Planning for marathon weekend 2009

[laughinplace199]

Ok, so although I'm terrified at the thought of running a marathon , I'm thrilled to be going back to WDW .

Planning a WDW trip puts me in my happy place and helps me not to think about the actual race. Although I'm scared (or maybe anxious is a better word?), I really am looking forward to running the marathon.

I have our flights and hotel booked and I realized that the 180 day ADR date is looming. I'm trying to get a feel for how much walking/park activity we could/should do pre-race and how much we should rest. If we arrive on Fri, should we try to do a park and then rest on Sat? Should we do a park for a few hours on Sat? I'm trying to figure out where we'll be and where/what we should eat.

If any of you wise and experienced WISHers would like to send some advice my way, I'd really appreciate it!

 

[Honeibee]

Julie -

Now this is just me, and I do the Half....but I won't do a park right before. I know some people do, so I suppose it's really a matter of personal preference. But especially since this is your first, I'd have to say go to the expo, eat well, relax, check your gear, lay out your race uniform and go to bed early.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Hi Julie!

I will second everything Judi said! Definitely attach your chip and lay everything out the night before, 3 am is no time to be trying for manual dexterity!

I've only done the Half last year, but we definitely took it easy and went to bed very early Friday. I don't think a park would have been the best idea. That said, 2 days ahead I think would be fine, just don't push yourselves if the weather takes some bizarre turn (as it has been known to do in January!). I would also be conscious of eating healthy. We waited for our traditional WDW foodapalooza until after we did the race. All bets were off that night as we watched our Pats (still at that point in the midst of their perfect season...but now I'll digress and get sad...) Anyway, I wouldn't plan on a big 3-course heavy meal until after the race. We did eat some pasta the night before, but not a ton, and we just ate it from the food court at POR. I was trying to have nutrition, but not have too much intake, for obvious reasons...it worked really well for both of us.

Sorry that doesn't give you great ideas for ADRs, I would save the Boma Buffet for after the race!

Maria

 

[laughinplace199]

Judy & Maria,

Thanks for the words of wisdom. I was guessing that we shouldn't do any parks on Sat, but it's going to be so hard not to! How do you fill your day? I feel like I'm going to be a big bundle of nerves on Sat, so too much free time could work against me. Maybe we'll just pop over to MK for an hour or two and do some shopping on Main St. I always find shopping to be relaxing, not to mention therapeutic.

I'm thinking of a celebratory dinner at CA Grill on Sun night, but I'm not sure what kind of shape I'll be in. We're staying at the Contemporary, so I could just crawl to the elevator to get there.

 

[Big Vic]

Julie - We went to Epcot for a few hours the day prior to the marathon. Had lunch at then went back to the hotel. Ordered pizza for dinner, brought the portable DVD player and watched a movie, I got my gear in order, and then went to bed early. Can't say we slept much, though.

I wouldn't recommend a whole day at a park. A few hours to work off some that anxiety energy isn't going to hurt.

 

[scoolover]

Last year, I did the Goofy. While I was running the half I had an epiphany or at least a crazy thought. I decided that we were going to MK that evening because it was a vacation. I didn't think that my people would go if I didn't and since we had gotten there Thursday, all we had done was my silly running B.S. My son was almost 6 at the time and I figured that it was time for his vacation to start. It also helped that I talked to Erika that morning in the corral and she said that she was going to the park after and she too was going Goofy also.

Anyway, it wasn't wise to go to MK but it was a vacation and I knew that I would finish in the 7 hours. If I needed a better time, I wouldn't have gone to the park.

This year we are arriving on Friday morning so by the time I get the packet and go to the Pop meet, I will be ready for bed. There will be NO MK after the 1/2 this year as I am planning for a full P.R.!

So to answer your question: Like Vic said, a few hours won't kill you but don't stay too long.

 

[laughinplace199]

Thanks Vic & Scott!

I think we'll spend a few hours in a park on Sat, but I'll have to be very aware of how long and how much walking we're doing. I know I could get carried away once I set foot in a park. Hopefully, my fear of not finishing the marathon will keep me in check the day before.

I read on another thread that there will be a WISH meet on Fri at POP. I'd love to go to that to meet my fellow WISHers! So I guess my weekend plans are coming together after all. Now I just have to figure out if I should book a nice dinner for Sun night or just order room service. Having never run a race before, I have no idea how I'll feel afterwards. If I feel ok, I"d love to go out and celebrate, but if I feel like my legs are going to fall off, I won't be going anywhere.

 

[frndshpcptn]

I'm running my first half-marathon that weekend as well! Looking forward to seeing tips from others who have done this before!

Has everyone started training already? I've begun - but have a LONG way to go. When i started, I could only do about 1/4 a mile. Now I am up to a whole mile in a row!!

 

[chimera]

I'm running my first half-marathon that weekend as well! Looking forward to seeing tips from others who have done this before!

Has everyone started training already? I've begun - but have a LONG way to go. When i started, I could only do about 1/4 a mile. Now I am up to a whole mile in a row!!

welcome! Come join us on the weekly training thread!

 

[BamaEd1]

I'm thinking of a celebratory dinner at CA Grill on Sun night, but I'm not sure what kind of shape I'll be in. We're staying at the Contemporary, so I could just crawl to the elevator to get there.

Ditto us. DW is doing the 1/2 while I cheer her on and I'm doing the full while she tries to crawl out of bed the morning after a 1/2. With that said, we are planning on going to California Grill for dinner that night during Wishes...Samantha Brown said that was the BEST place to see it from. As for me, I'll be so nervous before the full, I'll probably go to Illuminations at Epcot just so I can relax....being a military man, seeing things on fire and blowing up is strangely relaxing.

Don't forget to schedule a massage Monday morning before you head home; we're driving and I don't want to sit in a car for 7 1/2 hours after a full marathon without getting loosened up. Maybe I could talk my Chiropractor into going....hmmmmmm

 

[dsnyfan21]

I'm running my first half-marathon that weekend as well! Looking forward to seeing tips from others who have done this before!

Has everyone started training already? I've begun - but have a LONG way to go. When i started, I could only do about 1/4 a mile. Now I am up to a whole mile in a row!!

I don't start training until 16 weeks before for the WDW Half (that being said at that point it would be necessary to be doing 3 miles about 3 days a week for this program), so that will start around the end of August. I am currently training for the DL 1/2.

 

[laughinplace199]

I'm running my first half-marathon that weekend as well! Looking forward to seeing tips from others who have done this before!

Has everyone started training already? I've begun - but have a LONG way to go. When i started, I could only do about 1/4 a mile. Now I am up to a whole mile in a row!!

Good luck with your training.

I'm running the full (my first race ever) and I haven;t started any official training plan yet. My DH has an 18 week plan we're going to follow when the time comes.

 

[laughinplace199]

Ditto us. DW is doing the 1/2 while I cheer her on and I'm doing the full while she tries to crawl out of bed the morning after a 1/2. With that said, we are planning on going to California Grill for dinner that night during Wishes...Samantha Brown said that was the BEST place to see it from. As for me, I'll be so nervous before the full, I'll probably go to Illuminations at Epcot just so I can relax....being a military man, seeing things on fire and blowing up is strangely relaxing.

Don't forget to schedule a massage Monday morning before you head home; we're driving and I don't want to sit in a car for 7 1/2 hours after a full marathon without getting loosened up. Maybe I could talk my Chiropractor into going....hmmmmmm

Maybe we'll see you at CA Grill. We've been there during Wishes before and it was wonderful!

I never would have thought of fireworks as relaxing, but I can see how it could be to a military man such as yourself. I do enjoy a good explosion (in a nice, safe, controlled environment of course ), so maybe I'll try to catch Illuminations on Fri night. I'm going to try to go to bed early on Sat night.

Thanks for the suggestion about the massage. That's a great idea! We're flying home Mon night, but even sitting for 3 hrs on a plane is going to be challenging. I hope your drive home is as comfortable as possible.

 

[bunnyfoo]

For the Minnie 15K in May, I arrived about 2 days before the race. We didn't do much of the parks beforehand. It was very tempting though because I really wanted to go to the P&PP on the Friday night. We did hit an outlet mall for a couple of hours on the Saturday - nothing like shopping to relax But we did have an early dinner, hung out by the pool and then went to bed early.

Don't forget to schedule a massage Monday morning before you head home; we're driving and I don't want to sit in a car for 7 1/2 hours after a full marathon without getting loosened up. Maybe I could talk my Chiropractor into going....hmmmmmm

I tried that one on my chiro, except I can't afford to cover for all of his missed clients That would be nice though.

 

[frndshpcptn]

welcome! Come join us on the weekly training thread!

Thanks! I've bene trying to find it and I seem to be missing it. Do you have a link?

 

[frndshpcptn]

Good luck with your training.

I'm running the full (my first race ever) and I haven;t started any official training plan yet. My DH has an 18 week plan we're going to follow when the time comes.

thanks! Good luck to you too!!