This past weekend, I ran my 4th race at Disney. I have never gotten the courage up to run more than one race per weekend. There are typically three races each Run Disney weekend: 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon. The only exception is Marathon weekend in January. Then you have four races: 5K, 10K, Half, and Full Marathon. If you run all four in four days, it's called the Dopey Challenge. The name is self-explanatory, but I believe once you accomplish it, you'll always want to run it.
My first run was the Inaugural Dark Side 10K. The next year, I bumped it up to run my first ever Half Marathon--The Dark Side Half. It was an accomplishment. It was terrible and fun all at the same time. I wasn't in shape enough to make it a great time. I learned from that experience, though, and signed up for the Princess Half Marathon 10 months later. I am in much better shape today and it wasn't nearly as miserable as the first time. Tune in Monday for my personal re-cap of the race. It wasn't perfect, but I made it and had fun, too! My fourth race was back in January. I ran the Disney 5K as a training run while we were there for Marathon weekend. It was freezing (actually 32 degrees at start time), but it was an easy run around Epcot. And one of us ran the Dopey.....hint...it was not me.
When you sign up for a Run Disney race, you need to know a few things going in:
ONE: All races start at 5:30 a.m.....A. M. As in before you normally even think about waking up when you are on vacation. Due to the start time and the fact you need to catch a bus (or drive in, if you are insane and don't stay on property), you need to get up no later than 3 a.m.
TWO: Dressing in costume is not required, but you will feel left out if you don't. Everyone dresses up as a favorite character or some part of the Disney magic. Depending on the race, will depend on the direction you might like to go.
THREE: These races are crowded. Do not go to Disney and expect to run the fastest race of your life. It's not happening unless you are in the first corral. I must note here that even if you run a 2:45 half, you will still be in corral D, at best. Sign up early, and send in your proof of time.
FOUR: Act like a kid. There are characters set up for photo ops (with Disney photographers) all over the course. Not just any characters....ones that you don't see that often and that aren't usually seen in the parks. Stop and get your picture made.
FIVE: Don't fear the balloon ladies unless you are in the last corral and walking. Or you aren't in shape enough to run some of it. They want you to finish and they want you to be able to get your pictures made, too. The lines are long, but they move faster than you think. Don't dilly dally, but have fun and get those pictures! I ran my first two races without stopping for pictures and now I wish I had taken the time to capture the memories of the moment.
My first run was the Inaugural Dark Side 10K. The next year, I bumped it up to run my first ever Half Marathon--The Dark Side Half. It was an accomplishment. It was terrible and fun all at the same time. I wasn't in shape enough to make it a great time. I learned from that experience, though, and signed up for the Princess Half Marathon 10 months later. I am in much better shape today and it wasn't nearly as miserable as the first time. Tune in Monday for my personal re-cap of the race. It wasn't perfect, but I made it and had fun, too! My fourth race was back in January. I ran the Disney 5K as a training run while we were there for Marathon weekend. It was freezing (actually 32 degrees at start time), but it was an easy run around Epcot. And one of us ran the Dopey.....hint...it was not me.
When you sign up for a Run Disney race, you need to know a few things going in:
ONE: All races start at 5:30 a.m.....A. M. As in before you normally even think about waking up when you are on vacation. Due to the start time and the fact you need to catch a bus (or drive in, if you are insane and don't stay on property), you need to get up no later than 3 a.m.
TWO: Dressing in costume is not required, but you will feel left out if you don't. Everyone dresses up as a favorite character or some part of the Disney magic. Depending on the race, will depend on the direction you might like to go.
FOUR: Act like a kid. There are characters set up for photo ops (with Disney photographers) all over the course. Not just any characters....ones that you don't see that often and that aren't usually seen in the parks. Stop and get your picture made.
FIVE: Don't fear the balloon ladies unless you are in the last corral and walking. Or you aren't in shape enough to run some of it. They want you to finish and they want you to be able to get your pictures made, too. The lines are long, but they move faster than you think. Don't dilly dally, but have fun and get those pictures! I ran my first two races without stopping for pictures and now I wish I had taken the time to capture the memories of the moment.
If you've ever thought about doing one of these races, I highly recommend it. We are thinking about doing the Wine and Dine in November. Then we will have officially run all the race weekends on the east coast. I'm happy to answer any questions you might, too.
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