Springtime Surprise Weekend 2024 (April 18-21)

[DIS-OH]

Ran in the rain this evening… but temp was in the upper 60’s so it wasn’t too bad!

We live just outside the totality zone of yesterday’s eclipse and had clear skies for it. I would have been disappointed if we’d had rain yesterday! We hosted 4 generations of our family at our farm for an eclipse viewing party…it was fun for all ages, from my 8 year old granddaughter to my 82 year old father!

Looking forward to the merch drops, the expo, the races, and sharing it all with our son-in-law who is a first timer for RunDisney!

 

[The Expert]

I can't believe I fly out in a week! This race weekend has totally snuck up on me and I feel a bit out of the loop. Are we planning the usual pre-race meetups? And Hurricane Hanna's at 2pm on 10K day??

 

[Naomeri]

I can't believe I fly out in a week! This race weekend has totally snuck up on me and I feel a bit out of the loop. Are we planning the usual pre-race meetups? And Hurricane Hanna's at 2pm on 10K day??

Yes, and yes!!

I can hardly believe that this time next week, I’ll be eating lunch in Magic Kingdom!

 

[nancipants]

I can't believe I fly out in a week! This race weekend has totally snuck up on me and I feel a bit out of the loop. Are we planning the usual pre-race meetups? And Hurricane Hanna's at 2pm on 10K day??

Yes! I'm hitting the Expo on Saturday, so I can send my husband and son into Epcot while I go to the meetup.

 

[Baloo in MI]

Crazy day at work and then I got a text from my wife that said “this time next week we are flying down to Disney”. My day was instantly better!!!

Looking forward to the pre-race meet-ups, won’t be able to attend HH as we are at a late lunch in AK on Saturday afternoon.

Getting a bit anxious about the weather though. Ran yesterday and here in Michigan it was sunny and “hot” (around 65); I thought I was going to melt. Might be in trouble!

 

[amazingact21]

Another DISer flying out this time next week! I stuck with my training plan and did the same thing as last year, but for some reason I'm more nervous about this race weekend. Maybe I was just foolish and thought the pre-race anxiety goes away on subsequent race weekends.

Definitely not looking forward to what the weather forecast is showing. I'm in North Texas, and last weekend it was in the low 80s so my family took a long walk around a park. I turned to my husband and said, "This heat is humbling me!" And that was without any humidity.

I'll try and make it to the pre-race meetups. It was great meeting some of you at last year's 10-Miler. Not sure about the HH meetup, though. We'll be in DHS that afternoon, but I think we're trying to finally make it to Baseline Taphouse for an afternoon drink and snack.

 

[kps7795]

Crazy day at work and then I got a text from my wife that said “this time next week we are flying down to Disney”. My day was instantly better!!!

Looking forward to the pre-race meet-ups, won’t be able to attend HH as we are at a late lunch in AK on Saturday afternoon.

Getting a bit anxious about the weather though. Ran yesterday and here in Michigan it was sunny and “hot” (around 65); I thought I was going to melt. Might be in trouble!

It always strikes me as funny how one's perspective on the weather is dramatically different based on what you're used to. I actually texted my daughter the other day that the weather looks perfect for our 10K. As of right now, the low should be 68

Crazy day at work and then I got a text from my wife that said “this time next week we are flying down to Disney”. My day was instantly better!!!

Looking forward to the pre-race meet-ups, won’t be able to attend HH as we are at a late lunch in AK on Saturday afternoon.

Getting a bit anxious about the weather though. Ran yesterday and here in Michigan it was sunny and “hot” (around 65); I thought I was going to melt. Might be in trouble!

It’s always funny to me how dramatically different our reactions are to the weather based on what you’re used to. I actually texted my daughter a few days ago that the temperature looks perfect for the 10K because the overnight low is supposed to be 68° so I’m guessing that it will be in the low 70’s for the race. For reference sake, it was 76° (61% humidity) yesterday during my run after work.

 

[Naomeri]

Crazy day at work and then I got a text from my wife that said “this time next week we are flying down to Disney”. My day was instantly better!!!

Looking forward to the pre-race meet-ups, won’t be able to attend HH as we are at a late lunch in AK on Saturday afternoon.

Getting a bit anxious about the weather though. Ran yesterday and here in Michigan it was sunny and “hot” (around 65); I thought I was going to melt. Might be in trouble!

Yeah, I haven’t had a chance to adjust to any kind of weather because it’s so crazy. I was in shorts and a tee for a 5 mile run last Friday, and then insulated leggings and 2 shirts for my 10 miler on Sunday. It’s going to be nice this whole week, so I’m going to do my runs as close to the warmest part of the day as I can so I’m not completely blindsided by running in warm temps in FL

 

[Bree]

I'm so not prepared. I got on a stair climber at the gym yesterday for the first time in…..27 years??? I thought I was gonna die. Still not sure what next weekend is going to look like for me. I’ll be 12 weeks post op, but I have only been allowed to walk, stationary recumbent bike, elliptical without using upper body and most recently the stair climber.

This time next week I’ll probably start to think about packing

 

[Zutroy]

It’s always funny to me how dramatically different our reactions are to the weather based on what you’re used to. I actually texted my daughter a few days ago that the temperature looks perfect for the 10K because the overnight low is supposed to be 68° so I’m guessing that it will be in the low 70’s for the race. For reference sake, it was 76° (61% humidity) yesterday during my run after work.

But Florida has its highest humidity in the morning, which is what usually gets people who are not local. Around 5 am, I expect it to be around 85% to 90% humidity, which can be a shock for people who are used to much less since your body cannot cool off by sweating. I laugh when people try to do ”heat training,” when what they should do is run inside a steam room. There is just something so profoundly punishing about Florida’s swamp air that makes running feel 10x more difficult.

 

[sandam1]

I’ll be 12 weeks post op, but I have only been allowed to walk, stationary recumbent bike, elliptical without using upper body and most recently the stair climber.

You get the same amount of endurance from walking as you do from running. Really, you do! There are Galloway runners who do ALL of their long runs as walks and do just fine. And the bike should help with your cardio. You've got this!

 

[sandam1]

But Florida has its highest humidity in the morning, which is what usually gets people who are not local. Around 5 am, I expect it to be around 85% to 90% humidity, which can be a shock for people who are used to much less since your body cannot cool off by sweating.

You aren't kidding! The humidity in Florida makes me feel like I am drinking the air rather than breathing it.

One of the tactics that works best for me during the Disney races is carry my own hydration and then at the Disney provided water stops grab two cups and dump one over each shoulder and on my arms. (I don't like getting water in my eyes so I don't want to dump it over my head). I don't wait until the sun comes up to start this. Do my clothes get wet? Yep! But they are moisture wicking so they dry super fast and it really, really helps to keep my body temps down.

 

[kps7795]

But Florida has its highest humidity in the morning, which is what usually gets people who are not local. Around 5 am, I expect it to be around 85% to 90% humidity, which can be a shock for people who are used to much less since your body cannot cool off by sweating. I laugh when people try to do ”heat training,” when what they should do is run inside a steam room. There is just something so profoundly punishing about Florida’s swamp air that makes running feel 10x more difficult.

The best-worst was the 2023 Princess HM when the humidity was 91%. There was a mist coming from the lakes and the pictures that we got are wild where it looks like we're in the clouds.

 

[DduzDis]

I haven't trained with energy gels or beans for this run. But, I have used them for longer distances in the past. I ran 11 miles a few days ago and my legs were absolutely gassed at mile 7. I still made it in before the balloons would have caught me, but I'd like to fuel a little better during the run. Will there be anything at the expo or on the course anyone would recommend? I could also just bring something with me. Any recommendations?

 

[Naomeri]

The best-worst was the 2023 Princess HM when the humidity was 91%. There was a mist coming from the lakes and the pictures that we got are wild where it looks like we're in the clouds.

Springtime Surprise 2022 10K was so humid that in most of my pictures I have my visor flipped up because my glasses were fogging so badly

 

[MissLiss279]

I haven't trained with energy gels or beans for this run. But, I have used them for longer distances in the past. I ran 11 miles a few days ago and my legs were absolutely gassed at mile 7. I still made it in before the balloons would have caught me, but I'd like to fuel a little better during the run. Will there be anything at the expo or on the course anyone would recommend? I could also just bring something with me. Any recommendations?

Fit2Run should be at the expo, and they should have some options. I personally use HoneyStingsr Chews, but people use all different kinds of things. If you have used something in the past that has not caused ‘stomach’ issues, then I would look for that.

There should be at least one stop in the 10 miler with fuel - I think it has been Sports Beans this season. But they are usually not handed out until later in the race than when you would want to start fueling (in my opinion).

 

[DduzDis]

Fit2Run should be at the expo, and they should have some options. I personally use HoneyStingsr Chews, but people use all different kinds of things. If you have used something in the past that has not caused ‘stomach’ issues, then I would look for that.

There should be at least one stop in the 10 miler with fuel - I think it has been Sports Beans this season. But they are usually not handed out until later in the race than when you would want to start fueling (in my opinion).

I'll probably try to find what I have used in the past. Thanks!!

 

[kps7795]

Springtime Surprise 2022 10K was so humid that in most of my pictures I have my visor flipped up because my glasses were fogging so badly

LMAO! The same thing happened to my daughter. She had to take her glasses off every 1/4 mile or so to clean them off. Thankfully, we were doing run-walk so she could do this on the walk breaks.

 

[Zutroy]

I haven't trained with energy gels or beans for this run. But, I have used them for longer distances in the past. I ran 11 miles a few days ago and my legs were absolutely gassed at mile 7. I still made it in before the balloons would have caught me, but I'd like to fuel a little better during the run. Will there be anything at the expo or on the course anyone would recommend? I could also just bring something with me. Any recommendations?

I think a lot of this depends on how long it’s taking you to run 7 miles. Most people have enough glycogen stores in their muscles/liver to not need any nutrition for runs under 75 minutes. The point of gels/beans is to replenish glycogen that has been exhausted so you can have energy for your muscles. I don’t think your legs feeling gassed has anything to do with race fueling, but could be related to pre-run fueling. Think of it like gas for your car. It won’t run without fuel, but if you have a full tank, adding more gas won’t do anything. The point of refueling is to keep topping off the tank so that you don’t run out of gas before crossing the finish line.

But to answer your question: Maurten gel.

 

[kps7795]

I'll probably try to find what I have used in the past. Thanks!!

A word of warning if I may. Trust the adage to not try anything new on race day! If you are going to use a gel (which I definitely recommend for any run longer than 1 1/2 hours), get the brand that you plan on using during the race and try it for 2-3 runs before you come to Disney World. Target carries Honey Stinger gels and you can get pretty much any gel at REI (assuming that there's a location near you) or Dick's Sporting Goods.

I personally prefer Precision Hydration gels which have a consistency that is similar to Maurtens, but with 30 grams of carbs per gel. You can get them at thefeed.com. However, that might not be the best option for you if you're just getting gels for this one race. You get free shipping for orders over $75 however.