Marathon Weekend 2025

[PrincessV]

My recommendation is Option 3. Start the taper now and don’t do the 18 miler this weekend or next. Physically speaking the remaining 18 miler adds tenths of a decimal onto your fitness. Do something nice and easy. I’ve had marathons with disrupted last long runs and so my last long run was like 5-6 weeks out from race day and the effect was negligible compared to my expectations. Prioritize getting healthy and doing “enough” to maintain current fitness. It’s the cumulative of everything versus any singular run.

I’ll back DB’s sage advice up with some real-life testimony of my own…

Due to a bunch of health issues that made long distance running extremely painful - WAY beyond the discomfort we expect it to come with - I was unable to do beyond 16 miles as my long run before my last marathon, and that happened 6 weeks before the race. My longest run after that was 8. I started the race fully expecting to bow out at 13ish and be happy to have done a half. But I was doing okay at 13 and kept going - and I finished. NGL, 18-26+ was incredibly painful. The usual late miles marathon pain + my health issues in play equaled a pain level I never care to repeat. But energy- and endurance-wise, I felt the best I ever have in a marathon! And I recovered much faster than I had after previous marathons. I was 100% fit enough for that race and the “only” (okay, it was a BIG one, but had nothing to do with running or training) issue in my way was the pain.

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

Someone beat me to posting my usual advice about keeping the sponge they give you on course, so I thought I’d take a moment to explain why I advise it so strongly. For those of you who are long-time marathon runners, it probably doesn’t apply. For those who aren’t, or who are worried about finishing, I’ll tell you why it’s a “secret weapon.” For my first rD marathon (2016), I used it to wipe my face, and then threw it down like everyone else was doing, giving it no more thought. In 2019, when it was quite hot, I carried it (and have many photopass shots to prove it!). After a while, I realized that the psychological benefit of knowing I could wipe something cool against my face at any time was giving me a boost. (I wet it again at the water stations). When the going got tough at the end, I rubbed my thumb against the sponge or squeezed it, using that sensory input to “interrupt” the negative messages that my brain was sending. In 2020, when it was hotter than the surface of the sun (and as it turned out, I was running with the flu, and picked up COVID at some point before returning home), I kept that sponge until I was about to make the final turn to the finish line, and knew I was going to cross.

When you’re running a marathon, it’s smart to keep all the tools in your arsenal, even if one of them is a sponge. . As we all know, there’s a huge mental aspect to running a long distance. If you can interrupt your brain when it’s telling you that it’s too hot, this is too hard, etc., and tell it, “no, this is fine—look! We have a sponge. We can keep ourselves cool, and ooh! what an interesting texture this is!,” you can sometimes make your brain forget that it’s not happy with you for engaging in such an activity as running a marathon.

 

[StarGirl11]

"Today, Disney announced something really exciting! Bluey is coming to Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, and even Disney Cruise Line starting in 2025!"

Wouldn't it be cool if they were in one of our runs? One can hope!

Between the movie announcement and now this I’ve been over the moon the past couple of days. I think it’s probably too early to hope for MW unless they have it all prepped and ready to go (which knowing Disney isn’t impossible.) Springtime or the fall races would be my guesses if they do a photo op

That let’s be honest will probably be on the 5k course since it’s the one with the younger age limit. That line is going to be long.

I don’t think production of the show is changing hands. I can imagine Disney has been trying to get theme park rights for a long time.

Bluey has a park thing in Australia too if I remember right? So it’s not like they would have to do a ton of things to know what would here. Honestly I’m not expecting more then a Meet and Greet with her, Bingo, and maybe Muffin since we’ve established they have the ability thanks to Macys.

Also since we’re talking medical stuff. Here’s a reminder if you’ve got a cough without being sick get it checked out if you can by your primary. I just got back from seeing mine and realize I should have seen her before Rocket City since apparently I’ve been dealing with mild asthma symptoms again. (This happens randomly for me where I need an inhaler after being sick.)

Really wish I had done this pre Rocket City now but can’t change that

 

[The Expert]

I was trying to explain to DH last night why it seemed I "wasn't that into" the holidays this year, so I made us a meme. Feel free to use it at will with friends, family, etc.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

As @Zutroy said, muscle imbalance is usually the root of most running injuries. My ITBS stemmed from lazy glutes, especially my glute med. the small muscles like to be lazy and let the big muscles work. I do barre once a week to challenge my glute med and others, and my first run/strength had me do extra glute exercises.

My ITBS was on my right side, but my left glute was the one not firing. When I started specific training, my coach had me do extra reps on my left side. I also do barre exercises to wake up my legs before my long runs.

Being this close to MW, heavy strength wouldn’t be the best, but body weight and resistance bands could help fire up your glutes.

 

[StarGirl11]

I tried them both on in the store and the open pro made my ears tickle when I cut the volume way up. Didn’t get that vibration from the pro 2.

Not me over hear having vibration with all of my Shockz I’ve ever had so I didn’t even know there was a possibility it couldn’t get that

Might be the Neurodivergence influence though

 

[Dopey 2020]

That's why you're supposed to fill out the information on the back of you bib. I say that having never filled out the back of a bib in my life!

I never run without a RoadID, which has my age, allergies, blood type and emergency contact info, so I don't feel a need to carry an ID, as well.

Same! They hit it out of the park with that idea, all my info on my watch band, in the same location as a medical bracelet where EMTs are trained to look first.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

I am so jealous of all of you who got to ride EE during the marathon! This past year when I reached it they weren't letting runners enter the line. Maybe this year!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Being this close to MW, heavy strength wouldn’t be the best, but body weight and resistance bands could help fire up your glutes.

Work on glutes? Will do.
At the moment, my gluteus maximus is sitting on an ice pack as I prepare to watch more football.
Task in progress.....

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

I am so jealous of all of you who got to ride EE during the marathon! This past year when I reached it they weren't letting runners enter the line. Maybe this year!

Yes! Thank you.
I'm guessing the runners who arrived earlier were being welcomed in. We got told head to the back of the big line. Grrrrrr

 

[Isabelle12345]

Thank you all for the advice regarding ITBS - I really think that’s what’s happening

I will try and take it easy for the next week or so and do strengthening of the gluteus medius and some stretching, and try to get an appointment with a PT next week
I walked on the threadmill today and did very short bouts of running (3x30 s) and it seemed ok but I really want to make sure I don’t irritate something that will cause me issues later on…

Let’s hope everything turns out ok in the end

 

[smileyanna]

Yes! Thank you.
I'm guessing the runners who arrived earlier were being welcomed in. We got told head to the back of the big line. Grrrrrr

I think this is what happened to me in 2018 (my only run Disney experience)? Do you know when they close the “marathon line?” Is it regular park open?

 

[fatmanatee]

I think this is what happened to me in 2018 (my only run Disney experience)? Do you know when they close the “marathon line?” Is it regular park open?

I asked about this earlier this year and my sense of the situation was that it's varied. I wrote notes and have down that I should be safe if I get there by 9:15, but that was before they announced that the marathon would start 30 minutes earlier. So maybe they also stop letting racers through earlier, or they don't do anything differently bc I don't think AK opening time is changing. Anyway, based on the answers I got it's possible that they just make a decision on the fly depending on how much racers are impacting the single rider line.

 

[Bunkie1979]

I need to vent here because I am freaking out…
I did a 21 miler run on Monday ans it went really well. No pains whatsoever during the run. I was a little sore the next day but since yesterday, I have started feeling pain on the lateral side of my right knee… it mostly hurts when I stretch my leg completely or when I out whether on an hyperextended knee.
I never had that pain before and I never felt any pi during any of my training, I increased the mileage gradually… and now I am FREAKING OUT thinking I may have injured myself…
I have read about ITBS but am wondering if it can start up so acutely?
I haven’t been running since and am limiting walking, and trying to stretch / massage the surrounding areas.
I will try to get an appointment with a PT but with the holidays it might be hard to see someone within the next few days so I am wondering if I should withhold from running altogether…
Any thoughts or input?

Sending supportive and positive vibes your way! Foam rolling was my friend previously working on an IT issue trying to keep everything loose and balanced. My glute max not activating, glute med weakness and TFL tightness were my culprits, but everyone is different.

Seeing a physio if you can is a great idea for an overall assessment and quick recovery/management plan if you can get in. An ultrasound or Shockwave treatment might also help, and they can treat you during your visit if you will benefit from that. They can also teach you how to use KT tape for support during activity. You may need to tape your knee, along the IT band, at the hip, or all three. Techniques videos vary online, but I prefer this method:

Hit the IT band exercises hard daily if you can until race day (targeting the glute med works best for me) and build your strength over the next few weeks. If you choose to run, I've learned the key is to use RICE and anti-inflammatory to manage the acute phase, and when resuming activity, to maintain a low threshold to avoid IT activation.

Best of luck, you've got this!

 

[PrincessV]

Speaking as an outlier who’s predisposed to ITBS due to scoliosis (yes, I do plenty of ST, but there’s a limit to how much that can counteract physical deformity), I’ll add a little wisdom gained: if you get a flare-up mid-race, the med tent folks know what they’re doing. I stopped late in my last marathon to try some BioFreeze, though I’ve never had it be helpful using it myself - I was desperate! The med volunteer nodded as soon as I said “ITBS”, slathered on some BioFreeze and massaged DEEP into the tissue in exactly the right spot to release tension on the painful spot at the knee. That totally got me through the last few miles with less pain.

 

[Ellie_]

Question for all of you training experts! I’m doing Goofy and today was supposed to be my 10 miler with 20 tomorrow before I taper until the race. I woke up to icy conditions that will make it difficult to run outside. I could probably still do it and be fine if I go slow and I’m careful. But I’m worried about risking injuries.

I have off on Tuesday, so I was thinking of doing my 10 tomorrow and 20 on Tuesday. Would it mess up my taper if I pushed back my longest run from Sunday to Tuesday? And leave a day in between the 10 and 20?

 

[fatmanatee]

Question for all of you training experts! I’m doing Goofy and today was supposed to be my 10 miler with 20 tomorrow before I taper until the race. I woke up to icy conditions that will make it difficult to run outside. I could probably still do it and be fine if I go slow and I’m careful. But I’m worried about risking injuries.

I have off on Tuesday, so I was thinking of doing my 10 tomorrow and 20 on Tuesday. Would it mess up my taper if I pushed back my longest run from Sunday to Tuesday? And leave a day in between the 10 and 20?

I feel like it’s better to get the 20 miles in under safer conditions two days later than scheduled than to do it in bad conditions and risk injury. You can adjust the following weeks schedule if necessary.

 

[Ellie_]

I feel like it’s better to get the 20 miles in under safer conditions two days later than scheduled than to do it in bad conditions and risk injury. You can adjust the following weeks schedule if necessary.

Thank you! I was leaning toward that option so I’m glad to have gotten another opinion and feel confident in that decision

 

[fatmanatee]

Thank you! I was leaning toward that option so I’m glad to have gotten another opinion and feel confident in that decision

Yeah if I were in your position I’d definitely delay, adjust the schedule for the rest of next week and try to shift the following weeks long run a day back if possible. If not, NBD. I dont think shifting that long run back two days impacts tapering that much though. It’s still 19 days out from the marathon, a lot of time.

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Yeah if I were in your position I’d definitely delay, adjust the schedule for the rest of next week and try to shift the following weeks long run a day back if possible. If not, NBD. I dont think shifting that long run back two days impacts tapering that much though. It’s still 19 days out from the marathon, a lot of time.

Dittos, dittos. Waiting a day or two for better/safer conditions won't make a hill of beans difference, as my dad would say. Same if you have to shorten up your run a bit. At this point, 99+% of your training is in the jar, so IMHO even a few much shorter runs (like 10 miles) before you taper will still have you in good shape. Just my 2-cents worth. Good luck.
YMMV