To RunDisney or Not RunDisney

So you want to run a Disney Race?

After running enough of these races it seemed time to write some tips, tricks, and the dirt on running Disney!

Fast and Furious 9: Run Disney Registration

You may have heard the rumors that registration is fast and furious? Well, they're all true.

On registration day be ready (credit card, personal information, your first born) 30 minutes before registration and once you're in that queue, don't refresh your page.

YOU CAN DO IT!

Other Options to Chaos

Travel Agent:

Sara and I used this route for Dopey 2016 and it was a GAME CHANGER. Not only did we not have to panic on registration day, but we got a great deal on park tickets. Many agents require you to purchase another element of your trip through them (hotel, park tickets, etc.). But if you were already planning to stay on property or visit the parks, then why not! They can usually save you money on those expenses too, so it's a win/win. You will also have to pay your race registration and hotel deposit upfront and pay your hotel bill prior to your stay.

Annual Pass Holder or Disney Vacation Club:

If you are one you can register a week before regular registration BUT they only have a limited number of slots so the about registration chaos still applies.

Bib Trade:

I joke, this is 100% NOT an option and believe me when I say other Disney runners WILL find you and call you out on this. Just don't do this.

Registration Extras

I have never purchased extras (Cheer Squad, Race Retreat) and I do not feel I have missed out. The Cheer Squad is an extra package for family members to be able to cheer you on along your way, but actually it is quite easy to do this without the extra cost. The monorail opens early to let spectators into Magic Kingdom to catch you at the castle (without paying park admission) and during a half that is really the best viewing spot. During the Marathon there are other points along the highway and in Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and in Epcot (for these opportunities though, your support system will need to pay for park entrance). The finish line area is harder to get to and then your family members have to trek to find you.  In the staging area there is a live stream of the finish line and it is easy to find family members.

In my opinion, save your money for important things...like a drink during/after the marathon.

Park Time

Why race in Disney if you can't go to the parks? If you are just doing one race I would wait to go to the parks till after the race. If you are doing multiple (Dopey, Goofy Challenge etc) Chose the hardcore walking parks  for the smaller race days.

During Dopey 2016 I went to Magic Kingdom after the 5k, Hollywood Studios after the 10K, rested the day of the half marathon, and went to Epcot after the marathon to celebrate and drink away leg soreness.

The key to enjoying park time? Napping. Make like a kindergartner and nap. You will be tired/cranky from waking up at 3am, so when you get back after a race, shower and catch a nap. Then proudly wear your medal and get all of the high fives.

Weather

Year to year (heck, day to day!) this changes. Sometimes in January it is chilly for Florida (high 40s race morning) other years race morning it is in the mid 60s. Do yourself a favor and invest in a garbage bag or a $2 sweater from Goodwill for race morning. This year I had a throw away shirt for every race and $1 gloves. Marathon morning I needed neither at the start.

For those of us coming from cold temperatures, the humidity can be a shock. If you have access to a gym try and log miles inside on the treadmill to get used to warmer temperatures. When you land in Florida be sure to log a couple miles of an acclimation/shake out run. If it is particularly humid prepare to slow down a bit on your race pace as your body will be adjusting.

This is not the 30º I was used to running in

On vs Off Property

I really believe this is a personal preference (unless you registered via a Travel Agent). I have done both staying off site at a timeshare and on property (at the All Star Resorts and at Port Orleans) and each has their Pros & Cons so here we go.

Food:

If you like your own food or have diet restrictions then access to a kitchen is important. Disney's food is not the healthiest. When off property I brought a lot from home and went to a grocery store to get anything I couldn't bring on a plan. On property I took an Uber/Lyft/cab to go and grab a few essentials I could store in the room

Transportation:

As much as Disney may make it seem that driving is the worst, it really is not. The signs are very clear and, as long as you leave a little extra time, parking is a breeze. Remembering where you parked after the race...a bit harder. It is virtually impossible to stay off property without a car or access to one. On property you have the Disney transportation that will get you to/from the expo and races. Sometimes you do have to wait a bit and if you are like me and get tired of waiting/crowds this can be hard. That and navigating bus stairs after a race is REALLY hard (walk down backwards).

One thing to keep in mind for some race weekends is that not all on property resorts are official race resorts, which means they won't have bus transportation to and from race locations. For the bigger weekends (marathon weekend and Princess weekend), ALL resorts on property are race resorts, but for smaller weekends (Wine & Dine), you should double check to make sure your hotel will have bus transportation to the races.

Noise pollution:

As you will be napping or trying to go to sleep earlier than most I found that off property had less noise, because they often have less people. Now if you are lucky to score one of the back/remote rooms in Port Orleans it is quiet, but you will hear families and fireworks as you try and sleep.

Cost:

...Neither is free, find what works in your budget? In Dopey 2014 we did not have to rent a car because our friend drove down, he is crazy and we fed him all the food.

On? Off? Chose what works for you and have a blast

I will say, Disney is ace at hotel decoration and vibe. You just can't beat that magic.

Packing

This really needs its own post, but I will advise that you think about this before you leave. Give yourself time to over pack and then pull out things you don't need (no you don't need 5 pairs of shorts or a pair of heels and you do not need to bring 50 gels). Keep in mind you will also be getting race shirts so there is your post-race outfit for park hopping. I managed to pack for Dopey 2016 in two carry-ons. 

The key? Ziploc bags for race outfits. 

1) it makes for easy storage, 

2) easy to find and layout all of those outfits before the races

3) you have a place to hide smelly clothes that you cannot wash).

FYI - peanut butter counts as a liquid...I found this out the hard way. Be sure to label protein powders as "Not Drugs" for maximum security time. If you have a foam roller...yes, you will want that. Bring anything you need for the races in your carry on bag. I'm neurotic so I wear my race shoes on the plane so that I know they made it. I'll work on a packing post. Believe me, I haven't even given you all my tricks.

MAGIC! 

I hope this helps - if you have any other questions or queries just comment below! Happy to answer and help out! 

Paris, Je t'aime...I think

Well now that it has been over a month it seems like a good time to recap the 2014 Paris Marathon!

On April 6, I ran the Schneider Electric Marathon along with 3 improv friends from around the United States, but before I get to the race I should back you up to my 'training' which I call "How to mess up your training, be saved by a coach, and somehow finish a Marathon in 3 weeks."

After I finished the mammoth that was the Dopey Challenge (which included my first marathon), I was done with running. Not just sore, but DONE. I had no desire to head out for a run, let alone train for one.

About 3 weeks out from Paris I received an incredibly stern chat/Come to Jesus talk from my coach Pablo. I will spare you the details but a few key points came out of that chat

1) If I wanted to run a marathon I needed to focus on running, not lifting.
2) I needed to believe I could run this race and that I was capable.
3) I needed to start training with an altitude mask because the air quality in Paris is horrible and as an asthmatic....that was a recipe for disaster.

Want to earn strange looks and Bane comments? Get an altitude mask.

So armed with a plan full of running, rowing, altitude mask, and yoga,  I made the most of the final 3 weeks of training. I would be lying if I said it was easy and I'd also be lying if I didn't bemoan it almost everyday. 

As a thank you I turned a joke into a t-shirt and as requested- I wore it in front of a monument. 

Inappropriate? Maybe. Worth it? Yes.

My 20 mile run crushed me, thankfully my friend Allison was willing to pick my rain soaked muddy butt up from the middle of nowhere so I didn't have to do an out and back. Have I mentioned I have a great group of friends?

To Paris

Finally the day of my flight arrived. In true fashion I found the other marathoners on my flight to Paris, and we all bonded as we stretched mid-flight. 

First mission in Paris was to find my cohort Rene and get to the Race Expo. I have to say Paris has one of the best Race Expos I've seen, as well as awesome shwag. I mean a headlamp? YES! 

Rene and I living the dream

The next day (April 4) the other half of our group arrived. 

Team Bane accounted for: Bill, Betse, Rene, and some crazy chick

Saturday morning two members went on an official 5k shake out run with the Paris Marathon group and myself and Bill stayed to do our own runs around our neighborhood.  This was just a 2 mile loop, but it was a FANTASTIC run. The best I'd felt in a long time, the weather was perfect, my stride was on track, and I felt back to me.

If I could run here everyday I would.

We settled in for a bit of Star Wars watching and foam rolling for the rest of the day. I laid out my outfit and prepped myself for the 26.2 tour of Paris. 

6am came too soon. I was a bucket of nerves as I warmed up/mobilized. We all geared up in our superhero shirts and headed to the start line. 

Upon seeing the Arc de Triomphe it hit me, I was really about to run in PARIS. 

Yes... we mixed up our superhero universes. We do not care.

Standing in the start line we all just oddly shuffled around. I was the only one in our group who had finished a marathon before, but that didn't make me any less nervous.

I'm in the back, just look closely

Soon we were off running. Cobblestones underfoot and fans cheering on all sides pushed me to a fast first mile (oops). I found Beste and we grabbed hands as we both had shit eating grins on our faces. That first 5K was a blur of sights and people everywhere. 

We arrived at the first fuel stop and I decided to fuel with fruit rather than my own. Paris only provides fresh fruit and sugar cubes on course. Let me tell you...those orange slices were the GREATEST things I've ever tasted. The nectar of the gods. Fueling on oranges would lead to a bonk later in the race, but I was only focused on eating and not slipping on the orange and banana peels.

Betse and I were keeping a steady pace and decided to just stick together for the race, however the race was going to take a down turn pretty quickly. Just before mile 8 we hit a steady hill,  and as often happens I will be a bit out of breath at the top. But as we crested I realized I was struggling to slow my breathing and realized I was wheezing.

Yup...Mile 8 asthma attack. I run with my inhaler so it wasn't a worry and we slowed to a crawl. I then realized that this race was about to come crashing down and then I started crying. This is when I owe the race to Betse. She wouldn't leave and run ahead no matter how many times I insisted she leave. She did her best to keep me positive and would hear no negative talk from me. However, I had a battle going on in my own head.

We battled on for the rest of the race. Looping back along the Seine provided some lovely sights, including Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. I was slowly loosing steam and bonking- turns out oranges do not sustain me, as filling as they feel. We switched to a 3/1 run/walk ratio as I couldn't even keep a consistent pace.

Photo stolen, though I did feel like laying down.

Did I mention I was done? Betse just kept going and dancing along and having a party. I trailed along head down body killing me. 

Mile 20 appeared and as much as I wanted to power through the last 10K. I had nothing left in me to go. My camelbak was out of water (oh did I mention it was hotter than I anticipated) and there were no water stops in sight. I should also mention that I ended up dehydrated. I would realize later that my down fall was those delicious oranges, not eating my fuel, and not hydrating well. OOPS

By Mile 22 I was contemplating stopping. Some part of my brain realized that this was an effect of me bonking. That small part of me kept me going. 

Around here I finally sent Betse on her way as walking was painful for her and I couldn't keep pace with her. Honestly, spending the last 2 miles was the best thing because I had to fight for myself. Marathon running truly is a mental battle and if you aren't willing to fight, you won't finish. Finally, I saw the finish line and I bawled. I knew my parents were there to see me finish a marathon and I saw Betse there...waiting for me.

I ran across the finish line realizing I'd done it again...I'd finished a marathon and I finished it 1 hour faster than my previous race. Was it the time I wanted? Nope. Did I fight for the time I got? Yup. Does that make it okay? Yeah...it does. 

These photos were taken less than 10ft apart. Confident to cry in 10ft or less. 

Soon after crossing the finish line I interviewed by a French Radio station....in French. If someone finds that audio please send it to me. I am 90% sure I spoke horrible French as trying to even think after a marathon is hard enough. 

We got our shirts, ponchos, and medals. We found our group and hugged.. We had done it. We ran Paris.

How we all really felt at the end.

 I bawled when I found my parents, who flew over to watch me race. 

They also brought champagne to the finish line.

My mother then massaged my legs as I was a cramped mess. Our group collected ourselves and ambled, waddled, and moaned our way back to our apartment.

Once we cleaned up and figured out how to walk we went out to celebrate our accomplishment and plan for future adventures. We did it- 6 months after Rene proposed this crazy idea, we ran Paris. 

A mighty fine view if I do say so.

Marathon 2 is now in the books and while I have a few half-marathons planned for this year I think two marathons in 4 months in plenty for now. 

See you in 2015 26.2!