Marathon Weekend 2023

[kps7795]

It's great hearing about the positive experiences that everyone had yesterday. I'm truly proud and happy for you all. My experience was something entirely different unfortunately. I was worried going into the weekend because my ankle was bothering me on Thursday, but not painful enough to stop me from running. Nevertheless, I had a great time running with my DD on Saturday for her first half marathon. We were trying to get as many pictures as we could and that caused us to slow down immensely. That was fine and expected, but unfortunately we went through the castle when it was jampacked with runners who were NOT running. People were literally shuffling their feet through the castle. That was disappointing that she didn't get to run through the castle, but we'll try to get the full castle experience next month.

My left ankle was bothering me when I woke up on Sunday morning. I was hoping that it would loosen up after a mile or so, but it was nagging me almost from the get-go. However, the pain was only a 2-3 so I wasn't concerned at that time about causing an injury. Hence, I carried on and had a wonderful time for the first 11 miles or so getting almost every picture only skipping the repeats from the day before. By Mile 12, the pain had increased to a 3-4 but I was able to continue doing walk-run for another five miles. I even stopped to ride Expedition Everest. Part of me enjoyed one of my favorite rides immensely and the other part of me was happy to be off of my feet even for just a few minutes. By Mile 18, it hurt to run at all so I was forced to walk the remainder of the course.

This was far from my best race obviously, but I still stopped for 25 pictures and rode Everest. Most importantly to me at the time was not limping across the finish line. It's one thing if you're intentionally walking across the finish line holding a beer or a pretzel, but I didn't want to walk across the finish line because I was unable to run. So, I sucked it up and ran in agony for the 10 feet or so to get my finish line picture. It's pretty amazing that you couldn't tell looking at my picture that my foot was screaming bloody murder at me.

I have an appointment with my podiatrist on Thursday to ascertain what the cause of my foot pain and to determine if there is something that will prevent me from running after two to three weeks of recovery. I'm hoping that I don't have something like a hairline fracture, but it boggles my mind what could have caused such excruciating pain with every running step.

 

[Barca33Runner]

Had a wonderful time at the After Hours Party at MK last night. We were able to ride everything in the park at a relaxed pace. Walked on to every ride except 7DMT, which we eventually bit the bullet on a 45 minute wait that ended up being just under 20 (hmmm, it’s almost as though in the absence of Lightning Lanes CMs can focus on one line and things run much more smoothly and efficiently ).

Best part was since we arrived at 7:00 we were able to grab a great spot for fireworks and I think I got a few pretty good pics:


Can’t wait to have HEA back in April 3 but Enchantment did grow on me a bit.

ETA: After Hours into a 7:30 AM flight wasn’t the optimal plan but sometimes you have to burn the candle at both ends at WDW.

Also, I’m sticking to my not posting plan almost as well as I stick to training plans

 

[luv2cheer92]

On my way back home as well, the 13 hour drive from VA sounded a whole lot better coming down than it does right now lol.

Super fun week, got to treat my brother, sister in law, and their two little girls (almost 2 and almost 3 year olds) to a trip. All but my brother's first trip ever, they all had a blast!

My mom also crushed her first ever 5K and now I'll be helping her get ready for her first 10K at Springtime! My dad also rocked his second Dopey, but he is a beast so I had no doubts.

Got to ride Guardians for the first time on Sunday, loved it! It was funny seeing everyone around me on their phones at 7 during the full trying to get in the VQ, and then yelling out when they got in.

We had an awesome day at MK yesterday, crowds seemed a lot lower than I expected. With the (incredible) help of G+, we rode everything by like 3.

On Sunday I said no more Dopeys and no more fulls. I'm starting to come around to doing the full again, but not for a few years. Something about going through all 4 parks just gets me. I've always wanted to spectate or volunteer for the full, so that may be next.

It seems like between every race weekend I do i always say I need to do other races and go other places, then once I get back to Disney I'm reminded why I love it so dang much.

 

[1GoldenSun]

Not sure if is your issue. There are a couple options to link the code code in the Disney app's Photo section. 'Link Ticket, Pass or Magic Band', 'Type to link PhotoPass Card', 'Link Memory Maker'. We were initially trying to use the wrong option. The one we didn't initially use worked. Can't remember which one, I would recommend trying the other options.

Thank you! I don't know what I was doing before but I tried again and it worked this time!

Wow I need to lose weight if I'm going to try to run Dopey next year! No wonder those medics kept asking me if I needed to sit down. Nothing like seeing myself in full-form photos to remind myself that I'm not 22 years old and 110 pounds anymore. But hey, I couldn't have run a marathon then, so I guess I'm even better now, haha!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

As expected, runDisney is not refunding my marathon or CCC registration even after I sent them a picture of my dated test. They said they get too many requests.

I emailed back and recommended they offer registration insurance for COVID, injuries, etc (like concert tickets do). I would definitely buy it.

 

[ZM73]

As you all reflect on your experience this year and other years, is there a training plan that you particularly liked? Especially one that is not for someone trying to break any speed records, just hoping to be able to run or consistently interval through the entire challenge?

I tried the marathon training plan on the Nike Run Club app and really enjoyed it. There are five runs per week for 18 weeks with a good bit of variety. The coaches are very motivating in a low-stress way. Best of all, it's free.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Really kicking myself that I did not stop for any selfies in World Showcase towards the lagoon now that Disney has confirmed the pending removal of the barges. The screens did look cool lit up with the race logo when still dark and it would have been a good memory to look back at this strange blip in Epcot history.

 

[jpeterson]

Really kicking myself that I did not stop for any selfies in World Showcase towards the lagoon now that Disney has confirmed the pending removal of the barges. The screens did look cool lit up with the race logo when still dark and it would have been a good memory s and look back at this strange blip in Epcot history.

The barges looked neat during the races. The rest of the time not so much.

 

[Cabius]

It's great hearing about the positive experiences that everyone had yesterday. I'm truly proud and happy for you all. My experience was something entirely different unfortunately. I was worried going into the weekend because my ankle was bothering me on Thursday, but not painful enough to stop me from running. Nevertheless, I had a great time running with my DD on Saturday for her first half marathon. We were trying to get as many pictures as we could and that caused us to slow down immensely. That was fine and expected, but unfortunately we went through the castle when it was jampacked with runners who were NOT running. People were literally shuffling their feet through the castle. That was disappointing that she didn't get to run through the castle, but we'll try to get the full castle experience next month.

My left ankle was bothering me when I woke up on Sunday morning. I was hoping that it would loosen up after a mile or so, but it was nagging me almost from the get-go. However, the pain was only a 2-3 so I wasn't concerned at that time about causing an injury. Hence, I carried on and had a wonderful time for the first 11 miles or so getting almost every picture only skipping the repeats from the day before. By Mile 12, the pain had increased to a 3-4 but I was able to continue doing walk-run for another five miles. I even stopped to ride Expedition Everest. Part of me enjoyed one of my favorite rides immensely and the other part of me was happy to be off of my feet even for just a few minutes. By Mile 18, it hurt to run at all so I was forced to walk the remainder of the course.

This was far from my best race obviously, but I still stopped for 25 pictures and rode Everest. Most importantly to me at the time was not limping across the finish line. It's one thing if you're intentionally walking across the finish line holding a beer or a pretzel, but I didn't want to walk across the finish line because I was unable to run. So, I sucked it up and ran in agony for the 10 feet or so to get my finish line picture. It's pretty amazing that you couldn't tell looking at my picture that my foot was screaming bloody murder at me.

I have an appointment with my podiatrist on Thursday to ascertain what the cause of my foot pain and to determine if there is something that will prevent me from running after two to three weeks of recovery. I'm hoping that I don't have something like a hairline fracture, but it boggles my mind what could have caused such excruciating pain with every running step.

That sounds almost exactly like me race experience last year — walking the last 8 miles with intense pain, and faking a run across the finish line.

In my case, it was Posterior Tibial Tendonitis. It required some recovery time, strengthening exercises, and better arch support for my overpronated feet. Hoping it’s something similarly recoverable for you!

 

[Ariel484]

Really kicking myself that I did not stop for any selfies in World Showcase towards the lagoon now that Disney has confirmed the pending removal of the barges. The screens did look cool lit up with the race logo when still dark and it would have been a good memory to look back at this strange blip in Epcot history.

If it makes you feel any better, I tried to get pics of those things with the logo and they basically never came out. You can’t really tell what they say. (Possibly my poor photography skills at play here.)

 

[WhereInFlorida]

Has been great catching up on the board since Sunday and hearing everyone's reports and fantastic efforts in all the races. I had a conference and had to jump on a plane Sunday at MCO (hope no one else had to wait in 80 minute security lines on a Sunday afternoon) so have not been able to get on the boards. Disney does such a great job with the races and easy for me to keep coming back to RD weekends in spite of few inconveniences (wait lines at bag drop and not placing runners in appropriate SG... I am looking at you).

This cycle of training went very well, hit every distance and pace over the 18 weeks including a half race so was looking forward to an attempt at a post-HA PR for the marathon. Started in group C and was right near the front of a wave so the first mile on the wide open highway was right on pace. Then "COURSE NARROWS AND SHARP TURN AHEAD" occurred and mile 2-4 were running on shoulder, just going along with the crowd and each mile over 1 minute slower than what I wanted to do. Not too long after clearing that backup and getting back to pace, things just were not feeling right. Tried to push through it hoping it would clear but it did not. Slowed a little to halfway, then continued even more slower after 20.

Have done too much post-race self-analysis as to why it was such a bad effort. Maybe the slow early miles got in my head? Holiday travel added too much stress and resulted in poor taper? Family and back to school brought something that affected me but did not have symptoms? Or I am just getting old?

Will give it another shot at some point. Everyone on this board is great from the registration process through weekend, and am so grateful for everyone sharing.

 

[iheartglaciers]

If it makes you feel any better, I tried to get pics of those things with the logo and they basically never came out. You can’t really tell what they say. (Possibly my poor photography skills at play here.)

Here are some pics that I took during my run!

 

[Geographilia]

Had a long travel day yesterday and a full day at work today, so I’m only now getting around to processing the weekend. It was my first Dopey and, despite being a regular runner for over 30 years, I kept doubting my ability to get through all four events without issue. In each of my previous three marathons, I felt great until between miles 22 and 23, after which my legs simply lost meaningful functionality. My thighs would be on fire, my pace would plummet, and I’d shuffle over the finish line. Adding an additional 22.4 miles in the days leading up to the full didn’t seem like the logical solution to that problem.

I was running both the 5K and half with my wife, who only took up running after being convinced to do SS this past April by an RD-enabler friend of ours who also recruited a half dozen others in our friend group to sign up for the half. I kept things easy in both, running at her goal pace of in both events; I used my long run pace for the 10K. I was tired when I woke up for the full but quickly shook off the morning. I wasn’t going for a PR but wanted to get some character photos so I got reasonably far forward in corral A and found a nice groove from the start.

My right knee gave me some twinges on the highway to MK, but by the time I entered the park, everything felt fine. When I came through the castle I realized I was a full 15 seconds per mile faster than my goal running pace!! I kept stopping for characters and jumped on Everest in AK within 15 minutes of it opening, all the while thinking that at some point my legs would tell me to stop. They didn‘t. I could have waited 10 minutes for TOT to open when I got to HS, but I was feeling so good I just kept going. It turns out I should have waited because when I called my wife as I passed the HS Skyliner to tell her where I was, she was still on her way to the International Gateway where she planned to cheer. I slowed down enough to allow her to get in place, then had my fastest split of the race in the last mile.

After grabbing several cold towels, several medals (!), and several drinks, I headed into EC to have a celebratory beer with my wife. I ran into our enabler friend on the way towards England and got a PP photographer on the course to get a shot of me while waiting in the crosswalk. I ended up staying in the park for three hours after I finished, having beers, Prosecco, pizza, and a ride on GoG before heading back for a shower; I left just as the balloon ladies entered the park.




I only ended up doing the pre-race meet up before the 10K and missed HH for family obligations, but I’m grateful for the advice and input of everyone on the board. I don’t plan on doing Dopey again for a few years, but I do plan on doing it again…

 

[Disneyhanna]

I am feeling 99% normal, I’m still taking a break from running for a week or two because I just need one, but I’m amazed at how fast I’ve recovered post-Dopey. Due to Covid and poor weather and a vacation, my last long run was 18 miles in mid November and my last double digit run (10 miles) was early December. I thought I’d be absolutely destroyed by Dopey given my low mileage. Yet my recovery was way faster than my first marathon just a few months ago and my legs never felt as terrible. (I needed help walking after my first marathon…hobbled along for the entire day of.)

I took an hour long hot bath as soon as I got back to my resort on Sunday and that definitely loosened me up. I did a few stretches after but I definitely neglect stretching in general, perks of being young I guess. I did a bit of park touring that evening which I’m sure helped keep things loose, I ended up with 70k steps. A new record by far, I got 55k the day of my first marathon,

Yesterday I woke up pretty tight and took a quick 15 minute bath and again that immediately made me feel much better. I did have to use a railing going down stairs and the handrail in bathrooms but like 5/10 soreness so could be way worse. Today I can do everything without issue, I’m sure running would feel weird but I feel almost completely back to normal already.

I did a lot of pausing for photos (and rides during the marathon) as well as walking up inclines in the later miles. But my running pace between photos wasn’t that different from my usual pace. Those breaks must have made such a difference as on my long runs at home, I ran without stopping, and would have to stop and stretch every few miles towards the end as things would be aching. I didn’t experience that same aching during the half or full at Disney, even with my sudden drop off in training. I’m just flabbergasted at how I ran all these back to back races and didn’t feel the building fatigue I expected. I felt as fresh for the marathon as I did after a full training cycle and taper.

So I’m not sure if I got lucky or if it was the breaks or if a 6 week taper is what works for me

 

[PrincessV]

As expected, runDisney is not refunding my marathon or CCC registration even after I sent them a picture of my dated test. They said they get too many requests.

I emailed back and recommended they offer registration insurance for COVID, injuries, etc (like concert tickets do). I would definitely buy it.

This drives me nuts. It would be so “easy” (I actually have no idea what would be involved in the staffing aspect of this, but it doens’t seem like it should take too much?) for rD to simply provide options many other races offer, such as transfers to other people who want coveted spots long gone, transfers to the following year, transfers to virtual, partial refunds if requested by xyz date/s, insurance… there are so many ways to make nice with the people forking over huge amounts of money to run their races.

 

[Ariel484]

As expected, runDisney is not refunding my marathon or CCC registration even after I sent them a picture of my dated test. They said they get too many requests.

I emailed back and recommended they offer registration insurance for COVID, injuries, etc (like concert tickets do). I would definitely buy it.

This drives me nuts. It would be so “easy” (I actually have no idea what would be involved in the staffing aspect of this, but it doens’t seem like it should take too much?) for rD to simply provide options many other races offer, such as transfers to other people who want coveted spots long gone, transfers to the following year, transfers to virtual, partial refunds if requested by xyz date/s, insurance… there are so many ways to make nice with the people forking over huge amounts of money to run their races.

This bothers me a lot too and makes me hesitant to sign up for future races. I know they used to have an insurance option but it was only if you booked your entire trip through runDisney…something like that? And I don’t think they even have that anymore. Their registrations are so far in advance, and so expensive…you never know what can happen. Look at Disneyland, which has registration 11 months in advance. That’s insane.

Them not allowing transfers to virtual are really a head-scratcher to me. Charge a fee to have the original person transfer to virtual and then open up that in-person spot to someone else…profit. ???

I kind of feel like some of this is them being lazy, but it’s hard to know because I feel like so little is known about runDisney as an organization (how big their team is, etc.) except that Farron Kelley is the head of it.

I also feel that they have no motivation to make any changes as long as their events keep selling out.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

As expected, runDisney is not refunding my marathon or CCC registration even after I sent them a picture of my dated test. They said they get too many requests.

I emailed back and recommended they offer registration insurance for COVID, injuries, etc (like concert tickets do). I would definitely buy it.

I’m so sorry. My wife just went through this with Ironman a few months ago after she tested positive for the flu 5 days before her triathlon. I mean, I guess we all know that’s the risk with these things, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with….the overwhelming emotions of not getting to race, feeling like you just wasted a bunch of money and not even being able to defer, etc. It just sucks. I hope you’re feeling better.

 

[JeffW]

Had a wonderful time at the After Hours Party at MK last night. We were able to ride everything in the park at a relaxed pace.




ETA: After Hours into a 7:30 AM flight wasn’t the optimal plan but sometimes you have to burn the candle at both ends at WDW.

Agree, we did the After Hours at MK as well, and it was a great way to experience the park (even though staying up until 1am after getting up at 2am for multiple days wasn't optimal). My son's comment "It's crazy walking through the park and not having to dodge around people"

 

[Herding_Cats]

Reasons to not have medals that are numbers

At least they matched their merch font to the one they used for the medal? Bonus points for color matching as well?

 

[kps7795]

That sounds almost exactly like me race experience last year — walking the last 8 miles with intense pain, and faking a run across the finish line.

In my case, it was Posterior Tibial Tendonitis. It required some recovery time, strengthening exercises, and better arch support for my overpronated feet. Hoping it’s something similarly recoverable for you!

I am still trying to reconcile my emotions about the marathon and whether I should feel proud of myself that I stuck it out and finished or terribly disappointed that I couldn't run.