Marathon Weekend 2023

[NYC_MW]

I was watching Empire Records last night as was thinking that most of that sound track would have been perfect. Would have loved to hear that version of Sugar High.

Empire is one of my favorites of all time and is such an underrated movie. Though can you image rD playing Gwar?

For even more on 90s music, check out the “60 Songs That Explain The 90s” podcast. They’re well beyond 60 songs now.

https://www.theringer.com/60-songs-that-explain-the-90s

Thanks for this rec! So fun falling down the nostalgia rabbit hole.

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

That’s the standard, boiler-plate reply to anything sent as a suggestion. It’sDisney’s CYA legal response.

As a lawyer, I absolutely cringed reading this response. It's soooooo poorly written. If Disney's paralegals are sending this out with lawyer approval, god help them....

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

SAFD: the 90s are my absolute FAVORITE decade of music, so I will spare all of you by typing out the 50+ songs I would have added to the MW rotation. I will say my one random favorite 90s song that was on my running playlist this weekend is "The King of Wishful Thinking" by Go West. I don't know why I love it so much, but it gives me a little boost every time it comes on.

 

[nekonekoneko]

Oh, and someone, please! That rock remix of "Wish Upon a Star" in MK on an endless one song loop! For the runners, that was probably really cool, and the energy was there. And it gave every runner a similar experience.

But for the spectators.... Augh!

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD: the 90s are my absolute FAVORITE decade of music, so I will spare all of you by typing out the 50+ songs I would have added to the MW rotation. I will say my one random favorite 90s song that was on my running playlist this weekend is "The King of Wishful Thinking" by Go West. I don't know why I love it so much, but it gives me a little boost every time it comes on.

I assume you’ve seen the Paul Rudd shot for shot remake of the music video from a few years back on The Tonight Show?

 

[Baloo in MI]

I assume you’ve seen the Paul Rudd shot for shot remake of the music video from a few years back on The Tonight Show?

It was so good! Love Paul Rudd.

 

[cburnett11]

According to Pew Research:
Born 1965-1980 = Gen X
Born 1981-1996 = Millennial

Super early Gen X here

 

[Sleepless Knight]

So, 2024… would you sign up for a Dopey at WDW and HM at Disneyland? sounds like a tall order

When Disneyland held Star Wars The Light Side the weekend after Marathon Weekend, there were always a decent number of Dopey Rebels earning their Coast to Coast. It's doable, but tricky. With so many feeling sick after the marathon, you have to hope you're healthy.

Currently at MK for Medal Monday pics (as is everyone else apparently!). For some reason, the PhotoPass spot in the hub garden on the Plaza restaurant side has a HUGE line of runners. Not the Super Zoom photo that's also near there, but just the regular PhotoPass. Is there something special about this spot compared to Main St or the Partners statue?

In 2019, there was a great PhotoPass photographer for runners in the MK after the 10K. I found him again this year the day after the Marathon and everyone was lined up to get so many creative shots.

The PP girl that was there this morning was doing a GREAT job with her pics. Multiple poses, helping arrange your medals and make sure that the spinner on dopey was up in the right position, etc.

She did a great job especially making sure people got the shot they wanted, including getting down on her stomach to get the castle in as well.

It still doesn’t feel real, and I feel like I pulled off some kind of heist, lol! It was not easy, but it also wasn’t as bad as expected, in some weird way.

I'm so proud of you for finishing. I've always appreciated your thoughts and insights especially as they pertain to Florida weather.

AK CMs spectating get the prize for most enthusiastic, excited, motivational spectators on the course.

It may have been one of them who cheered me after I turned back to ride Everest during the marathon.

I have to say, despite accomplishing something pretty incredible, I can’t help but feel a bit “lesser than” because I didn’t do Dopey.

Please do not feel somehow "lesser than." Whatever distance you ran is your accomplishment that you worked hard to achieve. I well remember talking with a lady who had run her first 5K at Avengers Half Marathon 2017. She was so excited and proud of herself for having run the 5K that weekend. I loved seeing her excitement over all of her hard work to get there. Her accomplishments that weekend were no less important than anyone who ran a longer distance or even a challenge race. That applies to every race weekend.

I am still trying to reconcile my emotions about the marathon and whether I should feel proud of myself that I stuck it out and finished or terribly disappointed that I couldn't run.

I felt similarly after I ran a half marathon in 2018. I went into the race hoping to PR. While I did indeed PR, I also felt disappointed over how brutally the race went for me. In the end, that race proved to be invaluable to me. It helped expose some mistakes I had been making in the half marathon distance that could have been far worse to discover during my first marathon.

So, Dopey #8 is done - I can't wait till the next one, assuming I make it. I know my life won't be very happy from now on, but I truly hope it continues to be DOPEY.

I'm also proud of you for sticking with it. And while life certainly feels like it will not be very happy from now on, please know that there is so much you have to offer to this world. It may not feel like it now, but it will get better.

To that end, there was some discussion over the soundtrack for the weekend (and it’s somewhat limited scope); what are 5 90’s songs you would have added to the Disney playlist to enhance your 90’s weekend? Doesn’t have to be Disney and no wrong answers.

Any Weird Al song. I already sang his version along the course whenever possible.

es, I'm a dinosaur, as my wife and kids frequently tell me....

See also Weird Al's song Jurassic Park.

All this talk about 90s music reminds me of this past summer when I was having lunch with my new team. They were talking about the song Peaches which I assumed was the beloved The Presidents of the United States of America song but apparently Bieber has a song with the same name . I've never felt older. Even after I embarrassed myself by singing that peaches come from a can they had no idea what I was talking about.

Many years ago, my little brother born in 1986 was telling me how he could not understand why anyone thought Michael Jackson was such a great singer. After unsuccessfully trying to explain it to him, he then asked me if I had heard this incredible brand new song that was all the rage in those days. He then proceeded to play the remix using the original vocals from Smooth Criminal. I think I finally picked myself up off the floor about 5 minutes after falling down in laughter to explain to him why what he had just said was so funny.

Oh, and someone, please! That rock remix of "Wish Upon a Star" in MK on an endless one song loop! For the runners, that was probably really cool, and the energy was there. And it gave every runner a similar experience.

But for the spectators.... Augh!

I'm a purist. I wish they had played either the original version or a more traditional version.

Dopey #4 in the books for me. I still cannot quite believe that I have run 4 marathons even though I've done it.

Brief recap here with a longer one to come in my training journal.

5K: 57:18 Broke a sweat only because of the humidity. So it's a success.

10K: 1:47:09 Did not break a sweat. Made a few character stops. Bailed on the insanely long Chip and Dale line after the race when it became clear that I would miss my bus back to the resort. Got in some other lines instead and saw them in Animal Kingdom.

Half: 3:32:43 I heard the warnings multiple times that I was 2 or 3 minutes ahead of the balloon ladies. Every time I chose to stay in the photo line I was in because I know that I can keep up with the balloon ladies if necessary so if they got to me when I was in line, I would bail on the line. I made every single photo, including Chip and Dale with Pluto backstage in the MK and I was in line for Belle right outside the MK when they closed the line for runners.

Marathon: 6:47:41! This is a new PR and includes a few character stops, a ride on Everest, and a kind CM in Epcot letting me get a photo with Sleeping Beauty during her regular park guest meet and greet right after the session ended because I was running the marathon.

So overall thoughts: Intervals work. I hope to run 2024 Disneyland Half so may not do Marathon Weekend next year, but as I will turn 49 in 2025, I like the idea of doing 48.6 the year I turn 49 to get to 5 Dopeys. In a twisted way, I think the marathon is actually my favorite distance. There's nothing sane or normal about that, but whoever said I was sane.

 

[Livelovedance]

Is anyone else having trouble downloading their finisher certificate? I've been trying every so often for 2 weeks and it just brings me to the runDisney dashboard.

 

[surfde22]

Is anyone else having trouble downloading their finisher certificate? I've been trying every so often for 2 weeks and it just brings me to the runDisney dashboard.

Once you've logged into the runDisney site you can go to "Your Registrations" and you'll find it there

 

[Livelovedance]

Once you've logged into the runDisney site you can go to "Your Registrations" and you'll find it there

Great, thank you!

 

[XoxoAmy]

So overall thoughts: Intervals work. I hope to run 2024 Disneyland Half so may not do Marathon Weekend next year, but as I will turn 49 in 2025, I like the idea of doing 48.6 the year I turn 49 to get to 5 Dopeys. In a twisted way, I think the marathon is actually my favorite distance. There's nothing sane or normal about that, but whoever said I was sane.

I've had similar thoughts... I'm 46, turning 47 in 2023. I haven't run a marathon yet but I think I want to do Dopey when I'm 48 (2025) so it's 48(ish) miles at 48. Thinking I should do a marathon at some point before that. Should that be WDW 2024? Probably. But... ugh.

 

[superchime]

I've had similar thoughts... I'm 46, turning 47 in 2023. I haven't run a marathon yet but I think I want to do Dopey when I'm 48 (2025) so it's 48(ish) miles at 48. Thinking I should do a marathon at some point before that. Should that be WDW 2024? Probably. But... ugh.

Sounds like there are several of us who will be 48 for Dopey 2025!

 

[pluto377]

Sounds like there are several of us who will be 48 for Dopey 2025!

I've had similar thoughts... I'm 46, turning 47 in 2023. I haven't run a marathon yet but I think I want to do Dopey when I'm 48 (2025) so it's 48(ish) miles at 48. Thinking I should do a marathon at some point before that. Should that be WDW 2024? Probably. But... ugh.

Ooooh, I'm turning 48 in 2025 (will still be 47 during MW though), but I like the idea of 48-ish miles for 48 years...Maybe I'll save my next Dopey attempt for 2025 instead of next year.

 

[XoxoAmy]

Ooooh, I'm turning 48 in 2025 (will still be 47 during MW though), but I like the idea of 48-ish miles for 48 years...Maybe I'll save my next Dopey attempt for 2025 instead of next year.

Sounds like there are several of us who will be 48 for Dopey 2025!

Sounds like we need to form our own group! The 48 for 48 club! I'm much more likely to do this if you guys hold me accountable. @Sleepless Knight you're in too!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I've had similar thoughts... I'm 46, turning 47 in 2023. I haven't run a marathon yet but I think I want to do Dopey when I'm 48 (2025) so it's 48(ish) miles at 48. Thinking I should do a marathon at some point before that. Should that be WDW 2024? Probably. But... ugh.

Honestly, and I'm not saying my method is right for everyone, but my first marathon was part of Dopey in 2019.

My reasoning went as follows. After having ran 8 half marathons, including one on just 3 weeks training and 4 10K/Half Marathon Challenges at runDisney events and reading quite a few marathon race reports here on the DIS, I began to view the marathon as a challenge that I wanted to attempt for myself. I had told myself years earlier that if I ever ran a marathon, I wanted my first one to be at Walt Disney World.

After doing some research and talking with other runners, I learned that the training required for Dopey is not all that different from the training required for a marathon. I also knew that the marathon was a totally different animal, so I concluded that if I ran the marathon only and finished it and hated it, I might decide that I could have done Dopey and regretted not doing Dopey and have to run the marathon one more time just to finish Dopey. Unusual reasoning? Absolutely. Did it work for me? Yes. I have since finished 3 more Dopeys.

I will say this about running the marathon, be it standalone or as part of a runDisney challenge: Each runner needs to determine for themselves why they want to run the marathon. One can undertake a shorter distance because a friend or family member "pressured/persuaded" you to, but the marathon will test you. It will challenge you. It may well have you questioning your life choices that lead up to you registering for it. You have to want to run the marathon for your own reasons whatever those may be. When the marathon starts to test you, you will need to remember what your reasons were. And why you wanted to run it. Not why your friend or family member wanted you to run it with them, but why you wanted to run it.

In a perhaps twisted way, the marathon is my favorite distance. It certainly requires the most. But the feeling upon finishing it is something else.

 

[camaker]

Ooooh, I'm turning 48 in 2025 (will still be 47 during MW though), but I like the idea of 48-ish miles for 48 years...Maybe I'll save my next Dopey attempt for 2025 instead of next year.

I think it depends on what you want out of your first marathon.

Do you want a standalone event that you can run for time (or just finish) and celebrate on its own, after which you can decide whether you want to step up to the full Dopey as another plateau? Then by all means run a marathon before committing to Dopey.

Do you want to run Dopey, but are concerned that marathon training may not be sustainable for you across multiple training cycles? Want to swing for the fence and shoot for the full Dopey and then make a decision about the standalone marathon distance? Go for it!

In my experience and observation, if your goal is completion of Dopey without worrying too much about times, a solid marathon training plan (especially one from @DopeyBadger) should get you there. I say "should" because there are a lot of variables like current fitness and pace, available training time, injury history, etc that can impact your ability to do it. There are a lot of people who run their first marathon as a part of Dopey every year, so it certainly can be done. You just have to decide which path is right for you. You know we'll be here to help, advise and enable you all the way!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Since others have weighed in...

For starters, I have to chuckle at some of the "at my age" comments from people who are 10-15 years younger (which is not to make light of any physical ailments or health issues).
But all else being equal, just wait until you get to where I am in age...

1. I ran cross country in junior high, always mid-pack, just like now.
2. I have won exactly (1) 5K, which was in that time period and out the back of the mountain I grew up on (sigh), so a small race.
3. After graduating college, I was spending most of the day sitting on my backside and resumed runnign to try to keep some level of fitness.
That said, I'm a pretty good cook and fed myself too well and put on weight, plus ancestry caught up with me and my teen scrawniness was replaced with the more solid build of my dad and his dad. (more sighing)
4. My running was very casual until about 1993, when I joined a new group at work, and on July 5, 1993, they were all abuzz about the Peachtree Road Race.
I knew about the race, but had never seen it, but it sure sounded like fun. 6+ miles sounded like a loooong way, but I started training.
I was actually fairly well trained up and could have done the race in around 50 minutes that first year, except that I didn't know about qualifying times yet and wound up in the back of the field with all the walkers and partiers.
I spent the first mile walking and dodging people, otherwise, I would have had a rather nice time for myself.
I did start training more and doing qualifying runs, and for years was in time group B, where I could at see the invited runners, at least until the starting gun.

Then I found out about running at Disney and Things Changed.
The ex and I used to be there once or twice a year, and I became very intrigued at the idea of running at a theme park that was so familar to me.
A marathon sounded, well, nearly impossible for me, but maybe a half was doable, so I started training. I went down in 2009 and ran my first half.
I did a single photo stop coming out of the castle and otherwise ran it and finished around 2.5 hours. Since I was trained up, I ran a local half a couple of months later and managed around 2:20. Still my PR for a half.

With a half now conquered, I heard about the Goofy and it seemed like a new hill to conquer, and did so in 2011, thus missing the frozen 2010 races (3 years too early for it to be appropriately themed...)
Then I go to a high school class reunion and a classmate and her hub showed us pics of the spoils of the Dopey. In hindsight, they may have been in the inaugural race.
Now I had a new hill to conquer, but life meant it would be quite a few years before life, finances, and work aligned to allow this adventure last year. As much as I would have liked to do "48 at 48", I did a little rounding for "50 at 55".
I again trained, using my half-@ssed training method, which has been chronicled elsewhere in this forum.
The result was a fairly enjoyable set of races in which I ran the races and hit the parks afterward. I was feeling pretty good after the first three races, but that marathon does take a lot out of you. I went to Epcot that evening, but was moving fairly slowly.
The downside of my training regimen is that I'm not particularly fast, but OTOH, short recovery times and (so far) no running related injuries.

My physical maladies:
I still weigh 10-15 pounds more than I care for. I keep eating better and exercising more, which seems to be counteracted by advancing age... (drat!)
I have Morton's neurapathy on one foot and a wonky toe (genetics) on the other foot. I spend a little more and invest in quality shoes
I have mild athesma, so an inhaler is necessary for running. And once I'm trained up, I'm lung-limited more than leg-limited
I haven't gotten serious enough about losing the extra pounds or increasing my training for faster PRs.

All of which is to say:
Absent physical and health issues, age is just a number. In one of my halfs, I passed a guy in his 70's (he told me his age), and I later realized it wasn't until mile 9. Wow
Age will conspire to slow you down and thwart PRs. IMHO, there are plenty of flat (or flat-ish) races to set a PR that don't have all the fun and photo ops as Disney.
Come do the Disney races for fun and the experience with the goal to be able to enjoy your visit, including time in the parks afterward.
The mouse ticks me off with the costs and some of the byzantine policies, but I do enjoy running down there and being in that atmosphere with so many other runners.
Each time you conquer a new race distance, you know that that is doable and can then set your sights on more. My only two marathons to date are in the Goofy and the Dopey, so slow times, but I finished.
If you are younger, start or continue to take care of yourself now. As I tell my kids, weight you never gain is weight you never have to lose.
I also point out to them that our body is, for the most part, "use it or lose it" when it comes to fitness. Plenty of people have started running later in life. When I first started training for the half, I was barely making a quarter mile before I needed a short walk break. Now I can do 5+ miles.
Believe in yourself, do the training, then do the race(s). And join a running group or visit these forums for support and encouragement.
And there is very little that feels as good as knowing that you did a marathon.

Thank you for listening.

 

[pluto377]

I think it depends on what you want out of your first marathon.

Do you want a standalone event that you can run for time (or just finish) and celebrate on its own, after which you can decide whether you want to step up to the full Dopey as another plateau? Then by all means run a marathon before committing to Dopey.

Do you want to run Dopey, but are concerned that marathon training may not be sustainable for you across multiple training cycles? Want to swing for the fence and shoot for the full Dopey and then make a decision about the standalone marathon distance? Go for it!

In my experience and observation, if your goal is completion of Dopey without worrying too much about times, a solid marathon training plan (especially one from @DopeyBadger) should get you there. I say "should" because there are a lot of variables like current fitness and pace, available training time, injury history, etc that can impact your ability to do it. There are a lot of people who run their first marathon as a part of Dopey every year, so it certainly can be done. You just have to decide which path is right for you. You know we'll be here to help, advise and enable you all the way!

You quoted me on this, but I think it was meant for @XoxoAmy Just making sure she sees it because it's solid advice!

 

[Herding_Cats]

You have to want to run the marathon for your own reasons whatever those may be. When the marathon starts to test you, you will need to remember what your reasons were. And why you wanted to run it. Not why your friend or family member wanted you to run it with them, but why you wanted to run it.

AND, your reason doesn't have to be some big grand thing. I run marathons because, well, when it comes to Disney races: I managed to get signed up for it, I paid all this money, and I don't quit. For my first marathon? Because I thought it would be "cool" to have run a marathon. The only people I know that have run marathons are like....the cross country coaches, and they're crazy-fit-runner-people. I'm just a normal person. And to quote Elsa, "Time to see what I can do." (My husband was under strict instructions to NOT give me permission to stop during the marathon if I had a meltdown and called him.)

It can help immensely to have that friend or family member who conned talked you into running it with them running with you so you can blame them. Because after you hit the wall, and you keep going, this crazy realization comes that you are gonna do the dang thing and it's pretty powerful stuff.


Also, medals. It's OK to run for shiny things, although your brain may find that to be a lacking motivator between miles 16 and 20.