Walt Disney Marathon Hints For The Novice

Ready? Here goes:

1. Make sure you have your reservations to stay on site if you are coming from far away and/or you don't have a relative nearby. Staying off site is a bit of a pain in the ass for parking (and I promise you, it is). If you stay on site, you have a bus transport from every possible resort. They leave early as hell. Expect to be awake by 4 AM.

2. Be sure and take some extra food/fuel to the holding corral prior to the race, because you will be there FOREVER with a lousy band for your***AHEM***entertainment. The holding corral is a LARGE parking lot. Disney is great about your checked-in goods--so no worries there. There are plenty of port-a-potties.

3. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS register to the corral 30 minutes FASTER than what you expect to finish. For example--if you run a 3:45 marathon...make sure you register as a 3:15. No matter what, there are idiot walkers in the beginning more than a 4:00 marathon. The start is a total cluster fuck of walkers, and you will be easily aggravated. Once you are at the race--you can't advance to a faster corral, you can only go back.

4. NO NEED TO BRING Gu, GATORADE or WATER. There are plenty of water and Gatorade stops. They even have stations of bins of Gu/Gel in every flavor imaginable. You are well taken care of as a runner during this course.

5. REMEMBER--when you run through Cinderella's Castle, your BEST photo opportunity will be RIGHT there as you exit. Exactly when you get out of the tunnel, smile and do your best pose--that will be your stellar photo shot.

6. You will be running on a lot of slanted on and off exits on the road system surrounding the parks. This means you will be running at a slant and your toes will be taking the brunt of it. ONLY for the Disney would I recommend actually tightening your laces a little more than usual and applying Body Glide to your feet. You will thank me later.

7. You will be bottlenecked onto a walkway around mile 24/25--this will be frustrating. Just keep left as much as you can if you are still feeling powerful.

8. Your photo will be taken from above at the finish--so raise your arms and say "Hell Yeah!".

9. Weather is unpredictable--starts have been everywhere from the 40's to the 70's--bring "throwaway" sweats to leave at the side of the road if need be. Almost always, the weather warms up to a gradual warmth by the time you finish. I plan on wearing shorts and an exercise bra by the finish. Hubby will be shirtless.

Happy marathoning to you Disney Freaks!!!!! We will see you at the half and the full that week-end.