDW races:

For people who come from the west coast, any tips on moving sleep schedule around so that I'm not too tired on the day? I have some ideas on what I want to do, but any tips would be cool.

I'm at All Star. How long does it take to get from there to the corrals?

They seems to strongly discourage a gear bag (I suppose because they have to transport them), but I am absolutely going to want a towel and a dry shirt to change into at the finish line. Do a lot of people do gear bags?

The map shows plenty of water stops so that's cool. It also shows a food stop. What's at the food stop?

I'm taking the redeye from California to Orlando and will arrive on Thursday. I'll go to bed very early Thursday night and that will take care of my jet lag. Worked perfectly last year.

I don't remember bus transportation time. I did stay at All Star Sports for the 2012 Wine & Dine Half. For what it's worth, the All Stars are furthest away from the Magic Kingdom and the 10K and Half start from the Magic Kingdom parking lot. The 5K starts at Epcot and all 3 races finish at Epcot.

They will give you a cooling towel at the finish line. Honestly, unless you plan on going into Epcot after the race and not going back to your resort for a very long time, I'm not sure there's any benefit to packing a gear bag for just a towel and dry shirt. Depending on how quickly you put that dry shirt on after the race, it may not stay dry for very long. Last year, I stood in the photo lines I wanted to after the 10K and Half and showered and changed back at my resort. And if you don't care about photos after the race, you can skip all that and catch a bus back to your resort.

The fuel stop will have sport beans I believe. If not those, then some kind of gu or energy chew. The 5K and 10K do not have fuel stops, but they do have water stops. The Half has water and powerade stops. I always recommend carrying your own water and/or electrolyte drink because you never know when you may need it independent of the on course stops. Plus, the first on course stop was completely out when I passed it last year. Thankfully, I ignored the advice of people to not carry my own water and/or powerade and was just fine.

 

[Bulldogmommy]

I'm starting to get nervous and excited (in a good way)! This is going to be my first half marathon ever as well as my first WDW race. I had been doing the 10k races at DL and was thinking of increasing to a half, but after construction canceled runs there for a while I had to decide what to do for motivation (there are local runs, but I'm a Disney kid and that's way more fun) so I landed on making this my first half. I'm going to make the distance I'm pretty sure, though my time won't be probably what I'd like it to be, but I love that the end of the route is through DHS and Epcot: that's going to motivate me to finish strong. I'm glad to hear any general advice, but I do have a couple of specific questions regarding WDW races:

For people who come from the west coast, any tips on moving sleep schedule around so that I'm not too tired on the day? I have some ideas on what I want to do, but any tips would be cool.

I'm at All Star. How long does it take to get from there to the corrals?

They seems to strongly discourage a gear bag (I suppose because they have to transport them), but I am absolutely going to want a towel and a dry shirt to change into at the finish line. Do a lot of people do gear bags?

The map shows plenty of water stops so that's cool. It also shows a food stop. What's at the food stop?

Personally for us, we started checking a gear bag... Here's why, at the end you get water, powerade, banana, and snack box. If you want to take pics, hang out, etc. it's hard to hold everything, etc. We've learned to actually pack our favorite race bag with draw strings inside the clear bag, cause it's just easier to have a back pack than lug around the big clear bag from Disney. Gear check is easy and efficient. Don't be afraid to use it. It takes no time at all. Happy Running! 2 weeks to departure date! So excited

 

[PrincessV]

I'm at All Star. How long does it take to get from there to the corrals?

How long it takes from any resort is dependent on traffic: the later you wait to board a bus, the heavier the traffic and longer the ride. It should be about 15-20 minutes, but if your driver gets lost (it happens at least once at almost every race), and/or there's a back-up of traffic going into the parking lot, it could be a lot longer. Take an early bus if you don't want to chance it!

They seems to strongly discourage a gear bag (I suppose because they have to transport them), but I am absolutely going to want a towel and a dry shirt to change into at the finish line. Do a lot of people do gear bags?

Plenty of folks do! Bags do sometimes get lost, so please don't put anything of value that can't easily be replaced in there.

The map shows plenty of water stops so that's cool. It also shows a food stop. What's at the food stop?

Lately, its been a small pack of Sport beans.

Now for the really important stuff - does anyone remember what color the beer cup at the Expo was last year?

Generic ESPN clear cup. Possibly with sparkles (I can't zoom in far enough on my pic to tell for sure.)[/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

 

[FlashAM7]

I'm taking the redeye from California to Orlando and will arrive on Thursday. I'll go to bed very early Thursday night and that will take care of my jet lag. Worked perfectly last year.

I don't remember bus transportation time. I did stay at All Star Sports for the 2012 Wine & Dine Half. For what it's worth, the All Stars are furthest away from the Magic Kingdom and the 10K and Half start from the Magic Kingdom parking lot. The 5K starts at Epcot and all 3 races finish at Epcot.

They will give you a cooling towel at the finish line. Honestly, unless you plan on going into Epcot after the race and not going back to your resort for a very long time, I'm not sure there's any benefit to packing a gear bag for just a towel and dry shirt. Depending on how quickly you put that dry shirt on after the race, it may not stay dry for very long. Last year, I stood in the photo lines I wanted to after the 10K and Half and showered and changed back at my resort. And if you don't care about photos after the race, you can skip all that and catch a bus back to your resort.

The fuel stop will have sport beans I believe. If not those, then some kind of gu or energy chew. The 5K and 10K do not have fuel stops, but they do have water stops. The Half has water and powerade stops. I always recommend carrying your own water and/or electrolyte drink because you never know when you may need it independent of the on course stops. Plus, the first on course stop was completely out when I passed it last year. Thankfully, I ignored the advice of people to not carry my own water and/or powerade and was just fine.

They will have the Sport Beans. If you haven't been training with them and need to take in some sort of gel/fuel during the race, I'd recommend bringing a gel or two. I learned this the hard way during the Wine & Dine half where I ended up burping for about 3 miles after taking the sport beans. I will be sure to bring a Clif gel this time around.

Also it's worth to point out the Sport Beans stop is after Mile 8 which is very late in the race.