Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend

[Skippy]

Goofy reappeared this afternoon, along with the #racedirectorchallenge. Someone is just messing with me.

Sounds like the same thing I saw yesterday morning. Refreshing the page sometimes showed the marathon as open, sometimes it was removed.

 

[Skippy]

• Dopey Challenge (Sold Out 8/15/2016 Reopened 8/30/2016 Sold Out 9/7/2016)
  
• Goofy Race and a Half Challenge (Sold Out & Reopened 9/1/2016)
  
• Marathon
• Half Marathon - Sold Out 4/27/2016
• 10k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
• 5k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
• Kids Races
• Castaway Cay Challenge
• Runners World VIP

Dopey Challenge explicitly says "SOLD OUT" on the registration page now.
Still seeing the full and Goofy disappear and reappear sometimes when refreshing, along the Race Director Challenge options.

 

[dreamfinder]

• Dopey Challenge (Sold Out 8/15/2016 Reopened 8/30/2016 Sold Out 9/7/2016)
  
• Goofy Race and a Half Challenge (Sold Out & Reopened 9/1/2016)
  
• Marathon
• Half Marathon - Sold Out 4/27/2016
• 10k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
• 5k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
• Kids Races
• Castaway Cay Challenge
• Runners World VIP

Dopey Challenge explicitly says "SOLD OUT" on the registration page now.
Still seeing the full and Goofy disappear and reappear sometimes when refreshing, along the Race Director Challenge options.

Yeah, I've seen it say that twice in the last few days. And then it has come back shortly thereafter. They can't seem to figure this out recently.

 

[dreamfinder]

And Dopey is showing as open again. I really don't get why so many events are bouncing between open and close lately. Kids 1MI on Sat sold out as well.

• Dopey Challenge (Sold Out 8/15/2016 Reopened 8/30/2016 Sold Out 9/7/2016 Reopened 9/13/2016)
  
• Goofy Race and a Half Challenge (Sold Out & Reopened 9/1/2016)
  
• Marathon
• Half Marathon - Sold Out 4/27/2016
• 10k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
• 5k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
• Kids Races - Sat 1/7 1 M ONLY Sold Out 9/13/2016 Others still open
  
• Castaway Cay Challenge
• Runners World VIP

 

[DrewmanS]

And Dopey is showing as open again. I really don't get why so many events are bouncing between open and close lately. Kids 1MI on Sat sold out as well.

• Dopey Challenge (Sold Out 8/15/2016 Reopened 8/30/2016 Sold Out 9/7/2016 Reopened 9/13/2016)
  
• Goofy Race and a Half Challenge (Sold Out & Reopened 9/1/2016)
  
• Marathon
• Half Marathon - Sold Out 4/27/2016
• 10k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
• 5k - Sold Out 4/26/2016
• Kids Races - Sat 1/7 1 M ONLY Sold Out 9/13/2016 Others still open
  
• Castaway Cay Challenge
• Runners World VIP

My guess is that they are trying to sell out the Marathon too, but all the original slots in the shorter races allocated to Goofy and Dopey were filled. Since the Half, 10K, and 5K are sold out, every time they add more slots for Dopey or Goofy, they have to increase the size of those other races. They are doing it in small increments to see if the Marathon will sell out without having to over sell the other races. They may also be looking at "who" is signing up for Goofy or Dopey and evaluating the impacts to the races (i.e. for the race to flow well, you want the expected pace of the runners to follow a bell curve, adding additional people who all fall into the same general pace can clog up the course. Adding runners who are balanced throughout the corrals has minimal impact)

 

[Mad Stitch]

 

[dreamfinder]

My guess is that they are trying to sell out the Marathon too, but all the original slots in the shorter races allocated to Goofy and Dopey were filled. Since the Half, 10K, and 5K are sold out, every time they add more slots for Dopey or Goofy, they have to increase the size of those other races. They are doing it in small increments to see if the Marathon will sell out without having to over sell the other races. They may also be looking at "who" is signing up for Goofy or Dopey and evaluating the impacts to the races (i.e. for the race to flow well, you want the expected pace of the runners to follow a bell curve, adding additional people who all fall into the same general pace can clog up the course. Adding runners who are balanced throughout the corrals has minimal impact)

In this case, for this race, I could possibly buy that. But the number of other events that have resurrected from the dead lately make me unsure. For instance, F&W had the Lumiere Challenge show back up after all the adult events were sold out for ages, and then it stayed up for a few weeks. Something just seems off.

 

[dreamfinder]

Do I even want to know what the designer was thinking? Colors on some but not others, random shapes. I like the Donald, but Mickey looks like a throwback to the old school early year medals. Which strikes me as odd for a non anniversary year to go retro, with the 25th coming up.

 

[Texas84]

I give these an 'A' for effort. They could just use the same design every year. But that half medal looks dangerous with those sharp edges!

When is the 25th? I might have to suspend my Marathon Weekend boycott for that.

 

[Mad Stitch]

The Donald medal is the Roman numeral XX for the 20th anniversary. I don't like the color they added to the Castaway Challenge medal, it looked better without it.

 

[dreamfinder]

I give these an 'A' for effort. They could just use the same design every year. But that half medal looks dangerous with those sharp edges!

When is the 25th? I might have to suspend my Marathon Weekend boycott for that.

25th is next year I believe. It'll be a double anniversary, 25th for the full, 5th for the Dopey.

The Donald medal is the Roman numeral XX for the 20th anniversary. I don't like the color they added to the Castaway Challenge medal, it looked better without it.

Yeah, I like the XX better than some of the past anniversary designs, the colors really tie in Donald. It almost seems like they went plain medal for the normal races, with color reserved for the challenges and anniversaries.

Dug on eBay for a pic of the old marathon medal for comparison, this one is from year 2 just to show how similar it is. Font change, with a more 3D Mickey, but otherwise it's pretty darn close.

 

[tyoyowoowooj]

Does anyone know why they did away with pasta in the park?

 

[ForeverAnna]

Maybe because carb loading has been disproven.

 

[wdwjmp239]

Never in a million years would I have thought of, let alone participate in one, run a half marathon. On Sunday, October 2nd, I did just that. I completed the 1st Annual Florida West Coast Half Marathon in Sarasota, Florida at Nathan Benderson Park. I'm not sure why I'm surprised that I did a half marathon as I registered for the WDW Marathon in January, but the feeling of being out there, running a half marathon was kind of a surreal moment for me.

So, what have I learned from running a half marathon? The first thing is never estimate how long it's going to take you to complete it. In my mind, based on training pace, or whatever the lingo is, I calculated my "finish time" out to be somewhere in the 2.5 hours range for a half marathon. This is soooooo wrong! Tack on another 40 minutes to whatever time you figure out and that's your true finish time. I finished my first in 3:20. (Side note: I submitted my time to RunDisney. Though, I'm sure with a time of 3:20 for a half marathon, they'll start me off behind the balloon ladies in the marathon and sweep me at the starting line! )

The second thing I officially learned is there may 900 other runners out there, but never go the pace of the runner in front of you, next to you (unless they're your training partner), or even behind you. When you are on that course, the only runner is you! You run your own race. You're not out there to break some long-standing running speed/distance record (unless that's your mission in life). The goal of your race is you have to finish. Once you finish, the elation and relief of knowing it's over is unreal.

Then, there's the pain and soreness that comes afterwards which is the third thing I learned. Listen up men - if you're running your first half marathon soon - hear me out, especially the men who are married who have kids. I'm sure you've had the discussion/argument with your wives about how painful it is to give birth. After you run your first half marathon? The pain and soreness after 13.1 miles ranks up there to giving birth. After my half marathon, my legs were so numb that from getting from the finish line to the recovery tent (which was only 10 feet away), it felt like my body just gave birth to twins and those twins had twins. Then, let's talk about the stabbing pains in the back just under the shoulder blades. This might've been due to poor form on my part, but the fact that I couldn't move my right arm for 45 minutes after I crossed the finish line was rather interesting and if I attempted to move my arm, the shooting pains from the shoulder to the upper back was enough to bring tears to my eyes from time to time.

The fourth thing I learned? Blisters! 13.1 miles is definitely blister territory. Though, I'm sure all of us on here are Disney fanatics and are used to walking long distances in the park and get those blisters at the end of the day. But, a blister after a half marathon makes a blister after a day at the parks look like a zit on the foot. The second you get home - soak your feet. If you have the budget for one, get a foot bath with a massage feature in it. I have one and although I still have a blister on my foot, my feet feel better (do not pick at the blister - leave it alone).

Finally, the last thing I learned? Ibuprofen, ice packs, foam rollers (or rolling sticks) are your best friend to help aid in muscle recovery. Take the ibuprofen before you take your nap (you will need a nap - your body will just shut down and you'll sleep for a good 2-3 hours). When you get up, work the foam rollers in your legs, ice down your legs, take some more ibuprofen during the day. Something about delayed onset muscle soreness is a real thing - it should only last a couple of days after your half marathon.

.....Oh yeah...one more thing.....you will be extremely hungry after your half marathon - control what you eat, stay away from the junk, and don't over indulge. Yesterday, I had a slice of pizza, a small bowl of wheat pasta, and couple of bottles of Powerade along with water to re-hydrate.

So...to capture all of this in one thought? Keep running! Disney Marathon weekend is less than 100 days away!

 

[dreamfinder]

@ntn_haqqer Congrats!

The fourth thing I learned? Blisters! 13.1 miles is definitely blister territory. Though, I'm sure all of us on here are Disney fanatics and are used to walking long distances in the park and get those blisters at the end of the day. But, a blister after a half marathon makes a blister after a day at the parks look like a zit on the foot. The second you get home - soak your feet. If you have the budget for one, get a foot bath with a massage feature in it. I have one and although I still have a blister on my foot, my feet feel better (do not pick at the blister - leave it alone).

: ) Just wait. Eventually the blisters will become calluses, and no longer blisters. Keep running on em, you eventually forget about them.

 

[Skippy]

So, what have I learned from running a half marathon? The first thing is never estimate how long it's going to take you to complete it. In my mind, based on training pace, or whatever the lingo is, I calculated my "finish time" out to be somewhere in the 2.5 hours range for a half marathon. This is soooooo wrong! Tack on another 40 minutes to whatever time you figure out and that's your true finish time. I finished my first in 3:20. (Side note: I submitted my time to RunDisney. Though, I'm sure with a time of 3:20 for a half marathon, they'll start me off behind the balloon ladies in the marathon and sweep me at the starting line! )

I want to thank you for reminding me that I need to submit my proof of time for the Marathon (deadline is today/tomorrow!). One of these times I'll do the smart thing and just add it when I register.

And as someone who has run the Marathon without a proof of time & starting in the final corral - any proof of time is better than trying to move forward from the rear. I don't think I had a comfortable amount of space around me until five or six miles in.

 

[wdwjmp239]

Quick question (and maybe some of you seasoned/veteran runners can help me figure this one out), but why do some training programs have you train up to 20 miles before a marathon? For example, the RunTracker app I'm using in tandem with Galloway's run/walk schedule I downloaded from the RunDisney website - by the end of my endurance period - the two don't jive with each other. RunTracker says run 5 hours (or 20 miles) while Galloway has me doing all 26 miles three weeks before the marathon. Which one to follow? Why? Is one better than the other?

Ok fine...I liked....there were a few questions in there.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mad Stitch]

Quick question (and maybe some of you seasoned/veteran runners can help me figure this one out), but why do some training programs have you train up to 20 miles before a marathon? For example, the RunTracker app I'm using in tandem with Galloway's run/walk schedule I downloaded from the RunDisney website - by the end of my endurance period - the two don't jive with each other. RunTracker says run 5 hours (or 20 miles) while Galloway has me doing all 26 miles three weeks before the marathon. Which one to follow? Why? Is one better than the other?

Ok fine...I liked....there were a few questions in there.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Most of the training plans I have seen for a marathon max out at 20 miles. If you can run that far the excitement and pageantry of race day will motivate you enough for the final 6 miles. Running beyond 20 miles just subjects you to injury and it's not worth the risk so close to the race for the very little physical stamina that is gained. runDisney tends to attract new runners and the Galloway plans seem to be geared towards them. Galloways run-walk method and 26 mile max helps give first time marathoners the mental confidence that they can finish the race.

 

[dreamfinder]

Quick question (and maybe some of you seasoned/veteran runners can help me figure this one out), but why do some training programs have you train up to 20 miles before a marathon? For example, the RunTracker app I'm using in tandem with Galloway's run/walk schedule I downloaded from the RunDisney website - by the end of my endurance period - the two don't jive with each other. RunTracker says run 5 hours (or 20 miles) while Galloway has me doing all 26 miles three weeks before the marathon. Which one to follow? Why? Is one better than the other?

Ok fine...I liked....there were a few questions in there.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Every plan has their good things and bad things, and not every plan will work for every runner. My understanding is that there are two parts to it, mental and physical. And in both cases, you will usually hit the wall starting out in that 16-20 mile distance. So getting you to/through that point is key, and then anything from there is usually butter. The physical has to do both with your muscles and endurance, as well as getting your body to convert its energy stores to fuel. That is your bonk point, where your body has used all it's easily convertible energy, so if you can get your body to start to burn its reserves, you will do better, otherwise you need to be properly refueling (gels/bars/whatever).

Galloway doesn't seem to focus as much on your base mileage, so in his method doing that longer distance is more important. A statement I've seen recently is that your wall is going to be about 3x your daily run. So when Galloway only has you doing 2x 30min runs as a beginner, he needs to have another way to get you around that wall, and he is doing that with the extra long runs. Not familiar with the RunTracker program, but lots of other programs have 6-8 mile runs as your mid week runs, to help get through the wall without the longer distance run.

 

[JillC LI]

Quick question (and maybe some of you seasoned/veteran runners can help me figure this one out), but why do some training programs have you train up to 20 miles before a marathon? For example, the RunTracker app I'm using in tandem with Galloway's run/walk schedule I downloaded from the RunDisney website - by the end of my endurance period - the two don't jive with each other. RunTracker says run 5 hours (or 20 miles) while Galloway has me doing all 26 miles three weeks before the marathon. Which one to follow? Why? Is one better than the other?

Ok fine...I liked....there were a few questions in there.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Congrats on your first Half! All good lessons learned. As for your question, @Mad Stitch and @dreamfinder pretty much covered it. Unless you have a time goal (which you shouldn't for your first Marathon), there's no need to cover more than 20 miles beforehand.