If you’re a clown like me and interested in tackling a 5k, 10k and a half marathon back to back, well then you’re in luck because cue the circus music, this blog post is for you!
RunDisney
So what is RunDisney? For those of you that are not familiar, it is Disney’s road race division and they host Disney themed race events all through the year, where you literally run through the parks. There are currently 4 held in Disney World annually, the Walt Disney World Marathon, the Princess Half Marathon, the Star Wars Rival Run and the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. The Walt Disney World Marathon is always held in January and is the only event with a full marathon. The other three events have the following 3 races: the 5k, 10k and half marathon races only. They also hold races at Disneyland Paris and virtual 5ks for those who can’t travel out to the parks (because these race trips are definitely quite costly) but still want to partake in them and receive a Disney medal.
Registration
Registration for these races are quite competitive as they sell out pretty quickly. You have to be on the website when it opens if you want to get guaranteed into the race of your choice. I signed up myself, my sisters and my best friend back in May, the morning registration opened up last year. I got in right away, thankfully and everything went smoothly. If you’re a runner and already familiar with this process, my only advice for you would be to read the fine print carefully because they don’t always make it clear about what the guidelines are for those wanting to submit a time from a previous race for better corral placement. They didn’t tell us til we asked at the expo why my friend was placed in the last corral when she had a qualifying time, that the times had to be from a race within the last 2 years. I guess enough people had the same misunderstanding/issue because this year’s registration for Wine & Dine that occurred this week had that stipulation clearly outlined and a box was there for you to check off that you were aware of this rule.
The prices for these races can be pretty steep and honestly I haven’t really run a non Disney race to know the difference but my friend who’s been racing with me has and she attests that Disney definitely does a great job at the entertainment they provide, the stops along the way, and the beautiful medals. I mean, you get to run THROUGH THE PARKS. And depending on the race you do, you get to run through Cinderella’s castle. I’ve ran through it twice and let me tell you, it is an absolutely amazing experience. So yes, the price of these races are a pretty penny just like anything Disney, but I would say they’re worth it to do, at least once in your life if you want to see what the fuss is about. Most people end up coming back because of how much they end up liking it. And trust me, back in May 2018, I was NOT a runner but here I am coming back again and probably again next year because I am ADDICTED.
Training
If you’re just doing a 5k, I would say you can probably go into it with no training, as it’s not timed and you can walk the entire route if you really wanted to. But for 10k and longer distances, I would definitely recommend some training, especially if you’re not a runner. I looked up training schedules on Pinterest as well as the free training program provided by RunDisney on their website by Jeff Galloway. I ended up modifying the training schedules I found to my personal liking and pace as everyone is different as to how they want to progress and how aggressively they want to train. But if you’re wondering if you can train for a half marathon in a month, I can tell you, yes, it can be done. It might be hard, but it is definitely doable. This year, I basically did one long run a week, increasing in distance each week by 2-3 km until I reached 21 km which is about the length of a half marathon. I cross trained during the week lifting weights and doing short 5k runs and some walks in between to get steps in but give my legs a break if they were a little too sore and needed extra time to recover before the next long run. Details of this year’s training can be found in this blog post. I did ease up on my training the week of the race and I found that doing all 3 races was actually a great way to warm-up to the half, as opposed to last year where I only ran the half marathon.
During my training period, I kept on top of my nutrition, making sure I maintained a clean and healthy high protein, low carb diet, with lots of water to stay hydrated constantly. I switched over to high carb the week of the race to carb load. I also made sure my sleep was on point as I learned last year that even if you have problem sleeping the night before a race, as long as your sleep every night leading up to the race was normal, you’ll be fine. Think of your body as a battery you’ve been charging for a month. Lack of one night’s sleep isn’t going to kill you and ruin the race. You got this. This year though, I found myself being able to sleep much easier than last year’s insomnia, but it’s also probably because I tired myself out doing the parks all day everyday this year. Depending on your own energy levels and capabilities, you should gauge this for yourself if you can handle both. Last year I thought it would be too much but I saw plenty of people out and about in the parks all day so I figured if they can do it, I can handle this too and I did. It helped in both getting me to fall asleep sooner because I was tired, but also helped me experience the park and have fun instead of worry myself with race anxiety.
Race Weekend
The first thing you’re going to want to do when you get to Disney is head to the race expo. There are complimentary shuttle buses provided at every hotel if you’re staying on Disney property. The race expo is where you’ll get your bibs and shirts which you need to pick up in person and get your photo taken if you’re running the challenge (the 10k and half marathon race together is called a “challenge” and when you complete both races, you get a third additional medal to commemorate the occasion.) The photo is used to make sure you’re the same person at the end of the race picking up the challenge medal, to prove you didn’t cheat and send someone else in your place to run it. I’m a newcomer to racing so I’m not familiar with this lack of integrity in the sports world, as I feel like it just wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t earn my own medals myself as I worked hard for them but I can see people wanting the medals without putting in the actual work. I believe you’re personally cheating yourself though if you’re the type of person who does this.
Other things you can find at the race expo are official RunDisney merchandise as well as outside vendors selling cute wares like last minute costumes for those wanting a tutu or a tiara or a cute shirt to race in. I also saw some really cute booths selling wall displays and frames for your medals and bibs. There are also various super cute photobooths and photo ops inside this area as well. I would say take photos of everything because it’s a magical thing to experience and you’re going to want to take it in if it’s your first time.
Pre-race to dos
Lay everything out - The night before each race, my biggest advice would be to lay out everything you’re planning on wearing and having with you to the race. I put on each costume/outfit when I was originally packing for my vacation and then placed each outfit and all its parts into a ziplock bag. That way I know everything I needed was all in one place so I wouldn’t be scrounging all over my luggage last minute at 3am trying to run out the door.
Pin your bib on - What I also do before bed is pin my race bib onto my outfit. This way I’m not fumbling and pricking my finger at 3am as well. Then I turn out the lights and hit the hay for that 3am wake up call. Yes, you heard that right. Disney races start at 5:30am but the buses start at 3am. Last year I got on it at 3am but found myself waiting around for 2 hours and wanting to die so this year I started waking up at 3am, leaving at 4am, and getting there around 4:30am, leaving me ample time to walk to my corral and try to mosy on up to the front before it starts. You could probably leave later but I don’t want to risk missing the last bus and not starting on time.
Makeup - Personally I like to run with makeup as I look forward to the race photos that get snapped when you’re running through the parks. I do a light makeup, with just simple foundation, eyeliner, mascara and lip as these aren’t portraits or anything, just fast quick photos as you run past the photopass tents. I found that primer and setting spray will be your best friend. This is how I get away with my makeup looking still in place at the finish line. Waterproof makeup is also your best friend if you have those products on hand. But if you don’t, setting spray is your insurance. I also try not to touch my face the whole time I’m running, even if I’m sweating. I just let it bounce off to not risk smearing or smudging anything. Personally for me, I found my makeup perfectly intact after both the 5k and 10k as I didn’t sweat that much and nothing ran or smeared. I only had to do simple touch ups and adding false lashes post-race before hitting the parks. I was able to shower so I was fresh to go to the parks, but was able to leave my face intact without having to start over. The half marathon was a different story though. Running over 2 hours will take more out of you and I had salt all over my face after my sweat had dried. Gross, I know, but I’m here to give you the reality of it if you’re interested in running and want to know what to prepare for. After the half, I definitely did a full shower and full redo of all my makeup before hitting up the parks for the day. But because the parks are my priority when I’m on my runcation, I’ve learned to get ready a little faster than I normally do because I really just want to get going.
Eat something - I’m not talking about a full hearty breakfast but like before a workout, you always want to fuel up with something. When I trained at home, I always found that I ran better, longer and farther when I ate a banana versus a protein bar. Find what works for you. Eat something small, light and easy. You don’t want something that will hurt your stomach during the race. But you also don’t want to run on empty either. You’ll feel the effects of your stomach grinding and growling the whole time or you’ll feel light headed, dizzy, or low energy. It’s just not a good idea, especially on race day, trust me. Lucky enough, after each race you're provided bananas. I saved one after each race for the next day's pre-race fuel.
Go to the bathroom - I’m not a fan of port-a-potties, especially in the dark at 3-5am. And luckily for me, I don’t have that type of race anxiety but I do see long lines from the race waiting area all the way up to the corrals and then even on the race course itself. I don’t know how people get like that so early on in the race, but all I can say is I’m lucky enough that when I run, my body engages into fight or flight mode so all that gets shut down. I honestly for some reason never have to use the bathroom at all when I run, or even when I work out in the gym for 3 hours. But if you’re the type of person who does find yourself needing to use the bathroom more often than me, then my suggestion would be to try and go before you leave your hotel room as it’s more sanitary and comfortable, and then try to drink as little water as possible before the race starts. During the race itself, yes it’s important to definitely hydrate but try to take small sips and be mindful of your water intake so you’re not hunting down a bathroom the entire race. The good news is on the race course, once you leave the highway/road portions and enter the parks portion, the park bathrooms ARE open! So definitely use those instead of the port-a-potties.
Charge everything - And I mean everything. Phone. Battery. Wireless Headphones if you use them. Update everything so you don’t catch yourself in the middle of a mandatory auto-update like I did 5 minutes before my half started and then freaking out if you don’t have your running app on and your music playing to help push you through that first mile. The funny thing is when I trained at home, I realized I was able to run the full length of a half marathon with my phone on one charge. So I didn’t bring my portable charger and running belt with me. But I did NOT anticipate that forced auto-update that drained 20% of my battery that morning. Luckily, I left my running belt with my portable charger inside all ready to go, on top of my dresser back at the hotel getting ready that morning. Once my phone was back in service, I messaged my baby sister during my run and asked her to bring it to me when I met her at the first spectator checkpoint when I got into the parks. I found her, threw her my hoodie as it got warm during my run and didn’t want it hiding my race costume for pictures, snapped on my belt and plugged in my phone and gunned it back down on the race course. I was back in business and my phone/music lasted the rest of the race.
Post-Race To Dos
Smile smile smile - Smile for the cameras as you cross that finish line! Smile as the volunteers bestow that medal upon your neck. Smile at the volunteers handing you bottles of water, Powerade, and your treat box. Smile and take your finish photo at the booths with the I DID IT paddles. Smile and take a damn selfie with you and your medal. Hold that medal up and give it a nice portrait shot. Take every pic possible because you want to remember this moment. And smile because DAMN YOU DID THAT.
EAT EAT EAT HYDRATE - After I finally settled down a bit from my finisher’s high, I always find that I’m really thirsty. That’s why I say to grab those bottles of water and Powerade they hand you. Grab a lot. They’re yours! Remember that hefty race registration fee? Don’t feel guilty about grabbing more than a few bottles. It’s just water and Powerade. Get your money’s worth because you’ll want to hydrate your money’s worth as you wait on the bus/monorail getting back to your hotel. Plus they're $3 a pop in the parks so definitely take advantage of these free drinks. And once you’re all showered and ready to go for the day, you’ll probably find that you’re hella hungry too because of all you ran. My advice would be to make sure you have breakfast reservations somewhere or at least a gameplan of where you want to go to eat if you’re doing quick service dining. You don’t want to be fumbling around last minute as you’re probably starving right now and want a hearty breakfast to reward yourself as well as fuel you for the rest of the day.
Wear comfortable shoes - If you plan on hitting the parks for the rest of the day/event weekend, and you still have more races to run in the next coming days, this is a definite must. Don’t wear new shoes that you haven’t tested or broken in yet. This is not the time for that just because you found a pair of cute shoes you wanted to go with your outfit the day before your trip. You want a nice, comfortable, tried and true pair of shoes that will get you through the rest of the day, especially if you have a lot of activities planned and there’s going to be a bit of walking all over the parks. And I know this sounds funny but WALK WALK WALK. I know you might feel tired after running all that, but trust me, if you keep walking for the day, it’s going to help your recovery that much more and feel better in the long run (pun intended).
Rest - Build in free periods in your day if you think you’ll need time to nap because of that early wake-up call. I didn’t do this because I found my vacation energy allowed me to stay up without feeling tired til I got back to the room at night and got into bed. So instead, I tried to make sure I was back at the resort a semi-reasonable hour to get to bed in time for the next morning’s 3am wake-up call. But definitely make sure you listen to your body if it’s telling you it needs an extra hour of ZZZzz’s throughout the day. You don’t want to collapse and jeopardize the next day’s race. Nap for a few hours if your body is telling you to rest.
Show off your medals! - You spent so much money to do this and then you woke up all those mornings to put in that work so do not feel ashamed or embarassed to wear all your bling to the parks! Wear them proudly and show them off everywhere you go! Last year the waitress was so sweet and gave me priority front row seating to the Epcots fireworks show because she saw my medal. Some photopasses will be on the lookout and they’ll be more than happy to help you take photos to commemorate your visit and achievement. Take advantage of it! You already paid so much to be here and do all this, so take it all in and enjoy it. It’s your time to shine!
Have Fun! - After all, it is a runcation! Make sure you still have fun and enjoy everything. Do everything you want to do, eat everything you want to eat. See the parade, see the fireworks, visit all the characters, ride all the rides. Soak in every Disney minute in the bubble as you possibly can. And remember YOU DID THIS and absolutely no one can take that away from you.
