Marathon Weekend 2019

EDS19 said:
Oh that's fun! I wish there was an easy way to identify each other in "real life" because it would have been nice to say hello. :) ... And the few times I do think I know someone from the boards I usually don't say hi because I'm worried I'll seem creepy. haha Thanks
Click to expand...

I kept telling myself everyone in real life feels odd saying anything to internet people , so thank you for stating this. My one experience of actually saying ‘hi!’ was in hindsight more dorky than creepy, and I am thankful people were kind. I’m not sure I could muster the gumption to do it again without 5am pre race jitters convincing me I was completely out of my mind.
 
So... After a week to reflect on the race, I had a few thoughts on the journey that was my first (and maybe last???) marathon. I will start by saying that I was not real happy with my time, but not real surprised considering how I lost the last 4-5 weeks of training due to achilles, then adductor muscle injury. I passed the half marathon right at the 2:36 mark, but I finished at 6:25, so it took about an hour and a half more to do the second half, and of that, the last 3 miles took almost an hour. I was at 15 miles at 3 hours then slowed down a bit for a mile and a half, and then the legs gave out on the overpass right before WWOS. The last 3 miles may have been the most painful of my life!

That being said, here are some random thoughts:
  • I decided to follow the Higdon I training plan, which, in retrospect, I probably should have worked with someone (@DopeyBadger, looking at you :) ). I did really, really well for the first 13 weeks until the injuries set in. A little background, I am a bigger guy (6'3", and in the 260/270's) in my late 40's, but somewhat (I think) in decent shape. I typically run about 40 miles/month and had done that well up until training started in September. After the first 13 weeks, I felt fantastic. Then the right achilles started acting up. Took a week off and it calmed down a bit. Then ran a couple of runs and my left inner thigh was incredibly painful. To the point where I could not run, even jog, for about 3-4 weeks. Right up until race weekend, I thought I may not even make it. I was able to walk, but not run, so I did some long walks during the weeks leading up to the race. I think that the Higdon, for someone at my age and fitness level, was probably somewhat aggressive in the long runs. Next time, I want to follow a training plan that will build my endurance, but have a much smaller risk of injury.
  • At the expo, I used that "Car Buffer Deep Tissue massager" (not sure what it was really called) on my thigh and it made a huge difference. I was able to run OK (well, for about 16.5 miles) on Sunday.
  • I had done 10 half marathons (with a PR of 2:17) leading up to this race, but the full was much more to take on. The training required is SO much more than a half requires. That's probably the main reason I may not do another full. It's just too much of a commitment.
  • I didn't lose a ton of weight (I lost some, just not tons) because mainly I was HUNGRY ALL THE TIME it seemed like during training.
  • I don't have a running group, or friends/family that run, so I really leaned on the DIS folks during the training session. It was amazing how just seeing how everyone was doing helped push me along. It was nice to meet a bunch of you guys prior to the marathon!
  • I really wish that they had a hotel bib pickup option. I teach at The University, so I am pretty tied to my class schedule. That being the case, I was not able to get to Disney until late Friday night, which, sort of by default rules me out of the half since I would not be able to make the expo on Friday.
  • I've got to figure out what "Biofreeze" does, I saw everyone rubbing it all over themselves, but had no idea what it was for.
  • There was a QOTD about podcasts. I still haven't had anyone tell me what a podcast is or how someone gets one (I know, I am old and not tech savvy enough...)
  • I was really pleased with my Apple Watch 3. After seeing all of the ballyhoo about how the batteries would go out, mine lasted well over 7 hours on one charge, and I did not run with my phone (I honestly don't know how people run with their phones, holding it all of that time would drive me crazy). I was a bit puzzled to see that my watch was off more and more as we went along with distances, but reading everyone's subsequent posts here, I see the explanation for that...
  • I wish I had brought sunscreen
  • Training plans make you do funny things. I ran my training half marathon in the pouring down rain, at night. I would have never done that otherwise...
  • I was a bit peeved that Everest wasn't open when we went by it. I got through there about 8:25, so I assume they didn't open it until 9am...
Thanks again to everyone for your support and just being a great community all-around. I look forward to seeing a number of you at my next runDisney event!
 
tidefan said:
There was a QOTD about podcasts. I still haven't had anyone tell me what a podcast is or how someone gets one (I know, I am old and not tech savvy enough...)
Click to expand...
A podcast is sort of like a radio show. It’s usually centered around a topic. So take Disney for example. The DIS has a Disney podcast. They have usually 5-6 people on the show per week. They discuss the news and happenings at the parks. You can download podcasts through iTunes. iPhones have a podcast app as well which is where you can get them.
 


Good morning, runDisney all-stars!

Current temp in Iowa is a balmy 3 degrees and yesterday instead of worrying about the heat for the marathon, I was running the snow blower. Life comes at you fast.

But! Those of us dealing with frigid temps in the north can still relive the warmth of Florida with a little Sundays are for Disney. This week, I want to know what were the highlights of WDW marathon weekend for you? List as many as you want and they don't have to all be runDisney related. If you didn't participate in this WDW marathon weekend, include some highlights from past trips.

My highlights include:
- Completing my first Dopey. It will likely be my only one (the time commitment during a vacation is more than I care for), but I'm so glad I did it.
- Meeting a bunch of runDisney all-stars. Too many names to list and remember, but it was a pleasure meeting you all at the morning meet-and-greets, the Hurricane Hanna's party or DATW.
- Shots before the 5K and 10K with @rteetz and @jennamfeo
- Doing my first ever character stops during a race. I still have a long ways to go before I can just run a race totally for fun, but these were baby steps in the right direction!
- Scoring awesome locations to photograph Star Wars fireworks, Happily Ever After and IllumiNations (even if those photos turned out poorly)
- 50s Prime Time Cafe was the surprise of the entire week. The food was so good.
- Not surprising? Boma. Lived up to the hype. Possibly my new favorite restaurant on property (seafood gumbo FTW)
- Balancing nearly 50 miles of running and some crazy early mornings with lots of quality time with my family. Probably our best Disney vacation yet.

I'm sure there are many more, but it's early. Hopefully reading some of your highlights will jog my memory a bit.

Have a great week, everyone.
 
lhermiston said:
Good morning, runDisney all-stars!

Current temp in Iowa is a balmy 3 degrees and yesterday instead of worrying about the heat for the marathon, I was running the snow blower. Life comes at you fast.

But! Those of us dealing with frigid temps in the north can still relive the warmth of Florida with a little Sundays are for Disney. This week, I want to know what were the highlights of WDW marathon weekend for you? List as many as you want and they don't have to all be runDisney related. If you didn't participate in this WDW marathon weekend, include some highlights from past trips.

My highlights include:
- Completing my first Dopey. It will likely be my only one (the time commitment during a vacation is more than I care for), but I'm so glad I did it.
- Meeting a bunch of runDisney all-stars. Too many names to list and remember, but it was a pleasure meeting you all at the morning meet-and-greets, the Hurricane Hanna's party or DATW.
- Shots before the 5K and 10K with @rteetz and @jennamfeo
- Doing my first ever character stops during a race. I still have a long ways to go before I can just run a race totally for fun, but these were baby steps in the right direction!
- Scoring awesome locations to photograph Star Wars fireworks, Happily Ever After and IllumiNations (even if those photos turned out poorly)
- 50s Prime Time Cafe was the surprise of the entire week. The food was so good.
- Not surprising? Boma. Lived up to the hype. Possibly my new favorite restaurant on property (seafood gumbo FTW)
- Balancing nearly 50 miles of running and some crazy early mornings with lots of quality time with my family. Probably our best Disney vacation yet.

I'm sure there are many more, but it's early. Hopefully reading some of your highlights will jog my memory a bit.

Have a great week, everyone.
Click to expand...
My highlights:
-My solo day after the 5K. It was relaxing and I love being able to do non-theme park things on a whim, like score a last-minute dinner reservation at California Grill.
-The vegan seitan scramble at the omelette station in Art of Animation. Straight up on the main food court menu, with no need to request a chef! And best of all, it was flavorful, fresh, and delicious!
-Slinky Dog Dash. I didn’t bother trying to get FP+ for it because I’d read mixed reviews and assumed it wouldn’t be anything special, but it turns out my boyfriend (who doesn’t plan ahead and relies on me to be his tour guide) LOVES Slinky Dog and was very excited to find out the ride exists. So we waited for it twice on standby and had a blast. He was like a kid on Christmas.
-Winning at Toy Story Mania. I never beat my boyfriend at games so it was a sweet victory.
-Running the half marathon as a couple’s fun run, stopping for photos along the way.
 
lhermiston said:
Good morning, runDisney all-stars!

Current temp in Iowa is a balmy 3 degrees and yesterday instead of worrying about the heat for the marathon, I was running the snow blower. Life comes at you fast.

But! Those of us dealing with frigid temps in the north can still relive the warmth of Florida with a little Sundays are for Disney. This week, I want to know what were the highlights of WDW marathon weekend for you? List as many as you want and they don't have to all be runDisney related. If you didn't participate in this WDW marathon weekend, include some highlights from past trips.

My highlights include:
- Completing my first Dopey. It will likely be my only one (the time commitment during a vacation is more than I care for), but I'm so glad I did it.
- Meeting a bunch of runDisney all-stars. Too many names to list and remember, but it was a pleasure meeting you all at the morning meet-and-greets, the Hurricane Hanna's party or DATW.
- Shots before the 5K and 10K with @rteetz and @jennamfeo
- Doing my first ever character stops during a race. I still have a long ways to go before I can just run a race totally for fun, but these were baby steps in the right direction!
- Scoring awesome locations to photograph Star Wars fireworks, Happily Ever After and IllumiNations (even if those photos turned out poorly)
- 50s Prime Time Cafe was the surprise of the entire week. The food was so good.
- Not surprising? Boma. Lived up to the hype. Possibly my new favorite restaurant on property (seafood gumbo FTW)
- Balancing nearly 50 miles of running and some crazy early mornings with lots of quality time with my family. Probably our best Disney vacation yet.

I'm sure there are many more, but it's early. Hopefully reading some of your highlights will jog my memory a bit.

Have a great week, everyone.
Click to expand...

Long time lurker, but definitely missing Disney so I thought I would chime in

Highlights:
- Actually getting to run my race (last attempt was the ill fated 2017 Half Marathon) - I did the 10K this year
- Getting tons of compliments on my homemade Figment costume
- Posting a respectable 10K time, and stopping for almost all the characters (I had a rough running season last year so I was a little uncertain I would ever get back into shape)
- Introducing my MIL to the joy of Disney World
- Keeping up my run streak while at Disney (started a year of running every day again)
- Getting a tank side table at Coral Reef, definitely an amazing expience
- Pandora!

Looking out my window to a snow storm, 40mph winds, and realizing I have go running in this :|It's 14F at least?
 


My highlights:

- Completing my first Dopey
- How much better the marathon went this year and how much fun it was. Last year, I only stopped for the castle photo because it was my first marathon and I was trying to get a buffer for the 2nd half. Good call, as I ended up twisting my knee coming out of Animal Kingdom and had to walk most of the remaining half. Not fun. This year, I got to stop for every character photo, got a drink at the Animal Kingdom bar and waited around for half an hour to ride Everest and still took less time than the previous year! It was a much more fun experience.
-The lazy river at Storm-a-long bay. Floating along in there was my "active" recovery after most of the races.
-Saying goodbye to Illuminations at the Frozen Dessert party
-Trying out some new restaurants. Storybook Dining and Via Napoli were both surprisingly good.
-Getting to put faces to names of Disboards rundisney all-stars :)
 
@tidefan after last years expo, I got a car buffer (much cheaper than the actual BFF branded massager) and have been using it on my muscles and I feel like it made a huge difference this year! The brand I got is a ryobi car buffer.

Highlights for me include the gospel choir at the end of the marathon, of course crossing the finish line, running through the castle and up Main Street, riding flights of passage again, meeting some Epcot and meeting some people from a Facebook group I’m in during the race.
 
8 inches of snow and now rain/sleet/ice is making me REALLY miss being at WDW a week ago!

Highlights: first runDisney 10k, and first time stopping for characters; some new attractions - esp slinky dog; new restaurants - esp Yak and Yeti and Storybook dining; and my daughter reached 40 inches and was able try a whole new set of rides! Glad to have met a few of you before the 10k too!
 
Sundays are for Disney:

-I knew that my difficulties finishing Dopey were entirely self-inflicted, but it still felt great to finish.
-Got to ride FoP for just the second time. Was just as cool as I remembered.
-Was awesome being at the parks with, um, reasonable (?) crowd levels. They may have been even better than reasonable and were certainly leaps and bounds better than the last two years when school breaks have coincided with Marathon Weekend and kept the parks basically at capacity. We were able to wait in line for Slinky Dog at 10 AM for under 1 hour, Frozen Ever After at 2 PM for under an hour, and barely over an hour in stand-by for Na'vi River Journey (I know that's way too much for that ride, but we were waiting on our FoP FP+ and the rest of the group had never been). We went to AK on 10K Friday and the experience this year vs. the experience last year was incomparable.
-Trying Be Our Guest, Via Napoli, and Ohana for the first time. All were quite good. Order of preference for possible return trips: BoG, Ohana, Via Napoli
-Going to the parks after the races. Not nearly the same stress.
-This. Always.EB68728C-8158-402E-9522-5B0C9EE2328B.jpeg
-Upgrading my ticket to an AP and getting to plan a September trip and already having my tickets ready to go for next Marathon Weekend.

Non-highlights
-The blisters I developed in the last 6 miles of the marathon after my calf grabbed and I had to change my gait.
-All the things I wanted to do, forgot about, and now remember after getting home
-Disney Withdrawal
 
We got home last night around midnight. It’s currently 61° in Virginia Beach, but we’re getting the front during the day so it will be in the 20s tomorrow. Luckily no snow!

I got my post-Disney sickness yesterday on the drive home...couldn’t keep anything down. Thankful DH was with me and was awake enough to drive.

Highlights:
-Running and completing the marathon. Last week I said it was probably one and done, but now I’m not sure....
-Last trip to WDW for a while so I just tried to soak everything in. It made me appreciate everything a little better.
-We got awesome seats at La Hacienda for Illuminations. We also went to the first night of the Illuminations Dining Package at Rose and Crown, which I really enjoyed. It was a great way to say goodbye to my favorite show.
-Riding Slinky Dog twice
-We had a lot of great CMs this week. We’ve felt that service has been a little lacking on previous trips, but it seemed like everyone we dealt with was really happy to be at work.
-Finally, we stayed at Poly in a standard view studio in Tokelau. Our view was of Grand Floridian, part of the Lagoon and a handful of bungalows. It was beautiful. We got to the room before Happily Ever After the night before the marathon, and as I was laying in bed with my TENS machine on my leg, I could hear the music and fireworks. After that finished, I walked out on the balcony during the “Go the Distance” segment of the show and I could see the fireworks from the balcony! Being able to see them from my room, coupled with that particular song the night before my first marathon had me balling my eyes out. I’m so thankful that we were able to make this trip happen.
 
SAFD - Highlights of marathon weekend:
- PR on the marathon!! Even with lots of character stops and one bathroom stop, I managed a best time. I usually fall apart the last 10K, and I just willed myself to keep running, and somehow my body held it together the whole 26.2!
- Trying not to cry the entire run around WS at the end of the marathon - WHY did they have to play "You'll be in my heart"?? I was a (happy sobbing) mess at the finish!
- FP for FoP and Slinky Dog on the same trip! And taking my running buddy on those rides for the first time
- Watching one of the gorillas at AK playing with this giant bucket - it was so adorable, and just one of those magic moments I will remember for awhile.
- Finally catching the macaws at AK on slo-mo video - it really is super cool!
- And of course - running down Main Street (twice!), seeing the castle lit up, all the people cheering, and Disney music playing - it really is the most amazing experience no matter how many times I have done it!
 
lhermiston said:
This week, I want to know what were the highlights of WDW marathon weekend for you? List as many as you want and they don't have to all be runDisney related.
Click to expand...
  • Amazing pizza at Wolfgang Puck Express, Trattoria al Forno, and Via Napoli! (Did I mention I like pizza?)
  • Spending lots of time with a local friend at Disney Springs (he works at the VOID) and Magic Kingdom. He has always enjoyed teasing me, and others, about running Disney... even earning himself the nickname Mr. 0.0. After spending time with me over marathon weekend, he decided he wants to start training for a 5k and I’m trying to talk him into Wine & Dine!
  • My return to runDisney! My last runDisney weekend was Tinker Bell 2017 and my last WDW runDisney weekend was Wine & Dine 2015.
  • Spending time at the WDW 5k with another local friend and a friend from CA who was running Dopey.
  • Taking the time to stop for character photos! I really should do this more often at Disney races.
  • Cheese empanadas and margaritas in Mexico. Yum!
  • Meet and greets with my guy, Pluto!
  • Strawberry cream cheese cupcake at Be Our Guest!
  • Animals at Animal Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
  • 26.2 magical miles!!!
  • Meeting new friends at DATW and earning my third medal of the weekend. What an amazing way to celebrate our accomplishments!
  • Breakfast at Tusker House. This has become my favorite breakfast at WDW! The food is amazing, they have great classic characters, and the price is reasonable (for Disney).
  • Seeing the Christmas decor that remained for marathon weekend.
  • Lunch at Les Halle’s Boulangerie & Patisserie.
  • Vegetarian totchos at Woody’s Lunchbox. Seriously... warm, gooey goodness!
It was such a magical weekend (well, week and a half really) and I cannot wait to do it again! After this trip I decided I am in for the 10th anniversary of Wine & Dine and the marathon in 2020. It feels great to be back participating in runDisney events!
 
SAFD:

Highlights:
Staying at BCV for Marathon Weekend.
Meeting other DISers and having the opportunity to just say "Hi" or chat.
Finishing the 10K and 1/2 marathon "without incident" and for once stopping for pictures.
Taking advantage of my new age group for racing and finishing in the top 12% for the 10K and top 20% for the half.
Getting a shoutout from Riley Clermont at the start of the half for finally remembering my name. It's a long story and a goes back to the days when we interacted with him at the ESPN Club, but the long and the short of it he always called me either Tom or Bob, and my real name is Jim. He seemed to always get my wife's name right. :confused3
The weather! Although it seemed like it was all over the place, it never rained and we were able to get some quality pool time in.
Riding Slinky Dog Dash at night! There was one point when we felt like we were launching to the moon [crescent].

Lowlights:
My wife's bronchitis. She's been feeling lousy for over a month and was unable to run the 10K with me. The Florida warmth did help out, but endurance was not in the cards for this week. Park walking was a good first step to recovery. Now I have to get her ready for the Star Wars 1/2 marathon!

That's it for me! Hope to see some of you again next year. And remember it's....Jim! :wave2:
 
Last edited:
roxymama said:
Pretty sure I saw you that morning. I was in the King Triton building. Didn’t realize you were a dis peep!
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I think I saw you at Animal Kingdom on the Saturday (12th) or Magic Kingdom on the Friday (11th). Or maybe I didn't. Not the best with facial recognition (which is why I think I missed the meet with Lee on both the 5k morning and the marathon morning).
 
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