FerretAfros
Well-Known Member
I made it back home after Dopey #8 (#9? I'm still not sure whether the virtual counts), and got 11 hours of sleep last night, so I'm finally starting to feel like a real person again. For a variety of reasons, this Marathon Weekend was different from the ones in the past, but still a lot of fun, and it just felt great to have it back. In a weird way, Marathon Weekend feels like going to homecoming, with all those familiar faces you see every year, even though you don't actually 99% of them.
I had a good race weekend, and somehow managed to break my Dopey PR by about a minute and a half, without even thinking about it until today. I ran the 5K and 10K with a friend, which was a new experience for me; while it was fun to have some company and get to see the excitement of a new runner, I also hadn't planned on how much mental energy it takes to constantly communicate your race plan as you're going along, weaving between people, planning walk breaks, and determining character stops. The Half gave me an opportunity to run my own race and keep my legs light and fresh. The Full was a bit of a challenge, with the added pressure to get as far as possible before the heat came into play, but I managed to outrun the sun and make it off the worst parts of the course before they began to get too hot. I really lucked out; I think if I had hit Western Way about 5 minutes later, my pace would have had to be way slower, but I managed to stay in the shade nearly the entire time and finish just a few seconds faster than my "best possible scenario" goal.
Some thoughts about the weekend, in no particular order:
Just sent a friend request!
After a year running solo, it was great to be back to an in-person Marathon Weekend, with everything it involves. I'm already starting to make plans for next year!
I had a good race weekend, and somehow managed to break my Dopey PR by about a minute and a half, without even thinking about it until today. I ran the 5K and 10K with a friend, which was a new experience for me; while it was fun to have some company and get to see the excitement of a new runner, I also hadn't planned on how much mental energy it takes to constantly communicate your race plan as you're going along, weaving between people, planning walk breaks, and determining character stops. The Half gave me an opportunity to run my own race and keep my legs light and fresh. The Full was a bit of a challenge, with the added pressure to get as far as possible before the heat came into play, but I managed to outrun the sun and make it off the worst parts of the course before they began to get too hot. I really lucked out; I think if I had hit Western Way about 5 minutes later, my pace would have had to be way slower, but I managed to stay in the shade nearly the entire time and finish just a few seconds faster than my "best possible scenario" goal.
Some thoughts about the weekend, in no particular order:
- The merchandise line at the expo was insane on Wednesday. I waited close to 2 hours, before giving up and just having my friend (who arrived early and was waiting inside) buy stuff for me without getting a good look at it. With how many times they've done these weekends, you'd think they'd have a better system in place by now. The demand is clearly there; Disney leaving money on the table by with the self-inflicted merchandise shortages that lead to the crazy lines and eBay rushes (this isn't a supply chain issue, it's been increasingly bad since around the time the runDisney branding went into effect)
- I actually didn't mind the new pre-race security setup. The buses dropped off at the park bus stops, rather than in the Journey Lot, so the walk wasn't that much longer than previous years, and the whole process seemed to be faster than the old system of checking bags by hand. There were several bottlenecks along the walk for the 5K, but having the grass option open for the other races eliminated them (and provided a great shortcut)
- The post-race transportation for the 5K and 10K was great. In previous years, the course blocked the buses from leaving until the last runners had cleared certain points. With the 5K buses leaving from the Journey Lot and the new 10K course, this was no longer an issue, and buses were running long before I finished.
- On the way to the Half, my bus driver didn't know the route and took us to the Epcot CM parking lot. He was able to ask someone for directions and get it sorted out, but that was a frustrating few minutes. Other than that isolated snafu, the transportation for the weekend seemed quite good.
- I'm not sure what was used to calculate anticipated pace for Proof of Time, but I submitted a 1:27:50 10-Miler (8:47 pace, or a 3:50:07 marathon at a direct extrapolation), and was put into s3. While that was about where I should have been for the Marathon, it was absolutely too far back the other days, which led to lots of fighting for space in the early miles. I understand the difficulty of obtaining proof of time in the last 2 years, but having the 2/4-hour cutoff doesn't seem quite right considering the number of walkers who will always estimate their finish as the fastest non-POT slot. It's always been a problem for rD, but this year's system seemed worse than normal with early-race crowding.
- The whole "starting group" thing was stupid, and clearly created to appease someone in a boardroom. They're the same as corrals, but with a name that confuses everybody. If we have to keep this setup, can we at least drop the lowercase-"s" from the bibs and just use the number?
- In general, on-course entertainment seemed more sparse than usual, though not dramatically so. The notable exception to that was the 4+ mile stretch in the Full between leaving Epcot and getting to TTC, where there were only 3 characters (including Pluto, who was also accessible from the other side of the median right after the start) and a video board. While I'm sure many people didn't like it, that area gave the the solace to focus on my running and clear my mind during an otherwise-busy weekend. Typically I would prefer a lot more entertainment, but that area hit me at just the right time.
- Starting the Half earlier meant that it was longer before sunrise, which was particularly noticeable for me after leaving MK. While I appreciated having more space on the new part of Floridian Way, it was completely dark in several places, which was a real hazard with the number of people running, including people tripping over speed bumps that were lost in the darkness. Temporary lighting was brought in for some parts of the road, but not others; I couldn't figure out a logic to where they were placed.
- During the Full, the sponge station came at just the right moment for me. It felt great to get the salt off my face, and I stuck the sponge in the back of my visor headband to keep me cool for the later miles. I poured more water on it at each of the remaining water stations, and it really helped keep away the worst of the heat.
Just sent a friend request!After a year running solo, it was great to be back to an in-person Marathon Weekend, with everything it involves. I'm already starting to make plans for next year!
This damn thing has burned itself out by Princess.
