Walt Disney World Marathon 2013

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  • I have every intention of spending time at the parks and touristing while I'm there.  After all, it's a long trip just to run.

    The question is "Will I be too pooped to play?"

    I read Disney Mom Loris Blogs about Runcationing, and just don't know if it would be worth the extra money to turn it into a full-on holiday.

    Walking around the parks the week before the race weekend shouldn't be a problem as long as I don't overdo the weekend itself.  But having a week there after the races may be a bit wasted if the weekend takes a lot out of me.  It will take a while to get over the aching legs for sure.

    I suppose I could slow the pace to make it easier for myself, but I've never been good at starting slow, even though I'm not fast (by a long shot).  And I am going for the Dopey primarilly, I don't want to come home feeling like I didn't even try to do well.

  • marty74marty74 ✭✭✭

    Dont worry about having to slow the pace down. The stopping for pictures with the characters every mile or so will help with that!! I stayed for a week after this year and felt fine. It was nice to see everyone round the parks wearing their well earned medals. Not the sort of thing we tend to do in this country...

  • Bullit don't worry about the tiredness.  I thought I was going to be dead and heading for my bed after the marathon but was on such a high I was back in Holywood studios doing a bit of spectating and having a ball by lunchtime!!!!!

    My usual plan is to head out for races two or three days before they start to get enough time to go to expo etc.  Last year I got to Disney on the Thursday tea-time and just got up early in the mornings to avoid jetlag being a problem especially seeing the races start at ungodly o'clock.  At disney the day before I picked number up early and went to Animal Kingdom and did sit downy thing Lion King, Safari etc till about 3 o'clock before I gave up for my own good.  Sat I went to the half and then did the ride-along nascar thing in the afternoon as I thought it was a waste to spend it in my hotel all day.  Sunday was marathon and holywood studios which again had sitty downy things to do (although I was kind of past it by the time the park closed).  Monday was epcot, Tuesday was the magic kingdom where I searched out all the characters to get them pictured with their respective bling, Wednesday I did the rest of the animal kingdom and more bling associated photos with Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Chip, Dale, Googy, Pluto (I was a proper big kid lol) and I flew home on the wed night.

    I could probably have done with an extra couple of days extra to be at disney.  It would have been nice to go to Universal as I've never been before and maybe just vegged a bit more the day before or between the races.  If I did dopey I'd probably put a bit more veg time especially between the marathon and half than I did this time (but not too much I'm at disney after all and you don't want to spend any more time in your hotel than you want to.

    I always favour 2 days before races and a full 3-4 days to sightsee/have fun and a couple of days at home to chill before you go back to work.  I've tried running at the end of a holiday a couple of times and the race plus travel leaves you more knackered when you go back to work when you come off.  Although the running is important to me a holiday is a holiday and needs to be a chance to recharge a bit.  Although I don't drink anymore I do like to do a lot of the unhealthy things in life big puddings etc as a reward after a race.  No fun in watching what you eat and drink on holiday.

    Go, run, have fun, sightsee till you drop and live the dream.  It is a once in a lifetime experience unless you are going to be stupid and go back and do it again in 2015!!!!!

  • Bye bye then bullit and I assume bye bye everybody that will be heading to the new fangled dopey thread.  Its always a shame to see folk go and these threads die a death after months of chatting away and getting to know you all. image

     

    Maybe I should follow you over even though I have no intention of running next year or just have a really sad existance like I do on the Edinburgh marathoners past and present thread and speak to myself for the next two year lol.  Feel free to join me in there if any of you are at an equally loose end.  It gets a bit lonely in wor hoose these days. image

    Happy running. image

  • I'm quite happy to stay here and reminisce with those who have experienced the magic - I'm not sure if we will do the Dopey this year for various reasons, but if we don't we will probably be there in 2015. Whilst it is great to read others' enthusiasm about their upcoming Disney races, I fear the envy may upset the calm state of resignation that I have managed to find re possibly not being able to go Dopey in 2014.image

  • Oh, I'm still here too.  I have a bookmark in IE image

    But it's a new year, a new race.  I've never been one to reminisce.  The past just makes me sad I can't go back to it.  Although I haven't got a RunDisney race in my head yet to reminisce about, maybe I'll be different this time next year.

  • If you want to go I'd be quick in entering folks. The 'Minnie' mini marathon was full last night and the dopey was already 76% full. It took months to fill last year. Wouldn't want anyone to miss out that wants to go.
  • Definitely decided it is York Marathon 2013, Rome Marathon 2014 then 10th anniversary Goofy 2015 for us.

     

    MM - let us know what the Dopey is like!image 

  • Dopey remember to get your passport updated before noo yoik noo yoik or you might not get in. If dopey turns up at JFK but goofy turns up they might not let you in. image



    Minnie hope you get in fine for all the races you want to run.



    Nice choices of race goofy aka dopey I've done both of them. Rome is good if you run it in a caniggia shirtimage I think its tokyo for me next year in feb unless some miracle happens next week and I fluke a boston qualifying time (not very likely!!!). I also quite fancy istanbul for some reason. The concept of starting a race in one continent and finishing in another appeals to me. Disney 2015 and the 10th goofy as part of the dopey holds a lot of appeal. How could I miss the 10th year 10 mile extravaganza lol imageimage
  • Alas, it is not the NEW York marathon - it is the York (as in Yorkshire) marathon. First one - so maybe in future I could be PERFECTLY YORKY! image

     

    Rome - having done Athens and Venice, this is the last of the 'historic' themed marathons I want to do and, as I am not getting any younger, I am going to go for faster times sooner rather than later in York and Rome then take my time in the Goofy/Dopey 2015 - or that's the theory anyway!

     

    Good luck for next week - I'm sure you'll do well - you were great in the Goofy!image

  • This is like leaving school. Everyone off doing other things. Good luck and hopefully see you in the 2015 dopey/goofy thread x.
  • ha ha dopey thats what I get for reading things quickly.  I didn't know there was even a race there.  They are popping up everywhere now.  Years ago everybody had a marathon then the pretty much vanished and are starting to come back again.  I did Manchester last year which was the 1st time it had been run for ages and quite fancy sunderland some time as it feels like a home from home.  You really should run your home town marathon at least once but the dundee marathon is rank compared to the old 1980s marathon so the home from home looks like a good option.

    Thanks for the good luck message. The caniggia shirt is staying at home next week I'm going to try to sneak under the radar for this one.  I am considering a possible name change for the frankfurt marathon in October.  I know I am usually Caniggia 33 on here and in big races but Dundee signed Dariusz Adamczuk from Eintracht Frankfurt so I may have to swap my shirt to 4 Adamczuk for another spot of hero worship with more local relevance lol image

    I've done Athens (in the pissing rain thankfully I'm hopeless when its hot) and ran past all those barbecue and fireplace salesrooms on the way up that 10 mile hill.  If anybody likes a stone fireplace Athens is the race for you.  Other than fireplaces there is nothing to look at for the 1st 23 miles. Venice isn't on my list of races to run.  I think Disney stretches the limit of where you can go as a single bloke on your hols but Venice is a step too far.  I think it is compulsory you go to venice as a couple rather than optional!!!!! image  Now I'm thinking and rambling I wonder if any hotels there actually have single rooms.  If they do they will be in pretty good nick I doubt they are occupied all that often!!!! image

    I do like the sound of being perfectly yorkie although I'm believe the use of that status is "not for girls" lol image

  • Hmmm....having just watched my youngest son play footie all morning (man of the match I may add image), I think that is about all I can raise my enthusiasm for.image

     

    Yes, you ran Athens the same year we did - and yes, I totally agree it has to be the most boring marathon there is - but the history and the finish inside the stadium more than makes up for that. I didn't really appreciate having to go up and come down the stairs on the Acropolis and Parthenon sideways the next day though - my legs were really not prepared for the hills.image Disney was my next after Athens - that's why I rave so much about it - the entertainment on the course was in stark contrast to Athens!image

     

    Venice - I really would recommend Venice marathon to anyone - single or otherwise. I think the 'romantic' notion is long gone - it is just another historic tourist destination now - go for it - you really wouldn't feel out of place. But maybe leave it until after Tokyo and Boston as they are probably more exciting.image

     

    And I have always found that eating chocolate the night before a long run makes the running easier the next day - so there is now a wonderful excuse to down some Yorkies - but only the pink ones - if they still make them?!?image

  • P.S. Deffo doing Rome next year so I will be grilling you for 'dos and don'ts' before I go.image

    (I have already checked it is not hilly - a rookie mistake I made when booking Athens - I didn't know it was uphill until a few weeks before - I was under the naiive impression that a marathon was the most difficult thing in the world and no-one in their right mind would make the course uphill!!!image)

  • Ha ha yes athens is a bit hilly. Not steep it just climbs for 10 full miles!!!! I was so pleased to see that monsoon I don't do hot and sunny. I thought I might die on the saturday on the hill and sun but was bouncing through puddles like a 5 year old in new wellies on race day. It was just like being at the glasgow half and I always run great there.



    Pick away at my small mind about rome. It isn't hilly and was one of those real opportunity lost runs as I had a migraine 12 hours before the race started and just felt rank even before the race started. There were lots of folk talking about the cobbles but I didn't think they were too bad. They were pretty flat as cars wear them down. Not sure about the 5k race's age limit but the wee fun run at the same time as the marathon has about 5 times as many runners. Might be worth looking at for a bit of family fun that weekend.



    Brace yourself for the stampede at the start. I found that italians tend to run like they drive lol
  • What are your thoughts re Boston now? I thought of your plans when it all went off. You still thinking of doing it next year WHEN you get the time this weekend?

     

    Will be thinking of you this weekend anyway. Are you wearing anything distinctive so we can look for you on tele? image

  • My Boston obsession is still there.  That has to be one of the most scary things I have seen on the tele.  Most of the time you see things on the tele like the huge explosion in texas today and you think oh my god thats terrible then you get on with your day.  They seem so distant to you that you don't really get caught up in the emotion of it all.  The events in Boston were just so real it was hard to believe it actually happened.  Pictures of the bombers have just been released so hopefully its only a matter of time until they are caught.  My heart goes out to all those hurt in the explosion as it could so easily have been me or my friends and family but for a lot of strange pieces of fate.

    Its hard to comprehend that I had been in the sportshop and the starbucks beside where each blast went off.  If Boston hadn't reduced their qualifying time by 5 minutes to 3:05 last year from 3:10 I would have qualified.  If I had been 2 weeks older my 3:09 in Manchester would have been good enough.  If the Icelandic volcano hadn't grounded every flight in europe in 2010 the qualifying times would never have changed on the back of 1000s of deferrments.  I would have gone with my parents and left them in the crowd.  I also taked about going with a friend who would have set off in wave 2 20 mins behind me, ran 20 mins slower than me and crossed the finishing line in 4:09ish when the bomb went off.  I would have probably done what I've done at other races in the past which was get my medal, phote etc, grab my bag and head back to the finish line to meet my parents and been proud to see her follow me down Boylston St.  The fact I could have taken not only myself but the people that mean most to me in the world into that kind of area really shook me up to be honest.

    Boston is still the greatest show on earth though.  Its still the race that keeps me awake at nights, makes me go out when the weather is rank, keeps me pushing when the legs and lungs are heaving, stops me walking or hitting the stop button on the dreadmill.  Its been an unhealthy obsession for too long to give up on the dream.  Whether I'm brave or stupid enough to take friends or family with me to relive the dream is in doubt.  Maybe the dream has changed into a lone trip but its not going to stop me going at crash and burn pace to get an elusive Boston Qualification time!!!!

  • By the way did anybody notice the old guy in the orange who was knocked over by the bomb going off?  He was 78 and about to cross the finishing line in 4:09.  Pretty impressive I hear you say!!!!!!!

    Well take 4 mins off for crossing the start line and another 20 minutes off to account for the fact he started in wave 2 20 mins behind the real flyers.  A 78 year old man ran Boston in 3:45!!!!!! image

    Along with the people of Boston  that just sums up the magic of Boston for me.  It is a gathering of people that are just amazing runners like that 78 year old and it was an absolute priveledge to be able to take a place on the starting line with blokes like him.  The people of Boston treat everybody that makes it to the marathon like superstars.  For me it really is the most magical place and race on earth and hopefully a few evil people will not destroy it or change it forever.

  • Tokyo it will be next year then. Well I gave running 3:10 a bash and the wheels came off in a manner akin to mark webber's red bull in last week's grand prix. I started quite well, was at half way in 1:32 but starting to have what I hoped was a bad spell but it wasn't a tough couple of miles I was absolutely wasted. Ended up coming home in 3:28 which wasn't what I was looking for but it is the perils of chasing a time in a marathon. If you get it wrong in a half you can grit your teeth and tough it out for the last mile or two. In a marathon when it goes wrong you just haemorrhage time all the way to the finish. No regrets though I tried and just wasn't good enough today but better that than running a comfy 3:20 and spending the night thinking what if? It just makes me look like a complete fanny to folk that don't run that I can so spectacularly miss my target time on such a regular basis!!! image
  • As nice as it was today to get a congratulatory manly handshake from Richard Branson it wasnt nearly as good as the hug I got off minnie at disney!!!! image
  • Well done for the 3:28! These things happen for a reason - you were obviously meant to run Tokyo next year. And the fact that you finish so many marathons with such good times is better than most!image

    And wow! Richard Branson!image Know what you mean though - I waited for about 10 seconds for someone to have their photo taken with Goofy at the finish of the Disney marathon so that I could high-five him before I crossed the finish line! I had to have a Goofy high-five for finishing the Goofy!image

  • Thanks dopey enough image



    I think its officially called a high 4 if you get it from goofyimage



    I tell you that richard branson has a lot of teeth and an awfy funny hair colour lol image



    That is marathon number 20 completed and the 4th of the 6 majors ticked off the list. Not bad for the kid who was laughed at for being crap at sport when I was at school image



    Just been to Lords to try to be cured of all my aches and pains only to find when I got there that the place for miracle healing is Lords spelt with an extra 'u' and is somewhere is france. My disappointment didn't end there. I went to wembley for a tour and security wouldn't let me sit on top of the goal posts. You don't know how disappointing it is to scotsmen not being able to take the crossbar home as a souvenir anytime they go to the home of Ingurlish footie. I feel I've let my nation down lol imageimage
  • You wont regret doing Tokyo Caniggia33. Great event, quick course, big enthusiastic crowds and some typical Japanese quirks (ie, official feeding stations handing out cherry tomatoes and spectators handing out sushi). Registration opens on 1st August and stays open for the whole month.

  • C33 you do make me laugh. Do you write a blog ? You should !!
  • Are you for real gazza the spectators hand out sushi. Do they not have jelly babies in Japan??? image



    To be honest I think sushi and japanese cuisine could be quite nice. If only somebody could be arsed cooking it before they bring it to your table. I do like a fish finger buttie but wouldn't dream of just defrosting them and slapping them in a piece!!!! image



    No blog minnie. I waste enough time on here and facebook already and am not all that convinced anybody would be interested. Having said that the Edinburgh Marathoners Past and Present thread did turn into the Caniggia monolgues a good while back before the realism I was just posting to myself kicked in imageimage



    Thank god I'm on holiday all week I'm absolutely jiggered image
  • 5k, 10k and dopey sold out. image

    Still places in the half, full and goofy if anybody is still wanting to enter some races. image

    I've got up for the last few days without sore legs for the 1st time in months.  This running break is great. image It wont last long after 2 days back at work I can feel my stress levels rising and will need to run soon.  Sore legs are less inconvenient to my life than a life sentence for murdering someone getting on my thruppeny bits lol image

    I've just entered a couple of 10ks and a couple of halfs for over the summer.  Think I will just try to have a bit of fun and do a couple of races I've not done before just to add a bit of variety.  Feels like ages since I ran a few 10k's as I've just stumbled from marathon to marathon for the last 15 months.  London was my 5th since april last year and was at least one too many.  Time to have a bit of fun. image

  • Its just as well I ran London while I had the chance the qualifying time for men under 40 has come down again.  Not quite as severe as it was before but 3:05 is 5 minutes quicker than it was for this year and faster than I've ever gone in my life.  At least in years to come I can say I qualified for London I just won't mention the times were "soft" when I got in. image

    http://www.run247.com/articles/article-3722-2013-vs-2014-%3A-virgin-money-london-marathon-good-for-age-(gfa)-qualifying-standards---a-comparison.html

    Bizarrely everybody under 40 (blokes not unexpected) and women aged 55 and over (completely bewildering) have been hammered by the powers that be while everybody else's times stayed the same.  The women aged 55-59 have to run 15 minutes faster and women over 65 have to be 30 mins quicker than they were for this years race. Does anybody think HRT should be banned as a performance enhancing drug.  If they know what these HRT tablets are please let me know as I will be bumping some and trying them myself.  Being a pharmacist has to have some perks lol image

    The organisers must have let too many runners and not enough feckwits into this years race and won't want to make the same mistake again lol image

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