Marathon Weekend 2018

Happy Sunday everyone!

We are getting ever closer to that 6 month mark. 191 days until the weekend begins!

As always Sundays are for Disney,

After a race at Disney whatever the distance, what to you do? Do you go back and relax at the resorts for a bit? Do you hit the parks? Something else?

My answer: Well, I go back shower and hit the parks right away. No matter the distance that's how I've approached post race every time so far. Once in the parks I'm probably looking for something to eat though.
 
Happy Sunday everyone!

We are getting ever closer to that 6 month mark. 191 days until the weekend begins!

As always Sundays are for Disney.

Augh! Time for ADR frenzy!

My plan is like yours, head back to the hotel, shower, and on 5k day and 10k day, depending on time, maybe sneak into a QS resort restaurant, get to a park, and hit rope drop!

The half-Marathon day is a planned rest day, I planned it that way from the start. Maybe we'll go to Disney Springs, maybe hang out at the pool, might monorail resort hop, I don't know. But low key.

After the marathon, PARTY!
 
After a race at Disney whatever the distance, what to you do? Do you go back and relax at the resorts for a bit? Do you hit the parks? Something else?

My answer: Well, I go back shower and hit the parks right away. No matter the distance that's how I've approached post race every time so far. Once in the parks I'm probably looking for something to eat though.
Same as you for the most part! We clean up at the room & eat snacks we have then hit a park with eating fairly soon after getting there. Except after the marathon in 2016 I just stayed in the room as I was too sick to go anywhere, it sucked not going to a park and then this year after Darkside we went to eat at Saratoga Springs then went to a park.
 
Happy Sunday everyone!

We are getting ever closer to that 6 month mark. 191 days until the weekend begins!

As always Sundays are for Disney,

After a race at Disney whatever the distance, what to you do? Do you go back and relax at the resorts for a bit? Do you hit the parks? Something else?

My answer: Well, I go back shower and hit the parks right away. No matter the distance that's how I've approached post race every time so far. Once in the parks I'm probably looking for something to eat though.

Pretty similar, I've only done Goofy before but we showered, ate breakfast, and hit the parks after the half.

Marathon experience was a little different, I didn't sleep between the two races, so afterwards I showered, ate, and crashed pretty hard. After 12 hrs sleep or so, I had fully recovered for a full parks day on the Monday :).

Our plan for 2018 is to also not hit parks on marathon day. DH and SIL are going to be pretty exhausted after the Dopey I think.

But... family dinner at Ohana's!
 
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As always Sundays are for Disney,

After a race at Disney whatever the distance, what to you do? Do you go back and relax at the resorts for a bit? Do you hit the parks? Something else?
.

I think it really depends on the trip and the distance for us.

Since we mostly do challenge weekends at WDW -
after the 10K, we clean up in the room, get like an hour or so power nap and do a park at an easy pace from like 10AM to 1PM/2PM - then we relax more and go to dinner around 5PM.
after the half, we clean up in the room, relax (or nap) depending on how much time until checkout and eat lunch before driving home.

At Disneyland - we haven't made much of a tradition. The first two years after the 10K - we've done some things at the parks but we get annoyed with the crowds and leave. This year we did the Warner Brothers Studio Tour which was fun and kept us off our feet! After the half - we clean up, eat, relax (although this year we may go bowling) and then eat dinner at Napa Rose.

I guess because we're semi-local - we go just for the races to WDW so we don't feel we have to do the parks hard core.
 
Well I only have one race weekend to comment from so far, and for that one I showered as quickly as possible and got to the parks as fast as possible after both the 10K and Half. Ate and drank! in the parks then was back in my room by 1pm for a nap. Returned for dinner and a few final rides in the evening but still in bed by 9pm. I intend to do the same for Dopey, as I have family joining from Friday, who have never been before, I want to be touring with them! Signature dinner planned for both Saturday and Sunday night...can't wait to actually book those ADRs...it's sooo close! :cheer2:
 
Shower, eat, parks is pretty much my routine. Sometimes I'm tired enough post race that I catch a short nap after a race. And if we're at Disneyland it tends to eat, shower, then parks. Since at Disneyland we tend to hit Goofys or another on property restaraunt and wait for post race traffic to clear out. Then back to the hotel. At WDW it's always shower then eat because we stay at POFQ.
 


:-)Eat, shower, nap, then the parks is the post race plan.

Question for anyone, I am not use to the FL heat (I know it's January and *hopefully* cooler), but I want to stay well hydrated during the race. I was looking at the Nathan hydro backpacks and was thinking it might be good for the half or full. I've never used one so I'm curious of any pros/cons/suggestions/insights anyone might have? Thanks!
 
Sundays are for Disney:

Bathroom, shower, parks after the 5k, 10k and, depending on travel plans, full.

Same plan for after the Half with Disney Springs and a movie substituted for the parks.

When l did Dark Side it was parks after bathroom and shower as well.
 
After a race at Disney whatever the distance, what to you do? Do you go back and relax at the resorts for a bit? Do you hit the parks? Something else?

Cheer all you guys on from the finish line! I usually stick around for a little bit to see if I can spot any other DIS'ers as they cross the line! Then parks, swimming, kids races, eating, etc. I don't really relax too much. Always moving around.

Speaking of which, as ADRs approach keep in mind the DIS meet up on Friday (presumably at 2pm at Hurricane Hannah's again but @FFigawi can confirm). We'll also have meet ups before each of the races over the weekend and I'll be at the finish line for quite some time as I wait for my mom to complete each of the Dopey legs.
 
As always Sundays are for Disney,

After a race at Disney whatever the distance, what to you do? Do you go back and relax at the resorts for a bit? Do you hit the parks? Something else?

I like to watch people finish, then head either to the car (Disneyland) or to the hotel to shower and rest (WDW). After the 5 and 10ks I'm making it a point to head to the parks, but after the half I plan on sitting in my room or at the pool if it's warm enough. Then walking around to EPCOT for dinner. :)
 
After my first full at Disney in 2013 since I had never ran that far before and pretty much got no sleep after I finished I went back to the room,showered,somehow walked over to the food court to eat something and went back to the room and slept.I think I woke up around 9pm and by that time my legs were stiff as a board and once again walked over to get some food but this time it was twice as difficult as right after the race.Probably stayed up until 11-12 and then slept again until 8am.

The following years I've always done the full as well as Goofy in 2015, I told myself I had to walk more after the race so I've always made a point of at least going to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs or a park for a couple of hours and except for one year where one knee got abnormally stiff I found doing some walking always helps avoid the stiffness.

The Wine and Dine 6.7 miler in 2015 that was shortened by lightning was pretty memorable,I ran the race with some friends and after an hour or two of wandering if there would even be a race we did the sub 7 mile race which was special as it was the last night race and the end of running through the Osborne Lights.When we finished we did all the major rides,ate fish and chips and beer at 3:30 am,and got back to the hotel at 5am for a very short couple of hours of sleep.Luckily the race was only 6.7 miles because we woke feeling absolutely horrible,it was a short race but a very hot one,then eating at 3:30 am and getting very little sleep we felt like doing nothing that day,we went for some breakfast and drove the 3-4 hours home.
 
After the WDW half (which was our first), we showered, ate, and laid by the pool, during which a 3 hour nap may have taken place. When I woke up, I found my mom-in-law at the pool bar! She had the right idea! We then went to EPCOT in the evening for dinner and to take some character pics with our medals, as we left the next day to go home! After the DL half, we showered, ate, and went park heavy with our group of friends, as we were only going to the parks that 1 day. I think by the end of the night, the fitness tracker said I had gone 23 miles (and I decided at that moment that I might as well do the marathon?). =P

This year, mom-in-law is doing the 10K and half, and I'm doing the 10K and full (still trying to come up with a clever name for these unrecognized challenges). :) Also trying to narrow down our plans, but probably will do some park time after the 10K. Will try to spectate the half and then likely make an ADR for brunch to celebrate MIL's races (and eat Mickey waffles b4 the marathon!), and then go easy on the legs - pool time, hopefully? Not sure how I'll feel post-marathon (my first), but thinking of making an ADR for dinner and playing the rest of the afternoon by ear, especially in case I need a nap!

I'm enjoying reading all of your responses!
 
Question for anyone, I am not use to the FL heat (I know it's January and *hopefully* cooler), but I want to stay well hydrated during the race. I was looking at the Nathan hydro backpacks and was thinking it might be good for the half or full. I've never used one so I'm curious of any pros/cons/suggestions/insights anyone might have? Thanks!
I've used the Nathan Moxy Hydration pack for 2 years, and have absolutely loved it. It feels very comfortable and has different types of pockets that are good for storing, phone, fuel, kleenex, and anything else I may need. I usually only fill the water about 1/2 way as I don't need that much on my runs, but it's nice that it is capable of holding so much.
 
After any long distance race, I walk as much as possible. It makes a big difference in recovery. I've done two WDW Marathons, and after showering, it's been right back to EPCOT for the rest of the day and evening. Other than some expected soreness, my legs are in pretty good shape the next day.

DW and I ran the Savannah Marathon last year, and walked about a mile from the finish line back to our hotel. We then walked around some more after that. My legs never felt better the day after a race than they did then.

We're doing Dopey in 2018. After the 5K, we'll hit up Animal Kingdom. After the 10K will probably be Disney Springs. We'll rest some after the half, and then be at EPCOT following the full.
 
:-)Eat, shower, nap, then the parks is the post race plan.

Question for anyone, I am not use to the FL heat (I know it's January and *hopefully* cooler), but I want to stay well hydrated during the race. I was looking at the Nathan hydro backpacks and was thinking it might be good for the half or full. I've never used one so I'm curious of any pros/cons/suggestions/insights anyone might have? Thanks!

I've used the Camelbak Marathoner and am now using an Orange Mud Endurance Pack for runs that require a lot of hydration. The two suggestions I have are to:

1. Try the pack on beforehand to make sure it will fit you comfortably.
2. Get a pack that uses a HydraPak bladder rather than a Camelbak. The HydraPaks are much much easier to clean and dry than Camelbaks. You can even turn them inside out and put them in the dishwasher! If the pack you like comes with a Camelbak, you can also swap the bladder out for a HydraPak. The fittings are interchangeable.

Good luck!
 
I have the Nathan hydro pack too, and love it. Picked it up in 2010 for my first marathon and have used it ever since. Easy to clean, just turn it inside-out. I throw the pack in the washing machine and hang it to dry. I do recommend going with either Nathan or Camelbak, and get one made for running. Friends of mine who tried knock-off ones or the cheap ones from Aldi (I had two friends grab those last year) quickly found out why they were so cheap- lots of chafing and one could not get the water to come out while running! My Nathan was well worth the price.
 
After a race at Disney whatever the distance, what to you do? Do you go back and relax at the resorts for a bit? Do you hit the parks? Something else?

I've only run the marathon, but have done it twice... the last 2 years. Both times, I had ADRs for the last breakfast time at Kona and we made our way over to the Poly to eat. I knew everyone else would be hungry from getting up early and spectating, but I figured I'd be famished. Year 1 I couldn't eat but about half my plate, but this year I enjoyed my food a lot more as the marathon experience was easier on me. After eating, I've gone back to the hotel (Pop both years) to shower while the family napped. For me, I knew if I laid down I'd be done... so I stayed moving a bit. Year 1 we hit Epcot by around 3 or 4 and closed it down after dinner at Via Napoli. I learned (for me) it was great to get all that walking in even though I was hobbling a bit. It paid dividends the next couple days. This year we didn't do parks over the long weekend, so I think we ventured out to do some resort hopping after I got cleaned up.
 
After a race at Disney whatever the distance, what to you do? Do you go back and relax at the resorts for a bit? Do you hit the parks? Something else?
Always right back to my room for recovery: foam roll/stretch, shower, eat, rest. I don't do a lot of park time during race weekends - a couple hours in the afternoon, tops, before a very early dinner and bedtime. And for Dopey, no park time at all the day of the half. That's my day to stay in pajamas all day, watch movies, and eat at whatever weird intervals my body feels like. :) After the last race of a weekend, I'll hit a park in the afternoon and stay out for the evening.
 

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