Here are my thoughts.
This was not my first RunDisney Rodeo. You probably remember when I ran my first race during the Princess Weekend in 2022 – you can check out that experience here. When I completed the Princess Half back in 2022, I knew I was hooked. After I was forced to cancel my Princess Half redemption in January 2023, I promised myself I would get back what taken away from me. Enter Wine and Dine Challenge; to make it even more spicy I included the 5k. This rounded out to 22.6 miles over the course of three days. Not including the amount of miles I put in walking the parks every day. I’ll never forget the feeling I got when I registered for all three races back in April 2023. I went from, “I’m gonna do this,” to “Holy S***. What did I just get myself into”. I blocked out the fact that I had all these miles ahead of me up until training kicked in. Here are my thoughts on the Wine and Dine Challenge.
Training
No matter how intentional I am about training, it always ends up derailed. However, it definitely went much better this year. I found new gels that I included on long runs. Huge fan of Chocolate Outrage and Vanilla Bean Gu. They remind me of frosting. I know Gu isn’t everyone’s favorite, but my suggestion is find a nutrition you like, and stick with it. I used the Gu after every three miles and that helped me a ton. I never felt exhausted. Click here to get a flavor pack on Amazon.
When it comes to training, find a training plan you like and use it. I’m a huge fan of the Galloway method and Once Upon a Marathon makes easy to use training guides to get you through the training miles. If you aren’t following Amanda from Once Upon a Marathon on IG, you need to just for historical Disney deep dives, training Q&A’s and other fun things.
If you are following your training plan correctly, you will need to change out your shoes for a fresh pair about midway through. Don’t forget to change out your shoes. I did not and I ended up buying two new pairs of shoes two days before leaving for Orlando. I do not recommend this. You end up with no time to break them in, and you run the risk of discomfort. I lucked out didn’t have this problem but don’t do like me. I got lucky.
Race Weekend
RunDisney race weekends are a blast. I always have the best time and love how everyone celebrates each other through out the weekend. Let me get into the gritty of it all during the race weekends. You know about the early 2:00 am alarms to ensure I was on the bus by 3:30 to make sure I was on sight in time. Let me tell you, I grossly underprepared myself for the fatigue that would accumulate much quicker over the ensuing days. I was tired by that third 2 am wake up call but let me tell you something, the runDisney community is unmatched. Can I have a story time real quick? About midway through the half marathon I had to walk. My knee quit on me and I literally had to stand up and walk the rest of the way. I stepped to the side when it first happened and a woman cam out of nowhere to check on me. I hadn’t seen her the entire race around me. She grabbed me, looked at me, checked to see if I was okay and was gone. I never saw her again (if you were on the half marathon course, tall, with a long, blonde braid…thank you for checking on me!). For several miles I walked and walked praying I wouldn’t get swept or miraculously my knee would stop hurting and I could pick up on the runs again. On my way back into Epcot about a mile from the finish another woman started walking with me. I explained to her what happened and she told me to look to my right. We were on the overpass and there was a ton of people behind us and the Balloon Ladies were nowhere near us. She told me, “You will finish. They aren’t coming for you”. Y’all. That’s community.
Finally, at the finish line, I saw Kristen from Running In Makeup, and that hug was the best hug. She knew I was struggling to finish but texts from Kristen and my mom kept me going. Here is what you need to know about the weekend. You have to rest. You MUST rest. Don’t make every day a park day. Get a massage post race and at least do some recovery treatment post race. I’m going to go into this a little deeper in a late blog post.
After Thoughts
I will attempt the challenge again. I’ll tweak the way I approach it as well.
Make sure you travel party supports you throughout. Whether they are running with you, or there to cheer you on – have someone that is on your side. Lucky for me my mom was with me. She walked to 5k with me day one. Kept me going for the 10k. Homegirl booked Lightning Lanes like a pro while I was running through the Boardwalk and Yacht Club, and also made sure I was properly fed and properly rested for the half.
Order food for your room via Amazon or any other delivery service. This was clutch for me, not to mention you need nutrition on the bus headed to the corrals and this will save some money. Additionally, I need to remember some throwaway layers. Whether they are cheap blankets to keep me warm while standing around, mylar ponchos or just additional layers to keep me a little warmer.
I honestly can’t wait for 2024 because I have several goals listed that I will share with you later. All are running and fitness related and yes I will be taking you on that adventure with me. I can’t wait for you to see what’s ahead. If you are interested in a runDisney race, don’t hesitate to reach out to me on the ‘gram. I’m always down to talk the fun stuff! Cheers to everyone running the runDisney Marathon Weekend and Princess Weekend coming up. For now, I’ll see you allow at Springtime Surprise! 🙂