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Ep 27 - Some helpful tips for WDW Marathon Weekend
463 Plays1 month ago
Join us as we dive into some last-minute tips for the 2026 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend! In this episode, we're sharing our tips to make the most of your experience, embracing the magic and tackling the unexpected. Whether you're a first-time Disney runner or a seasoned pro, doing Dopey or your first 5K, this conversation is a great reminder that we all have a lot going on as we navigate the emotional rollercoaster of long distance races.
Happy new year friends and we can't wait to see y'all at Marathon Weekend!
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Transcript
Introduction and Marathon Plans
00:00:00
Speaker
Believe it or not, next week is the 2026 Walt Disney World Marathon. And no matter what your story is headed into this race weekend, we thought that some last minute tips and reminders might be helpful for this week's episode.
00:00:20
Speaker
Hey there, friends. Happy New Year. We hope that you had a wonderful holiday season with your family. If you are listening to the podcast today, it is New Year's Eve, and so maybe you have some fun plans. But if not, we've got fun plans next week.
00:00:32
Speaker
Yeah, we do. Marathon weekend's next week. That's right. I'll probably be in bed by, know, 9.30, New Year's Eve maybe. Yeah. Unless one of our kids is working, then I'll be up waiting for them to get Waiting for them to get home. Yes. Otherwise, early bed. The days of going to find something super exciting to do are over for us on New Year's Eve. Long gone. But if you've got big plans tonight, hopefully it's hopefully it's super fun. If you're listening to a podcast to bring in the new year, then wow, I'm really impressed. Yeah. If you're new here, by the way, my name's AJ, this is Erica, and we do this podcast to you know share tips, tricks, and whatever around running, run Disney, all that. And and kind of the bottom line there, when we dig deep down past all that, is we really want to help you accomplish something that maybe you didn't think was possible. Right. And in our context, usually that has something to do with like running a half marathon if you've never done one, right? Or I mean, if you're crazy enough to do a marathon and you've got that as a big goal, great. But honestly, if that's a 5K, that is as big a goal if you've never done it before. So like whatever your goal is, it was hard and you never thought you'd be able to. yeah We're sharing tips and tricks around run Disney and running in general to hopefully help you get there.
00:01:43
Speaker
Yeah. That's the goal of our
Listener Appreciation and Podcast Goals
00:01:44
Speaker
podcast. We like to read reviews. We do a couple of housekeeping things too, by the way, if you're new here. ah We read reviews. Erica, would you mind reading an Apple podcast review? ah we We have new ones, right? We do, yes. Okay, good. and well What you got? So this one is from N.R. Hauser and it's titled Best Podcast Ever. That was really sweet. yeah I like the sound that. Yes. Erica and AJ have helped so much in preparation for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. This will be my first run Disney race and listening to this podcast makes me even more excited to run. I really appreciate all the information they provide in such a genuine way. I hope the podcast continues after Marathon Weekend. Keep up the great work.
00:02:20
Speaker
That was very sweet. And we are so excited for you for your first Run Disney Race. Yeah. Thank you for those kind words. For us, it's not like, I'm glad you like us, right? Great. But that's not why we do this. We do this for exactly like that, like getting, helping you get there, right? So that you can do your
Commitment to Podcasting Post-Marathon
00:02:36
Speaker
thing. um yeah Also, little sneak peek. I think we've kind of evaded the, are we going to continue yeah the podcast after the marathon? And I'm happy to say we're not going to continue. We're going to cancel this whole thing. Liar. We are done. We are done. was too much. It was not too much. You cannot get rid of us. Just kidding. Erica and I um unanimously decided that this has um been too much fun and we have so many more topics we want to cover that we are going to continue after Marathon Weekend. So whether you want us to or not, we're going to. We're going to continue. But we still will take topic suggestions. If you've got stuff you want to hear or you've got questions or anything, just send them our way. yeah Like, well, absolutely. If you've got like a guest suggestion, you know, like, hey, you know, you should try and track down. Or if you know somebody that's that you think we should get on and you can connect us, then even better. So yes, we are going to continue and we're setting up that roadmap right now.
Meeting Listeners at Marathon Weekend
00:03:29
Speaker
Other housekeeping thing real fast is Marathon Weekend is in one week from today. yes A lot of you will be arriving. And um I just wanted to say, we said it last week, if you see us at Marathon Weekend, feel free to say hi.
00:03:41
Speaker
Uh, we are not here to be famous or anything like that, but we do want to encourage you. if, if you want to be encouraged, if you yeah want to say hi, great. I'll probably keep some podcast stickers in my pocket. If you want a podcast sticker, you know, feel free to say hi at no time or I don't know. I don't think I'm crossing the line here, Erica, no time. Feel free to say hi. If we're on the bus and riding on the bus or whatever, like feel free to say hi.
00:04:03
Speaker
Do you agree with that? Absolutely. Yes. We want to encourage you in person.
Mindset and Tips for Marathon Runners
00:04:07
Speaker
And on the course, we're going to be dressed as Sorcerer Mickey and Minnie, which is a nod to our favorite show of all time, Fantasmic. Fantasmic. Mm-hmm. So if you see, there will probably bunches of Mickeys and Minnies out there. if you see us out there, we'll be the ones in all, it's like the stars, moon, you know, vibe from his coats, you know, and all that. So if you see us, feel free to say We won't be bothered by that in any way. right. Erica, any other housekeeping things before we move on to today's topic?
00:04:33
Speaker
Nope. don't think so. Great. Today's topic is like some last minute advice, right? Some, these, a lot of these are more mindset driven. They're not as practical as like, well, here's the fuel we use. Like this is more mindset stuff. We do have some practical stuff too, but we've given you 26 episodes full of advice already, like tips, tricks, um, and, and you've done your training, right? Your training is done. Uh, the reservations have been made. All your money has been Your costume is like ready and packed. Right. But now like it's actually time. Yeah. So there are just a few last minute things you need to keep in mind as we head into marathon weekend.
Emotional and Physical Aspects of Racing
00:05:08
Speaker
Perfect. So I'll go first, Erica. We'll kind of alternate if you're cool with that. um and And hopefully this is helpful. Yeah. Right. Some of this, I'll be honest with you, might be a listen now, New Year's Eve, whatever, a week out. Some of this, it might be worth a re-listen on your way down in a week or whatever, because it might like help frame some some like ah context things for you. Yeah. So my first one is is this, right? some We've done this a bunch of times. Mm-hmm.
00:05:35
Speaker
Some things aren't going to meet your expectations. Absolutely. Like you've probably, and I hate to say but you've probably built up some stuff like that to be bigger in your mind than it's actually going to be. Like you need to prepare yourself to be okay with whatever happens, right? Like something's going to happen. And a a simple example is the weather, right? Like it's going to be something something with that. Transportation's another thing. Like, like um Or the finish line. make you might like In your mind, imagine like confetti cannons going off and whatever. And and the reality is like thousands of us are trying to get across the finish line or whatever at at the end. And you know we're all crammed in this little thing. and And it's just not exactly how you pictured it. right right Where your pictures just didn't turn out how you thought. So I guess what I'm saying there is you're going to have a fantastic time. right I want everybody mindset-wise to like just be ready for however it goes. right Because something's going to either... be different than you thought it was going to be or not be as good as you thought it was going to be. a thousand percent. Flip side, something's going to be way better than you expected. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Like I've teared up meeting a character. Like, I don't know how that happened. Do you know what I mean? Right. Yeah. And I didn't expect it. Yeah. So I guess what I'm saying is great. I'm glad you have expectations. That's cool. I'm glad you're ready. Right.
00:06:49
Speaker
Be ready for what actually happens. That's right. Any comments about about that one? I would just say that it's the unexpected or difficult things that you're going to remember, not when everything goes perfectly. So just like I just said, try and get in the right headspace now before you get there.
00:07:02
Speaker
Yep. Great example of that is the weather, right? like one themm Absolutely. I would not like to get rained on, but I mean, a core memory is going down Main Street soaking Torrential rain, yeah. We've talked about it before on the podcast, but it's a legitimate core memory. Yeah. You know, and ah I've been down Main Street a bunch of times now and most of them, i i couldn't tell you which race was which. Right. But I can tell you when that rain one was. Right. Yeah. I know the year and I know what I was wearing. Absolutely. does that make sense? Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:32
Speaker
The unexpected can actually sometimes be good. Yeah. Okay. um Next up, I would say that ah remember that you and everyone else are going to be vulnerable. And I know that sounds kind of weird, but like not just physically, like emotionally, you're going to be in like a sensitive state. A thousand percent. Even if you're not an emotional person, fear, doubt, exhaustion, lack of sleep, like whatever is going to be ah a thing. yeah You're just going to be, I don't know how to say it. You're just going to worried about things, right? right You're going little more stressed out, which is going to make you more vulnerable. So I guess my advice there is like, be aware of it about yourself, that you might be snappy or whatever. Like like we talked about it recently, you, Erica, are not a morning person, right? right yeah And so not only are you not a morning person, but now you're worried about your bib,
00:08:21
Speaker
Getting ripped and your makeup being right and catching the bus on time whatever. And now AJ is just in my space. You know what I mean? Yeah. And so like i have to be sensitive to that. And on the flip side, you know I'm ready to get out the door at a very specific time. Yes. Because I'm OCD like that. Right. Yeah. And I'm heightened the minute we're not walking out the door at that time. Yes.
00:08:41
Speaker
So like we have to be very kind to each other. Absolutely. And to ourselves because we're just vulnerable. Yeah. And then I would say everyone else on the course is like that. And a good example for me that is when you're standing next to someone in the corral and they may not seem like a very nice person or whatever, they're probably stressed out. It's not that they're a jerk and trying to cut you off or not be polite and kind and whatever. They're probably freaking out. Yeah.
00:09:09
Speaker
they They might be their first half marathon. Totally. And they are super concerned about finishing. Yeah. or they forgot their cell phone holder and now they're holding their phone and they're freaking out. They don't know what to do with it. Like everybody, I but i mean, not guaranteed, but like everybody is just more emotionally. Right.
00:09:25
Speaker
What's the word? Charged. Yeah. Vulnerable. Whatever. Totally. on any Any thoughts on that? Additional thoughts on that one? Or is that, did I cover that kind of, I guess I would say give yourself and everyone else some grace. Yeah. That's what i'm what I'm saying on that is. Right. We're all going to be little vulnerable no matter what the distance is. Yeah, that's good. I would say like believe the best about other people. Give everyone else the benefit of the doubt. And someone's going to take advantage of that and you have to let that go. Yeah. Someone's going to cut you off on the course because you left a little too much room and you have to, my opinion, not let that bother you. Correct. Because that won't bother them. Right. Right. They've already cut you off and they're moving on and they never are giving you a second thought. But if you let it bother you that they did that, yeah then you're going to get all worked up and all that stuff. We have to extend a lot of grace in this situation. I think because there's, depending on the race distance, there's 15,000 of us out there. Right. We're all trying to get to the same place. Mm-hmm. And run Disney runners are amazing. Let me say that too. yeah That like everybody's really kind and and generous and graceful and whatever, but it's just going to happen, especially in those bottlenecks when you're trying to get a proof of time off this race and you really want to get out of this bottleneck. you know what i mean? Yeah.
00:10:37
Speaker
You get a little irritated. Yeah. I do a hundred percent. And that's the whole reason I put it on the notes. Totally. Is because I've been there frustrated as can be. Yes. And you know what it got me? Nowhere.
00:10:48
Speaker
Right. Calm down, breathe. that I've even learned to pull myself off to the side, walk for 30 seconds, chill, let the whatever's happening, move on right and then go. Right. Absolutely. Okay. Great. Another thing is don't worry about the balloon ladies. We've talked about this, but run from a place of confidence, not fear. You've trained for this. You've got it. So like AJ says, I can, and I will.
00:11:12
Speaker
That's right. I think yeah running out of like a oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no. Like, yes, that might be a thing. Like you might be worried and maybe you've trained and your fastest mile is a 17 minute per mile thing. And I get that. Like you start doing the math, you're like, oh no, they are going to eventually catch up to me. If you've got any sort of room and buffer on there, like go with confidence. Right. Because that will motivate you beyond Yes. And anyone that's done run Disney race before will tell you that the morning of the race, like, I don't care what your fastest mile time has been. You're going to go faster. Like there's so much adrenaline and just the, the crowd, like you're going to, you're going to go faster. So yes I would say, um, you know, just run confidently, walk confidently, whatever it is that you're doing and, uh, you know, just do the best that you can do.
00:12:01
Speaker
Yeah. A hundred percent. Yeah. Okay. Um, this one might ruffle your
Prioritizing Kindness Over Perfection
00:12:05
Speaker
feathers. Um, I'm going to say this and you might not and like I'm saying you like a friends out there, you might not agree with me, but people aren't going to remember your Instagram photo, like that perfect thing that you got, but they are going to remember how you treated them.
00:12:19
Speaker
on the course at the expo on on the bus they they you can make a significantly positive impact on somebody's race experience by the way you treat them and this goes back to like the extending some grace and some kindness and a smile and all that stuff versus uh i was here first i i need to get my photo with this mile marker yeah like fighting for position on that or whatever yeah um i want you to get all the photos yeah i want to get my photos too right but people are really going to remember And even if they don't know your name, that's okay. They're going remember your kindness way more than they're gonna remember your Instagram post. to Your Instagram post is going to get a bunch of likes and then that's it. um And so that's not a knock on social media. That's just a treat people like people.
00:13:03
Speaker
That's right. um Another thing is that merchandise is not going to make you as happy as the experience of running or spectating will. So don't get caught up in the hype of all that. If something sells out before you have a chance to buy it, don't let it ruin your weekend. We've talked about the expo can be crazy. more stressful than the race. Right. um That is not really why you're there, right? You're there to run the race. So if you get the cool thing, that's awesome. And if not, don't let it ruin your weekend.
00:13:30
Speaker
Absolutely not. It it it just
Balancing Merchandise and Running Experience
00:13:32
Speaker
happens. like You just get caught up in it yeah and you have to do your best. I have to calm myself down every single race weekend. that like Nope, nope. yeah i don't It's not going to change my life if I get the correct this jacket. yeah You know what i mean? and I've trained for however long I've trained, 19 weeks, 29 weeks, whatever it is, to do this thing, prove to myself and whatever that I can do a hard thing. That's right. Not that I can be in line first to get a pin set.
00:13:56
Speaker
Right. Right. I think they're awesome. Yeah. So don't hear me say that the merchandise isn't cool. yeah. No, we love And you're me buying stuff. Yeah. Right? But the stress, ah I mean, there's so much stuff now sitting in in my closet. Yeah. yeah. That I love. Yeah. But i I got myself too worked up about it. It's not going to make you as happy as you think it will. That's right.
00:14:15
Speaker
Moving on. Here's a big one for me anyway, is whenever you get worked up or you're you know something's a struggle or whatever, i ask yourself why Yeah. Like pause, ask yourself, why am I doing this? Why do I feel this way? And then when you come up with some super lame answer, ask yourself, but why? But why?
00:14:36
Speaker
You know? Yep. And Erica and I do this to each other sometimes. I'll be like, you'll ask me or I'll ask you. It's like equal when it happens. like, okay, why you need it? You know what I mean? Why did that bother you? And yes, Erica, you know, she shoots me like a dagger look like, don't ask me that.
00:14:53
Speaker
You know, but like in a healthy way, we ask each other or we ask ourselves, why am I so worked up about this? This person cut me off on the course, right? Oh, what a jerk. Yeah. You know, why am I so upset about that? you know what I mean? And then really like process that. And when you really get down to it, like most of the time your why is not that big of a thing. Now, and now I realize sometimes you have a legit reason. Mm-hmm. You know what i mean? You have whatever, but like emotionally processing it instead of just lashing out, I guess is what I'm getting at yeah is ask yourself why this is such a big deal. and If you have a really good reason, fine. Yeah. But just don't, don't lose your mind right without really digging like two or three levels deeper on your why. Right. Does that make any sense? yeah
00:15:37
Speaker
Any comments on that before we move on to the next one? No, I think that's good. Yep. By the way, we learned that from our friend, Doreen. Doreen, that's right. Doreen is a great friend of ours. She does like incredible coaching, yeah you know what I mean? and On on you know personal growth, goal setting, all that, whatever. And she is the queen of, okay, but why?
00:15:55
Speaker
Yeah. When you think you have every answer, ask why
Health and Safety During the Marathon
00:15:57
Speaker
three or four more times. Yep. And then she looks into your soul right and says, okay, AJ, but why? right And you're like, I don't And you're like, I don't know. She's like, yes, you do. Let's talk about it. yeah she shell She'll drag that out you. So I'm giving Doreen the credit for that. Oh, yeah. That thing. We do it all the time now. We do.
00:16:18
Speaker
Sometimes you do stuff and you just doing it. Yeah. Instead of really what's the root of it. Right. oh Anyway. all right. Moving on. This next one is for y'all and for me. So if you have a medical reason not to keep going, make the wise decision to stop.
00:16:33
Speaker
I keep reminding myself, the goal here is to experience many more years of run Disney races. So in my case, I don't want to jeopardize the rest of this season or next year's race season just to finish marathon. So as tempting as it may be, if you have a medical reason why, if you you know know that you're causing further damage by continuing, just stop.
00:16:54
Speaker
Yeah, this is a really hard one because there's a fine line between being tough and being able to persist and whatever. Correct. And making a bad decision that's going to impact you on in the long term. Right. And so like, it's kind of a hard thing, but like, what's the wise decision to make?
00:17:10
Speaker
Right. Right now. Yeah. Right. um I've heard, ah you know, this idea of like, we know what's right and wrong and we know what's illegal legal and illegal. Right. Like, like, like you, some of those get misinterpreted, but generally speaking, you know what the wise thing to do is. like Correct.
00:17:26
Speaker
The right thing to do is like up for interpretation across people, you know what I mean? Like yeah depending on your growing up or whatever. But if you really ask yourself kind of that why and the why's, like what's the wisest thing for me to do right now? You might be able to come up with, okay, yeah, I am going to go another mile. Yeah. you know or you might say If I was giving some advice to someone, I would tell them to stop.
00:17:49
Speaker
You know, take it, take yourself out of it. What would you recommend to somebody? I was on my run today and I made the decision to to call it. Yeah. Right. I felt weird. Like yeah my body did not feel right. Yeah. And I made what I would say, what I would say to you. Yeah. I would say like, Erica, why are, why are you still going? Right. Well, because my training plan says I have to. Right. You know, like this is the thing. yeah I'm not a quitter.
00:18:14
Speaker
You what I mean Like all these like very positive things. Yes. Right. Yeah. But the wisest thing for me to do was to just say no. Yeah. The four miles isn't worth it. Whatever it was, the the few more miles were not worth it when I knew something wasn't feeling right. Right. Okay.
00:18:30
Speaker
So make the wise decision, especially when it comes to medical stuff. Yeah. Okay, moving on. ah No matter what race you're doing, this is a big one for the for
Celebrating Achievements, Big or Small
00:18:40
Speaker
the marathon weekend. All the challenge weekends have this as well, but it's a big one for this weekend. ah Celebrate your accomplishment and whatever race you're doing, right? So you're going to hear us, because we're doing the marathon, you're going to hear us talk a lot about marathon. But that's just in context of what we are doing. Right. so a lot of you are doing dopey or you're doing goofy, you know, which are the challenge ones and multiple races. Some of you are doing quotes. I'm doing quotes, just the half marathon. Right. And ah take all that out. Yeah. Like, like you're going to feel like you're not doing what everyone else is doing.
00:19:12
Speaker
If you're at like a, if you're doing the 10K or you're doing the half or you're doing just the marathon because you're not doing dopey or you're not doing goofy or whatever, you're going to get, it's going to happen. Right. Emotionally, you're going the corrals and the announcers are going to say from the stage, hey, where are all my dopey runners out there? Right. And they're all going to cheer.
00:19:31
Speaker
Yeah. You know what I mean? And you're going to be like, oh my gosh, I'm such a failure. you know? Yeah. Oh no. Yeah. And what I'm, what I'm saying to you right now is dopey runners. I am incredibly impressed. Yeah. Goofy runners.
00:19:42
Speaker
I've been there. I'm incredibly impressed. Marathon runners. I am really impressed that you're running 26.2 miles. Yeah. Half marathon runners. Hear me. I'm not kidding. I'm really impressed that you're running 13.1 miles, 10 runners, 6.2 miles is still a big deal. Absolutely. And if this is your first 5K or your first run Disney 5K or your first, and or even if it's not your first, it's your fastest 5K, enjoy that accomplishment because it is a big deal.
00:20:16
Speaker
We, AJ and Erica, are incredibly proud of what you're doing and you should be too. Don't let whatever else is happening and anybody else's race and and their thing yeah impact how you feel about what you're doing.
00:20:28
Speaker
That's right. Speaking of not letting people influence the way that you feel, and let's talk about the fact that people are going to complain in the Facebook groups. Oh, yeah. um We just want you to be aware of that fact and make the best choice for you. So if you feel like reading a bunch people's complaints are going to make you feel more frustrated and worked up,
00:20:49
Speaker
I give you example of ah the example of um runners on the left, walkers on the right. You will read a lot about that during this weekend. And you're talking about on race weekend. like Yes. If you're sitting in your resort room after the race, right the the groups are going to get flooded. Absolutely.
00:21:06
Speaker
You know what they're not going to get flooded with as much as like everybody's super positive experience? They're going to get flooded with everybody's like, can you believe? Absolutely. And so that's what you're saying. is being careful Yes. Be careful. don't you know If that's going to mess you up, like don't even go on Facebook i or skip over those posts. Yeah. I will go cautiously yeah to see like, was there anything that I missed that happened? And oh, cool. What a cool costume. And I didn't get to see that. And I enjoy seeing that kind of stuff. But I also go very careful and go right past the...
00:21:36
Speaker
can we talk about new runners who don't know etiquette, blah, blah, blah, blah. And it turns into like a rant and it doesn't help. yeah You know what i mean? yeah It just doesn't. Yeah. Right. So what we're saying there is sure, go on Facebook or Reddit or whatever. And and I do. Yeah. But I'm also very careful that it doesn't impact how I feel about my experience because I probably just had a great experience yeah or a neutral experience or maybe and I've had a bad race experience, right? yeah But like the place to air that out, in my opinion, is not on Facebook because it's not going me all of a sudden feel better. Right, right. um Anyway,
Maximizing Race Day Experience
00:22:10
Speaker
that's what you were saying. um Last kind of like mindset idea before we talk about some practical tips is this idea that I believe um that you should live in the moment, right? where Whatever that moment is.
00:22:21
Speaker
So if that's in the expo or in the corral or on the course, you paid a lot of money to do this. yeah ah You trained a lot to do this, which you didn't do all that work for and you didn't get up at two in the morning or whatever. You didn't do all that. so that you could play Candy Crush on your phone while you wait in the corral. My opinion is you did that for the Run Disney Experience, which is kind of like my Instagram comment a second ago, put the phone away yeah and just talk to somebody next to you. yeah Look up, notice everything on the course, at the expo, in the corral, it doesn't matter where you are. Notice all the things, right? Because you're gonna get home and wish you could be back there again. You'd give anything to be back in the corral.
00:23:06
Speaker
Like I would right now. I complain about how early it is. I love that hour in the corral. It's yeah so good. Right? And it's cold. Yeah. And it's, you know, it's it's a thing. But when you get home, you're going to miss it. Yeah. So don't don't waste it while you're there. Right. Whatever it is on the course, i don't you know all that, enjoy that moment. You paid for it. You trained for it.
00:23:29
Speaker
Great. That's all the mindset stuff, Erica. Coming up next on the note is like some more practical things, yeah like practical reminders. Some of this we've already said in the podcast over 20-something episodes or whatever. These are just like your ah your reminders, I guess, correct for some of Just a few practical things. You want to take the first one? Yes.
00:23:47
Speaker
Make sure you bring something to stay warm in the corral. So mylar, ponchos, arm sleeves, leg warmers, hand warmers, blankets from the Dollar Tree. Just something to stay warm.
00:23:59
Speaker
Yep. And we don't know the weather forecast. you know Well, I mean, it might say that it's going to be one thing, but you just don't know. Bring it. You're not going to know until the hour before you get out there. Bring it. you know And if you don't use it, you don't use it. That's right. if you I mean, if you bring some blankets and you toss them, they're going to get donated. That's right. right So just write that off as like, I had it in case I needed it. um We talked about having positive experience in the corral experiencing the moment.
00:24:23
Speaker
Be warm. like that That will create ah a positive experience. It sure will. For sure. Uh, another reminder is that idea that, you know carb loading, uh, is not just the night
Nutrition and Hydration Strategies
00:24:33
Speaker
before. If you're doing a long distance race, it's not just that, like, you know, big, huge plate of pasta 12 hours before your race. Um, depending on your race, you know, it needs to be extended out and and all that stuff, but start earlier in the week.
00:24:46
Speaker
Right. And we've talked about focusing on healthy carbs, right. And the things that, you know, your stomach can handle. So For us, it's whole grain bagels and breads, you know sweet potatoes, brown rice, in terms of like hydrating, like Gatorade, whatever, you like ah liquid IV works fine for me, you know like things like that. And that's like the week leading up, especially for you marathon, half marathon and challenge runners, yeah right? Like that stuff needs to not be like, Oh, hey, I have a race tomorrow. think I'm going to like load up. Like that's probably just going to mess you up. Yeah. And you know your body. So whatever you've been doing at home, do that. Just know that like carb loading is not, in my opinion. Oh, let me just do this now. Start to start leading up for that. Yeah.
00:25:29
Speaker
I don't think I realized like the importance of this when we did our first marathon. I did carb load the 24 hours before we ran, but then the next time that we did the marathon, I really focused on carb loading for like those six days before the marathon. yes And it was like a completely different experience. like Your body really does need all of that extra fuel to run off of. so Yeah. Yeah. It makes a big difference. Yeah. If you arrive squishy, you know, then you probably did it right. That's right. It's not great for photos and you feel a little, but but why you there? oh gosh. To run that race. Marathon dopey, you know, challenge run. You know, if you're doing a lot of miles, your body needs to burn it.
00:26:08
Speaker
That's right. know that's, that's, it's going to burn those
Music and Motivation for Runners
00:26:10
Speaker
carbs first. So, um, yeah. Yeah. So another tip that we have is to make a new playlist with your all-time favorites or download a special audio book or podcast that you've been really excited to listen to. And then have a plan for when you want to listen certain things. So for most of us, it's going to be a long time on the road. So come up with a fun way to space it out.
00:26:28
Speaker
Absolutely. I've got my go-tos, you know, and my backups whenever I've got AJ's perfect running playlist. That's correct. Yes. I have one of those as well. All my songs, you know, we talked about that a long time ago yeah in an episode of what we listened to. Um, I'll be honest. I mean, if you listen to our podcast while you're running the marathon, I'd be really, wow. I'm impressed that you like us enough. I don't listen to podcasts on the marathon course or whatever. I need some music, you know, or I'll take my head headphones out and I'll talk to you. know what mean? So yeah for me, my personality, whatever podcasts are not the marathon thing, you know, but if you want to, you know, you need your favorite podcast or whatever, you know, whatever it is, you need to have that queued up and ready to go. Absolutely. yeah Do that. i have um I have my playlist, but I have some go-to songs yeah when things aren't maybe going as well as I want. Yes. Or need to hit the NOS button, right send some like jet fuel through the injectors of my body and be like, dun, dun, dun. Imagine like the Rocky theme song. what I mean? Yes. I have a few tracks like that. Do you have tracks like that? do, yes. all right. So I'm to share mine. Okay. And you want to share share a couple? Sure, yes. Sure. Okay. So I've got a couple and and I'm just going to say right now, like these are most likely not on your, you've never heard these songs. Okay. And the reason is because these are like, um they're Christian rappers, right?
00:27:52
Speaker
so the Some of them are, yeah. Yeah. yeah Oh, I don't know about your list. I'm talking about mine. yeah so And what it is, is like, and I've talked about this before, I want all positive mindset stuff. I don't want to you know i don't want negative anything. I don't want to talk about drugs and violence whenever when I'm trying to do something really hard and accomplish a big thing. So it's very positive, right? So all the lyrics are positive, but it sounds like like ah Eminem, but it's not. You know what I mean? Like, anyway, so here's, here's a couple of suggestions. If you need, if you need to add a couple of things to your list, yes, feel free to add these. I can't play them on the podcast because of copyright, whatever, but there's this song and it's so cheesy. I'm just, I'm just saying it right now.
00:28:31
Speaker
The artwork on it's cheesy. The lyrics are kind of cheesy, whatever, like, like over the top, like a hype, you know, this song is called Thunderbolt. This song is awesome. It is also in my top three. It is like such a hype song. So Sam, how do you say his name? Do you remember? Sam Tanez. Tanez. And Tadashi. So Tadashi is a Christian rapper. So it's like a joint thing. Yeah. um This song, let me just say that when I ran the Atlanta 10 miler, I ran the Atlanta half. When I did, I got my PR race this time. I saved this song to the end. Right. yeah And the last mile, I listened to it twice. Oh, yeah. Okay. It's about a three minute song or whatever. And so, you know, about two for me when I'm going full speed about two minutes, you know, two times through. And this thing, I mean, I don't know how to describe it. I wish I could just play it right now. Right. It's like lyrically great. I'm a little cheesy, lyrically great. And then just the the ups and downs of it. Like, it's just so good. I don't even know how to how to tell you. yeah you don't have to be You don't have to believe in Christian music at all. Just go listen to this thing and you'll be like, oh, that's pretty good. Anyway, that's my Jet Fuel song. Yes. And I have on training runs and stuff like that when I'm just dying.
00:29:44
Speaker
And I can't. I just that can't. I put that thing on and it will it will break the mental fog for you real quick. Another one of mine is called Victory Lap. That's also a very good one. That's a good one. It's also a Tadashi song. So Victory Lap is great. And it's just got what I love about It's got that that running kind of like lyrical whatever. what mean? Like it's a Victory Lap, which is what we say about the... ah The race anyway. Yeah, that's right. It is that all the training was the hard part. Yeah. you know I mean? This is your celebration That's This is your victory lab. You're just, you know, whatever. Anyway, and then of course, lot of people know Andy Mineo, which is You Can't Stop Me. Also very good. Look, that's all you need right there. That's right. You can't stop me. And unfortunately, it goes against what I said about being kind. Kind on the course. Yeah. it It goes a little bit against that because when i when this song is on and there's like someone in my way,
00:30:36
Speaker
You know what I mean? I go around them on the left, you know, but you don't yell on your left. No, no. I just, I do. And I don't go on around on the rights because that's kind of rude. You know what right. But man, I'm, I'm telling you like whatever your top speed is, any of those three tracks right there, you could go at your top speed with yeah any, any three of those. Absolutely.
00:30:56
Speaker
All right. So there's, those are my three, like, uh, I need, I need just some, uh, extra hot sauce. Absolutely. mean What yours? Yeah. So I will say that I like different songs for different points in the race, no matter the distance. So I love all of those songs that you mentioned. Thunderbolt is also on my list. um But in addition to like the rap sort of music, which- They are pretty like hype, like like driving- Yeah. I mean, I've mentioned before, like Eminem, yes Lose Yourself, yeah Radio Edit. That sucker works. Yeah, like there's moments where I need that. And then there's moments where I need like fun, like I want to dance on the course sort of music. yeah um yes yes
00:31:35
Speaker
So some of those songs that I love, ah the first one's called Feel Good. That is by a group called Blessing Offer. um Also Goodbye Yesterday, which is by Elevation Worship. That is like gives me just an immediate boost of energy. right um But all the songs a j mentioned on his list, like i love all those.
00:31:52
Speaker
Yeah, and I totally agree with you. that they're ah You can't have driving you know songs a the whole time. Correct. Right? Yes. Like my playlist is very mixed of like ups and downs and whatever. And honestly, DuckTales, the theme song, is on my list. It's on all of my all my running lists. You know what mean? Because like sometimes you just need like fun, nostalgic, whatever. Yes. Because you can't push 100% of the time. A thousand what I mean? You need something fun or something that makes you smile or whatever. So yeah, yeah. But the your your top three is awesome. Thank you. Typically, I like to start with like fun, dancey kind of music. Yeah. And then after a while, I'll switch to like an audio book that I've been really like wanting to listen to. Yeah. um And then I need like.
00:32:34
Speaker
Some help. some Yeah. Then I need some like good beat rap like to get me going. Yeah. Then I kind of switch over into like the fun Disney classics or maybe like some 70s, like, I don't know, like just yeah just like some classics. And then I will end the race again with like the Tadashi and all the all of that, Minio, all that stuff. So yeah.
00:32:56
Speaker
yeah Yeah, that's awesome. So whatever you like to listen to, listen to that. Yeah. Right. But I think the point, and that was a long tangent, but like the point is have it ready. Yeah. You know, don't be trying to figure it out. no While you're on the course, have your playlist or playlists or whatever, queued up, ready to go. If you can do the download option, yeah that's good because sometimes on the course, like the cell service, because there's so many of us out there or something, like it can be a little wonky. So like yeah download it, have it ready, you know, all that stuff. Yeah. Great. That's good practical advice. The last practical thing I have to share, Erica, unless you have anything else, is don't forget to hydrate. Yeah. You know, like, and we've said this before, it's not just the night before, right? Right. And it's the week leading up. Yeah. And a big thing that we talk about is is hydrate and with electrolytes because you don't want to, you know, wash out all the sodium with just water, right? That's right. Yeah. You want to get those electrolytes Yeah. And I know that there's some ratio of not overdoing it or underdoing it, whatever. And I don't know the science behind it. So Google or chat GPT the answer to that one or talk to a professional about it. That's right. But the point is like, if you're not drinking ah water or electrolytes or something leading up to the race, like you're not really preparing your body. That's right. Very well, in my opinion. yeah Any other just, you know, we should say kind of things. Anything else like that where you're like, don't forget, you know, hey, we're we're a week out.
00:34:15
Speaker
Don't forget this. Or you got it. No, I don't think so. Don't forget to pack your shoes. Yeah. Easy. Yeah. AJ, don't forget to pack your toothbrush. Yeah. You said last week. I have forgotten it. You know what? You know my number one thing I forget to pack? What's that?
00:34:30
Speaker
On any trip. and And it's not every trip, but the number one thing I forget. Do you know what it is? Has it with your contacts, right? I forget my contacts. Yeah. yeah I don't know why. i mean, the number of times I've shown up right on a two or three day work trip with the contacts that are in my eyes. Yeah. And that's all I have. And you know what I end up doing is going to CVS, yeah buying, and you know how many times I've bought in the little to little bottles of yeah the little container that you put your contacts for $1.50 and $5 bottle of solution yeah that I don't need. It won't even bring home right because I can't put it in my carry-on or whatever. you know And then I try and make my contacts last for two days, right which is real good for your eyes, I think. yeah yeah So it was my number one thing I forget. oh god that's sure why So don't forget your important stuff. That's right. Great. Okay. So that's our that's our advice.
00:35:16
Speaker
I think the biggest thing there is, I don't know, that all of it was good. yeah There is no biggest thing. no All of it. Remember all of it. Or listen to this again next week. Okay. Erica, we usually talk about like our first and most recent experiences. Sometimes we talk about the good and the bad. We do our running it back section where we talk about if you could do something the same or different. So in the context of the marathon, can we cover a couple of those things? Yeah, totally. Just kind of you know, as we, you know barrel down on our next marathon. And obviously- Take this in context of whatever you're doing, but let's do our kind of first, first experience. yes Let's look back to our first marathon, which was a few years ago. Uh, any key things you learned from your first marathon or anything that will help you in this one? Yeah, absolutely. So I would say the biggest surprise for me is that you are going to experience so many more emotions than you think you will. um Like I just cannot stress that enough.
00:36:09
Speaker
um I distinctly remember the moment at mile 20 of our first marathon where I did not think I could go any further. Like I was like, I can't do this, AJ. I'm just done. um And then I remember the moment at mile 23 where I realized that we were actually going to finish. We are actually going to do this. 26 miles. That's right. And I just remember, like, I'll cry about it now, but just that um that moment that you realize that and that feeling of just like a wave of pride that comes over you. And then, of course, the tears. I was just, I i don't care who you are. you You will cry if it's your first marathon, I believe. Yeah. Especially running down Main Street, for sure.
00:36:48
Speaker
But just that sense of accomplishment and really freedom from fear that I experience. um My big takeaway was that I'm capable of so much more than I usually think I am. And I would say not just in running, but in life. And so if you can get in the right headspace, you can as well. You can do more than you think you're capable of. You learn a lot about yourself on the marathon course. Absolutely. It's so much more mental than physical.
00:37:12
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. it It's so much more mental and emotional. Yeah. Because in the training, it's hard. Yeah. But yeah I think you're really putting in the physical exertion there, you know, and and it is emotional too, but like something about being on the course, yeah it it hits you. i would I would say very along the same lines. My first experience, it was a roller coaster of emotions that I wasn't expecting. Yeah. Uh, for sure. Like your body goes through a lot, but so does everything else, you know? And yeah, you know, there's times where you're like trying to put one foot in front of the other and you're not sure, but then, you know, just the, I mean, I, I always picture that long stretch from the magic kingdom to animal kingdom. Yeah. You know, I always, it's like,
00:37:51
Speaker
You might as well just be in the desert, you know what I mean? With no end in sight. Yeah. You know, you died like yeah just imagine the Sahara Desert. I'm never going to get out of here. It's just, you just go through ups and downs. And then by the time you get to out of Animal Kingdom, you're like, I got this. Yes. yeah And then yeah start going up that stupid hill over by, ah towards Epcot and Hollywood Studios. And it's like so long, you know, and you're like, nevermind. We're not going to make it. You know, this is where I die. Yeah.
00:38:20
Speaker
And so, yes, I agree. Even for me, like someone might look and be like, oh, AJ loves to run. He's such a good runner. He has a fast time and whatever. It's still so up and down. It is, yeah. You go through a ton, which goes back to that idea of like ah you and other people are going to be vulnerable out there. Absolutely. You know, yes especially at the end. And I think about that like as i as I pass people near the end and as I get past people. near the end that like everybody's going through a lot. Yeah. Even if they're a great runner or the first, it doesn't really matter. Everyone's going through a lot at that time. So I totally agree with you. It's yeah the emotional, whatever is what I wasn't prepared for the first time. uh, you know, little more prepared yeah now having done it, but it's still, it's just crazy what you go through oh yeah over 26 miles. And I will say the same thing is true for a half marathon. Like even now when I do a half marathon, you still just go through a lot. Oh yeah. You know, it's a long way. Yeah. So, um, yeah, that'd be my only thought. And I'm, I'm kind of, you know, prepared, not prepared that I'm going to be perfect emotionally. I'm prepared that I'm going to have the emotions. Yeah. That's what I'm, what I'm saying there is like, no matter what, it's not that I'm saying, Oh, nope, I got, I'm, I'm going to hold it together this time. Right. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying, Nope, it's going to happen. And that's okay.
00:39:35
Speaker
Yeah, totally. Whatever it is. I mean, last week with rise and run or two weeks ago, Bob said like, what did he say? It's his 14th time. he said He's been on main street 16, 16, 17, but he said like every time he chokes back tears, like, I don't care who you are. You can be like the most stoic person in the world. Like when you experience that long distance for the first time um or anytime, anytime it's, it's emotional. Yeah.
00:39:59
Speaker
Yeah. For sure. So be prepared for that. Yeah, totally. um Running it back, is there anything you would do the same or different? So kind of the same idea, like we're still talking about the marathon, but is there anything that you would say, I'm doing this again, or I'm not doing this again, or I want to change the way I do it? Like anything?
00:40:14
Speaker
Yeah. I would say just try to enjoy it. There are going to be a lot of nerves going on that morning, but just do your best to trust your training and take in what's happening around you. Don't fly by it all too fast. Just enjoy the mile that you're running in at that moment. Yeah, 100%. I think, um you know, so for me personally, like something that's sort of taken the um the edge off of the runs at Disney, if you will, is doing a local race. i'm Every Disney race that I had done before we did local races, I just was like, oh my gosh, I've got to run as fast as I can. I've got to try to PR. yeah I don't know where that came from. But um I think it was like once we did that local race, that's sort of what took the edge off for me. um And so I would say just enjoy
00:40:56
Speaker
Enjoy the mile that you're running at that moment. Don't try to get to the end too quickly. I've said it a bunch times. You paid a lot and you trained a lot and whatever for this, and you're going to want to be back here. So don't wish it away too fast. That's right. And if you are, for whatever reason, I've done it. I've PR'd one of these races, yeah you know what mean, at Disney. yeah And I will say now I regret it.
00:41:16
Speaker
You know what i mean? There are flat courses and it is really great to say, wow, look at my time on a Disney race. Like, yeah, yeah sure. That is If that's your goal, knock it out.
Savoring the Disney Marathon Experience
00:41:25
Speaker
Right. Crush it. Right. Yeah. But gosh, you spent a lot of time dreaming this up. Yeah. And you're going to want to be back there. Yeah. And you're going to be sitting at registration next year just clamoring to get in because of how it feels to be there. Yeah. So enjoy it while you're there. Don't wish it away. That's right. You can be stressed at a local run. You want to have fun at Disney. A hundred percent. Yeah. And we could, I mean, I don't care. Go on race, sign up, run, sign up.com or whatever and sign up for any race that you want to run fast. Right. Yes. You know, like knock that out. Yeah. You know what Do that somewhere else. Yeah. Experience the magic of Disney. That's right. Experience it. That's right. Yeah.
00:42:04
Speaker
By the way, we're not salespeople for run Disney. Although they should be giving us a commission based off how many times we say it's magical. You know what mean? Oh, man. Okay, great. um So that's all the things related to Marathon Weekend. Yep. You want to talk about some just training updates? Yes. Just kind of where we're at, you know, all that. We'll wrap this episode up and then that'll be it. Like literally, we will be at Marathon Weekend in a week. Yes. Oh, I just hit my microphone. We'll be there in a week. We do have an episode next week, but but yeah, this, I mean- We're not going to be giving any more advice at this point. That's right. know what I mean? This is, we're wrapping it up. So training stuff. You want to go first? You want me to go first? Tell me how you want to play this.
00:42:42
Speaker
um I'll go first. Okay, go. So do you see what I have here, AJ? Two regular shoes oh for anybody that's watching. Impressive. um This is very impressive because it's been a month that I've been in some form of a boot and I could not wear a regular shoe until yesterday. Wow. So I'm super excited that I'm wearing two regular shoes and I actually went out and went for a speed walk. Okay. Today, yep which was exciting. um Can I give context for anybody that's brand new? Erica broke her toes. ah Yes. Multiple toes and her big toe was the problem. The big one,
Erica's Recovery and Marathon Hopes
00:43:19
Speaker
yeah. Thanksgiving. So that was 30 days ago something like that. So just for context, if you're like, okay, so what? She's wearing shoes. Right. Right, yes. Congratulations. Yes, yes. For context, if you didn't know that, it right it it derailed your marathon training. So for anyone that didn't know that, that's it. So you went for a speed walk today. Yes, I went for speed walk. It went really great. yeah It took a minute to like walk normal to try to not compensate. um But once I got into it, it was good. And um I'm very excited. i had originally thought that I would just try to make it through Epcot yeah um and then put myself on the bus. But with how well things went um today, as long as things continue to go well, and i've been doing the bike a good bit now, yeah hopefully i I would love to be able to walk Main Street and take a picture at the castle yeah and then and then put myself on the bus. Okay. So we'll see what happens. I'm going to listen to the advice that I just gave people on this podcast about making a smart choice. yes um But as long as it's not um causing any further pain or damage, I would like to try to get to the castle. So I'm very encouraged going into marathon weekend. Good. Tell me how your training is going.
00:44:24
Speaker
ah Training is done at this point. Yes. Right. um But I had one less long run and it didn't go very good. I'm sorry. It's okay. I'm not boo-hoo as me. right like i mean I believe I'm going to be able to finish the marathon. Yeah. That's not the issue. You just don't like to have bad runs. Yeah. You know, where you just don't feel good. i don't feel sick or anything like that. I just, I didn't have much to give. My body felt just a little off. My foot felt a little weird, you know? And so I just, I really did just have to call it, you know, like, nope, you know, and that now this close to marathon, it's not like, call it, I'll do it again tomorrow or in a couple of days. Right. It's done now. You know what mean? Like in my opinion, I think my body has said to me, i don't know if I'm right, interpreting it right. My body has said to me, you're done for now. Rest. I think you're interpreting it correctly because you've been running pretty much every day for like the last five days. So. Yeah, know. It's a problem. I like to run. i That's great. I'm glad you love to run. All I'm saying is you are fully prepared.
00:45:28
Speaker
Yes. I believe that too. yes You just don't like to have a bad run. Right. No. You know, like nobody nobody enjoys that. Well, you know, it's good for you to have a bad run every once in a while. So you know how the rest of us feel. Yeah, right. Yeah, right.
00:45:41
Speaker
Awesome. Okay, cool. I don't have any other thoughts or anything like that. I'm super excited and ready for marathon weekend. It's exactly a week away. yeah We'll be arriving. We'll be coming in Thursday night. So those of you that arrive on Wednesday, we won't get see you at the expo and all that on Wednesday, but we are excited to see you at marathon. yeah So just a reminder, if you see us, you don't have to, but if you see us, come say hi. Like we, we, you know, not because we want to be like, Oh, guess how many people recognized us? not an zero Zero percent interest in that. We want to encourage you. That's it. yeah That's a hundred percent. it So we're super excited to see you at marathon weekend and we will do that next week.
00:46:18
Speaker
Thanks for joining us for this episode of one more run the podcast. If you like what we're up to, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram.
00:46:30
Speaker
You can find links to all of that at aging and Erica.com.