Hey look, an update!
Marathon Weekend: First Thoughts
Now that my trip to marathon weekend is officially booked, I wanted to share some thoughts/plans/whatever. This is very incomplete and in no particular order.
Why?
I honestly don’t know when or why I made the decision to run a marathon. I just turned around one day and I was thinking about my marathon schedule.
For the longest time I refused to entertain the idea of running a marathon. Part of it was that 26.2 is a lot of miles. Part of it was the idea of running for 6 hours even without the character stops (this was before I realized that I might be capable of something closer to 5 hours … still a lot of hours, though). Part of it was just lack of interest in running a marathon.
The first time I remember considering running a marathon was when runDisney released the medal for the 2018 WDW Marathon. I loved that medal. I wanted that medal. I knew I wouldn’t be properly trained, but I still thought about it. But at the time I was planning to apply for my school’s teaching fellowship, which would start the day after the race, and I didn’t want to put myself on such a tight schedule. (Also … I wasn’t exactly swimming in the cash back then)
I honestly have no idea what happened from there. One day I was excited about a shiny medal, and then all of the sudden I’m trying to figure out how to do my 9+1 guaranteed entry for the NYC marathon. And if I’m running NYC, then of course I have to run Disney first … I can’t not have Disney be my first marathon. runDisney is the reason why I kept running after several false starts, it’s where I ran my first 5K and 10K, and it will always be my #1 race choice if it all possible.
I really wish I knew why I was running a marathon, but I don’t … it’s just something I want to do.
Which Races?
I'm currently (through a
travel agent) registered for 5K, 10K, and Marathon.
5K – My first runDisney race was a 5K (as was my second one, actually) and I really love these races. To me, the 5K is a low-pressure character fest … I spend a lot of time waiting in lines, but it’s fun, and I’m certainly not doing it for time, so I’m cool running or walking or whatever I feel like doing at any point.
GOAL: All the characters and Sub-1:00. Since I do have one sub-10:00 min/mile 5K, and in light of some recent runs, I’m totally cool putting down 9:00-10:00 as my pace, so hopefully I’ll be in an early enough corral to have slightly shorter character lines and finally finish in under an hour (this has been my goal for every single runDisney 5K … hasn’t happened yet).
10K – I ran the marathon weekend 10K in 2016. It rained. Pretty hard. I did not have the best experience, and I knew about halfway through that race that I needed a do-over. It may have taken a few years, but I’m hoping that 2019 is my year.
GOAL: No rain.
Marathon – See above. I have no idea why I’m running this thing.
GOAL: 6:59:59. I want to get in below the 7 hour time limit, but also get as many pictures and experiences as I can. I’m also thinking about 2 character stops per hour, but that might depend on my pace and the lines.
Sub-Question: Why not Dopey? A) I’m not crazy. B) I don’t do Saturday races (it’s my Sabbath and I don’t run and/or use any sort of electronics/take buses to start lines), so I couldn’t do the half anyway.
What Costumes?
5K – No idea. Possibly my Raw Threads Mermaid shirt?
10K – Again, no idea.
Marathon – Minnie Mouse! I already have (most of) the outfit planned out in my head.
Top:
This is where I have some options.
Option 1:
Running Skirts Red Dot Strappy Tank Bra with a black shirt underneath (or jacket on top).
This one matches the skirt (see below) perfectly, but things with built-in bras tend to not work for me.
Option 2:
Raw Threads Red Polka Dot Bow Hoodie
This shirt also comes in a variety of other styles, so I could buy something else if it’s not hoodie weather. Since I’m used to running in Raw Threads (I just ran my January half in a RT hoodie), I’m okay with ordering a Raw Threads top at the last minute and not having time to “test” it as part of my costume, so I can make a decision on what style to get as we get closer to the race (and may have some idea about the weather).
The downside of this is that I don’t know how well it will match the skirt (I’m fairly certain that the polka dots are different sizes).
Option 3:
Plain black shirt. Probably the one I bought to use as a throwaway layer (and never threw away) for the NYC Half.
Option 4:
2016 Walt Disney World 10K Shirt
NOTE: This is not my picture, I found it on the internet. My shirt is in a drawer and I’m too lazy to take it out and take a picture.
This is a cute idea because it matches and it’s from a Minnie Mouse race, but I really hate wearing a different race’s shirt at a race (even if they’re both runDisney). We’ve discussed this before. It’s just a Sarah thing.
Now that we have the top options out of the way, I already bought the skirt:
Running Skirts Red Dot Golf Skirt
I have several Running Skirts golf skirts and a love them. They’re a great length for me, very comfortable, and I always get comments on them because they’re cute!
Depending on the weather, I will wear either leggings or capris (black) underneath.
Shoes will probably be whatever I’m wearing at that time. If I can get my hands on yellow shoes, I will (which most likely means a different shoe, because my current ones don’t come in yellow), but if not, that means shoe accessories.
My first thought is
Sparkle Athletic Red and White Polka Dot Bow Schwings:
However, as cute as those are … I may try to go for something yellow instead. Especially because my current shoes are pink, and if I'm still wearing those around marathon time (historically I've gotten a year out of shoes, but marathon training may change that), I don't want to wear red bows on my pink shoes. No.
The shoe situation is something I'll figure out closer to race day.
I may also try to find a red polka dot headband of some sort, but I’m not sure about that. Again ... things I'll figure out closer to race day.
I'm also starting to think about park and dining plans, but I want to wait until park hours are released before I start really going deep into that.
Do they still do the PDF travel agent hours 7 months ahead of time? Is that still a thing? It's been so long since my last trip that I have no idea when to even start looking for park hours...
I'm also having a really hard time coming to terms with the fact that even though this is a long trip, I'm not going to be able to do all the things. I need to remember that DATW is my Epcot day (I'll do future world in the morning before DATW), and I only need a few hours for AK, so all that matters is getting as close as I can to full days at MK and HS (yes, I will need a full day at HS ... I always do, plus there will be Toy Story Land).
Anyway ... that's the update. It feels very disjointed. More updates when I start to figure out more stuff.
