2018 Princess Half Marathon

[joan4mickey]

Wheel chairs have always started first

 

[PrincessV]

For reference, re: the enormous Corral F... I've done a number of WDW races now that lump a ton of people into one corral, though none so far have been quite this many. They do mini-wave starts - as many as 6 or 7 within the corral - so the entire corral doesn't get going at once. This spaces things out reasonably well, I've found. It worked fine over marathon weekend, which had about the same field size at PHM. So please don't fret if you find yourself in F!

 

[jdd]

So we have a small problem. I'm running the challenge with my one niece and the other niece is running the half. We all submitted the same POT (same race) - I and my niece running the half are in Corral C and my other niece running the Challenge is in H. How in the heck did that happen??

 

[Bree]

Corral D for me! I was correctly placed according to my estimated finish time and POT.

ETA: I selected an anticipated finish time of 2:16-2:30 and submitted a 2:29 POT.

 

[jdd]

So, I need to apologize for all the nasty things I was thinking about RunDisney in my head. Just talked to my sister, and she said my niece never submitted her POT So, that's why she's in Corral H....such a huge bummer. She ran her last half marathon in well under 2 hours...

 

[TeeKo]

For reference, re: the enormous Corral F... I've done a number of WDW races now that lump a ton of people into one corral, though none so far have been quite this many. They do mini-wave starts - as many as 6 or 7 within the corral - so the entire corral doesn't get going at once. This spaces things out reasonably well, I've found. It worked fine over marathon weekend, which had about the same field size at PHM. So please don't fret if you find yourself in F!

Glad to know it’s worked well. I’m a bit worried being in the big sea of F when I’m a slow E

This will be my fourth Disney half and have had one bad corral experience (2013) where the pack was so thick that I never really got to run. I was always nipping someone’s heels or someone was nipping mine. My running partner from that race has refused to do any further Disney races after that experience.

It is what it is at this point.
But weary about how fun or frustrating this run may be.
I’m bringing a new running buddy to this race. Hate to lose another running partner

 

[wallskm]

So, I need to apologize for all the nasty things I was thinking about RunDisney in my head. Just talked to my sister, and she said my niece never submitted her POT So, that's why she's in Corral H....such a huge bummer. She ran her last half marathon in well under 2 hours...

Bummer! I ran the marathon with a friend last year (was supposed to do the half that was cancelled). I was in corral E for the 1/2 but my friend was in S for the full so I started with her. It was not fun to be so far back!! (but probably helped since I was having to keep the pace down to finish the marathon when I had only trained for the 1/2). She should see how many people she can pass during the race!

And maybe the wave start will help eliminate some of the congestion for her (and you, if you choose to drop back to be with her).

 

[Novatrix]

Coral C! I started running last January with this and last fall's Wine and Dine as my two motivations to get off and stay off the couch, so pretty excited for the race.

So, I need to apologize for all the nasty things I was thinking about RunDisney in my head. Just talked to my sister, and she said my niece never submitted her POT So, that's why she's in Corral H....such a huge bummer. She ran her last half marathon in well under 2 hours...

That sucks, but after this race I'm sure she'll never forget to submit a proof of time again... If you decide to drop back with her I would nominate you for sainthood!

 

[jdd]

That sucks, but after this race I'm sure she'll never forget to submit a proof of time again... If you decide to drop back with her I would nominate you for sainthood!

Haha - very true! Don't think we'll drop back as I'm slower than she is to begin with. I think we'll just stop for every photo op, and spend a little extra time in Magic Kingdom. From what I hear, if she gets right at the front of the corral, she should start off about 30 minutes behind us. And if she can keep her pace at 9 mm, she'll catch us before too long

She should see how many people she can pass during the race!

That's a great idea - I imagine she'll be passing quite a few, as she's really pretty fast. Kudos to you for dropping back to run with your friend! I'm not that nice apparently

 

[Miss Whimsy]

ooh! I made it into E!

 

[nostalgic4disney]

I would like to be able to get to the front of my corral but don’t want to squeeze to the front.
How do I get there.
What time should I arrive at the corrals.
I also bought the Race retreat In case it was cold so I could stay warm as long as I could. Now I’m wishing I hadn’t so I could line up early.

 

[Gemini1131]

I’m in the sea of the F corral.

 

[xjillianpaige]

Super excited to have made it into E! One of my friends is in F and the other will hopefully be able to adjust the corral as the estimated time was incorrect but her POT (which she did submit) is about 10 seconds faster than mine. The plan will be to run in F if possible!

 

[GBBTomorrow]

So, I need to apologize for all the nasty things I was thinking about RunDisney in my head. Just talked to my sister, and she said my niece never submitted her POT So, that's why she's in Corral H....such a huge bummer. She ran her last half marathon in well under 2 hours...

Awww, poor thing! That stinks for her. I was just sitting here thinking, "How to I kindly and politely suggest that the niece may not have correctly submitted POT?" Was going to let it go because I couldn't think of a way! I'm sorry to hear it for you and her!

 

[GBBTomorrow]

I've been doing the Galloway training plan and I love it. (Well, we'll see if I still love it Saturday after 17 miles!) I'm a little nervous about run-walk-run in the early stages of the race when things are crowded and dark. I've done run-walk-run in races before, but in smaller races in the daylight. How has it gone for people? Do you start your walk segments right off the bat, or do you put in a couple miles first and then start the walk segments? I know to stay right, to look behind me, and to raise my hand before walking, but it seems like with the crowds and in the dark it could get dicey. What are people's experiences?

 

[keahgirl8]

I've been doing the Galloway training plan and I love it. (Well, we'll see if I still love it Saturday after 17 miles!) I'm a little nervous about run-walk-run in the early stages of the race when things are crowded and dark. I've done run-walk-run in races before, but in smaller races in the daylight. How has it gone for people? Do you start your walk segments right off the bat, or do you put in a couple miles first and then start the walk segments? I know to stay right, to look behind me, and to raise my hand before walking, but it seems like with the crowds and in the dark it could get dicey. What are people's experiences?

There are going to be parts at the beginning where you may not be able to run. Other than, I've never really had an issue.

 

[beachta1]

So we have a small problem. I'm running the challenge with my one niece and the other niece is running the half. We all submitted the same POT (same race) - I and my niece running the half are in Corral C and my other niece running the Challenge is in H. How in the heck did that happen??

My friend and I submitted the same POT, I got E and she got F. We've both done runDisney races before and my times have been better so I'm not sure if they took that into consideration or not. Have you guys done races at Disney together before?

 

[bumbershoot]

Anyone else check the math? Almost 10,000 in corral F. 9700ish. That's nearly half the field! Oy. Let us all cross fingers that rD does many mini waves...

Last year there were three corrals for that 2:46+ estimated time. I imagine it’ll play out about the same as it did with the three corrals and the waves.

(I was in one of them last year and I’ll be in the scrum of 10k this year)

Where did you find this? I'm in for the challenge and my bib isn't in this range.

All can be found on the rundisney princess page. Runner Info tab.

I got corral F but my proof of time should have me in corral E!! I also can't find the information about having it corrected anymore. It just says no changes can be made...

Did your estimated time match your POT?

If you’re doing the challenge they tend to put you in a slower corral than if you were merely doing one race.

Fair enough, but they should take into consideration my 10k was ran in the Florida humidity in the late summer.

Not sure they do that.

I thought the wheelchairs start in front.

Yep.

That sucks, but after this race I'm sure she'll never forget to submit a proof of time again... If you decide to drop back with her I would nominate you for sainthood!

Agreed.

I would like to be able to get to the front of my corral but don’t want to squeeze to the front.
How do I get there.
What time should I arrive at the corrals.
I also bought the Race retreat In case it was cold so I could stay warm as long as I could. Now I’m wishing I hadn’t so I could line up early.

That IS a bummer about Retreat. I’ll be heading to the corrals pretty much as soon as I get there.

And...I did Retreat for my first January half and that tent was big breezy and cold. Not as cold as being outside, but I was hardly warm. I just want you to have better expectations.

Super excited to have made it into E! One of my friends is in F and the other will hopefully be able to adjust the corral as the estimated time was incorrect but her POT (which she did submit) is about 10 seconds faster than mine. The plan will be to run in F if possible!

It’s no issue to drop back a corral.

Estimated time really seems to matter. It needs to match the submitted pot, it seems.

I've been doing the Galloway training plan and I love it. (Well, we'll see if I still love it Saturday after 17 miles!) I'm a little nervous about run-walk-run in the early stages of the race when things are crowded and dark. I've done run-walk-run in races before, but in smaller races in the daylight. How has it gone for people? Do you start your walk segments right off the bat, or do you put in a couple miles first and then start the walk segments? I know to stay right, to look behind me, and to raise my hand before walking, but it seems like with the crowds and in the dark it could get dicey. What are people's experiences?

Start with your intervals as much as possible.

What training plan do you have that had you doing 17 on Saturday???

My friend and I submitted the same POT, I got E and she got F. We've both done runDisney races before and my times have been better so I'm not sure if they took that into consideration or not. Have you guys done races at Disney together before?

Was the estimated time the same for both of you? Is one of you doing the challenge and the other not?

 

[jdd]

My friend and I submitted the same POT, I got E and she got F. We've both done runDisney races before and my times have been better so I'm not sure if they took that into consideration or not. Have you guys done races at Disney together before?

Yes, we did the half together in 2015, but we ran together, so had the same time. Don't know if you saw my follow-up, but it turns out that my niece never submitted her POT. Not sure what she was thinking, but she's young and just forgot I guess We'll still have a blast - hopefully she can work her way up through the crowds and catch us fairly quickly.

 

[PrincessV]

Do you start your walk segments right off the bat, or do you put in a couple miles first and then start the walk segments? I know to stay right, to look behind me, and to raise my hand before walking, but it seems like with the crowds and in the dark it could get dicey. What are people's experiences?

If you can see my signature, you'll see I've done a LOT of WDW races, so I promise I speak from experience! I always start with my intervals - the only exception being in very cold weather I'll walk for a good 5 minutes before any running, just to get my muscles warmed up so I don't strain anything that's cold and tight. Throughout the race, not just at the start, there will be times when you'll need to run a little longer, or walk a little longer, just to go with the flow in tight quarters: don't worry about it - roll with it and pick your intervals back up when conditions permit. This never lasts longer than a few seconds to a minute.

Some general tips for everyone, runners, run-walkers, and walkers, alike:
1. Be aware of your surroundings! Just like with driving a car, no sudden moves - be sure to look for clearance before moving out of your current path and wait until you do have room to do so safely.
2. When approaching someone/s moving slower ahead of you, don't get so close you're nearly on their heels! Slow down if you need to, and pass when you have an opening. A friendly, "Excuse me - may I please come through?" can help if you're completely blocked by 5 people walking abreast. Be nice!
3. Raising your hand to signal a walk is great, but you need to do so before you start slowing down! People behind you assume you'll continue moving at your current speed, so the raised hand signals, "Yoo-hoo, I'm going to do something different in a sec, so please be aware!"
4. Try hard to leave at least a single-file lane open for anyone faster to pass. On the highways, there's lots of room to spread out, which makes it easy. But in narrow spots, avoid having multiple people side by side at the same speed. This may mean running a little longer until you can safely get behind another person walking, or walking a little longer until you can safely get into the running lane. The dynamics of a moving crowd are fluid and lanes will open and close randomly - this is why #1 is so important.
5. PLEASE do not cut across the entire width of the course because it's time for a walk interval (or for a photo, or for a restroom, or for any other reason)! So not safe. Again, look around, see where is the safest close place to slow down - sometimes, that's right where you are!