Signed up for the Marathon, and friend from DC is running, too! I have done more than 10 Half Marathons in the last 3 years, but this will be my first full Marathon. I know slower pace and absolute commitment to a training plan are everything. I will start training this Saturday for September DC Navy-Air Force Half (with hills--yikes!), Wine and Dine Half, and Orlando Half. Living in Florida (25 miles from Disney), I will have to rely in part on the treadmill this summer. I will also have to get up at dawn for bearable temperature outdoor running.
Anyway, my tips for Disney running--I have run 3 Princesses, 1 Wine and Dine and 1 Tower of Terror so far:
1. Enjoy the Wide World of Sports Expo (race package pick up and merchant sales)--my favorite part--and have fun buying costume running wear, but make sure your skin is fully protected from chafing--my son's girlfriend ended up with serious chafing from a "Frozen" themed skort that did not protect inner thighs.
2. Corrals are important--95% of you know this--make sure runDisney has your qualifying previous times, or you will be assigned to the back of the pack.
3. If you can swing it--stay on-site at a participating Disney hotel and use their bus to get to the race. Double and triple and quadruple up in rooms if you need to. The traffic into the race venue is horrible. The buses are also incredibly slow, but the route is shorter and you don't have to park.
4. Chear team packages are way overpriced--I have bought them in the past, and they are not worth the money. Your family can easily get to and meet you in the tent area when the race is over. They can also stand in the parking lots at EPCOT and the Ticket and Transportation center for free.
5. We will be in Florida, but it is almost guaranteed to be FREEZING (for a Floridian, this means 50 degrees or colder) at race start. So, I recommend you bring/wear your rattiest sweatshirt/hoodie to throw by the side of the race course, just as you would up North. Disney does pass out Mylar sheets at the end of the race.
6. There are champagne sales at the end. See you there!!!!!!!!!!!