TAPER!!!!!!!!! 
Final Dopey sim is done: 3/5.5/12/22 First three days read like a "What NOT To Do On Race Day": poor shoe picks, questionable food choices, cranky body parts thanks to weather changes. I set out for my 22 expecting not to do more than 2 because everything was so tight and sore when I woke up, but somehow, the more I ran, the more muscles relaxed and felt better, so I kept going and got it done. My only grievance was the infernal sun here in FL: the last hour was scorching and felt a lot like an August run, not Dec. I applied sunscreen before heading out, and twice more during my run, and still got very tan and a bit pink - my race advice is to bring sunscreen and USE IT!
The reality is that you have so many runners doing their own thing, any time during the race may turn out to be an ideal window.
You have folks trying to PR, those that stop at every photo op, ride rides, drink beer, visit with family spectating, run/walking, etc.
So very much, this! ^ 2016 marathon I started in J and spent the first half feeling like I was in a constant battle to run my own pace - I stopped for a few pics in AK and when I left, I found myself in a better place within the crowd. It's all rather hit-or-miss, and I find that if I'm in a "bad" spot within those 25,000 runners, it's worth slowing down or making a pit stop to fall in with a different crowd.
I’d heard it was cold last year, but it seems everyone was caught off guard. Did the forecast change or did everyone just pack assuming Florida would be hot?
I live 90 miles west of WDW and this time of year I'm constantly checking the weather because cold fronts pop in quickly and what I wear on a daily basis changes according to each day's forecast. Up until a few days out, we were anticipating a very warm marathon - it was very late in the game that a cold front suddenly entered the picture, and then it wasn't expected to be
super cold. So I added some cool weather options to my bag before leaving home, but nothing for bitter cold, and I incorrectly assumed I'd warm up quickly and not want anything too hot. I did shed a couple layers during the race, but could have used at least one more layer for the first 5 miles! Lesson learned: I'll be bringing ALL the options this time
WDW Marathon Pros: For spectators wanting to view us in WS, which are the best countries to hang-out in front of?
I don't recommend MX, only because it's a tight squeeze through there and gets pretty congested with runners and park-goers. Any of the others are good picks, but Germany, Italy and America tend to be very open, which makes it easier to see your runners and vice-versa.
What motivates you to run and why runDisney?
My boring answer is that running feels good and helps keep me healthy - that's it, really. And runDisney because it's slow-runner-friendly, is held in one of my favorite places, and is close enough that travel cost isn't a problem.
