What is the weather normally like? Doing Dopey I have to pack for 4 races (I don't like being stinky so I won't re-tread). For the 5k and 10k I am not so worried on being hot/cold. They are short enough not to worry about. I like to run cold but I have not idea what "normal" is. I now about the early start but.....
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@rteetz said it's a toss-up. I've run Dopey three times. We've had runs at 30, runs at 80, full sun, no sun, windy, no wind, rain, etc. Your best bet is to pack every possible option. I bring enough running clothes to run 4 races in all types of weather conditions. It means a lot of the clothes go unused and just use space in baggage, but I'd like to stay comfortable. And don't pay attention too much in the days ahead to the weather predictions. Based on the last 3 years, day of is so variable it's hard to predict before leaving. I want to say the one consistent trend over the last three years has been the 5K is typically the coldest and marathon the warmest (opposite of what I would hope).
To aid in the possible variable temps I bring the following with me in addition to running clothes:
-8 trash bags. One for torso and one for feet. So when you reach a place to stand in the corral just slip the 2nd bag over your shoes to keep them dry. But please please please throw the garbage bag in the trash when finished. Do not throw it on the ground as it is a tripping hazard and can be dangerous for your fellow runner.
-4 towels. Dry and comfortable thing to sit on pre-race. I get them for $3 per on Black Friday
-8 fleece throws. I get them at $2 per on Black Friday. Can keep my torso warm.
-4 pairs of fleece pants (oversized). I get them at $4 per on Black Friday
All of the clothes can be thrown in a donation bin prior to the start while in the corral. And the beauty of it is I can bring these things on the trip, but if I don't use them, then I save them for the next year.
I don't plan on commando'ing the parks like normal during my WDW trips. I plan on going for a limited time on Wednesday, Thursday, very briefly on Friday then probably not on Saturday unless it is to eat. What do you do?
At the end of the day, this is a family vacation for us. So the agreement with my wife is that I participate in 95% of all vacation activities. And my level of fatigue from racing can never be used as an excuse for me to not participate. The one item I have is early dinner reservations that everyone in the party has agreed to, and the allowance to be in bed at 6:00-6:30pm when need be. To alleviate being in the parks so much, I do the following:
-Compression calf sleeves after every race. Under normal circumstances, I would only need it post-marathon. But after the first and second year, I found wearing them everyday was best.
-Drink lots and lots of water. Stay hydrated!
-Take sitting breaks or leaning breaks whenever possible.
-Keep moving. By continuously moving it keeps me from stiffening up throughout the days leading into the next races.
Would love to hear any "this is one thing I learned" tips.
Practice timing your bathroom breaks during training. Personally I have found that my bladder is clear after 2 hours of drinking something. I intend on getting to the front of the corral. So that means I'm in the corral around 4:30 am for the 5:30am race. Which means I need to hit up the bathroom around 4:00-4:15. Which means I drink my last liquid at around 2:00am. As long as I drink around 16-32 oz of water roughly 2 hours prior to the last bathroom break I won't get dehydrated. In the 12 Disney races I've done, this has worked 11/12 times.