runDisney Schedule 2024-2025

Hi runners! It’s been a minute. I just finished up my very busy season at work, and between that and training for Dopey, I haven’t had much time for writing. There has been a lot of news that’s come out in recent weeks. I decided to combine it all into a single post with all the important dates happening in the next season. Some of the 2025 races haven’t been confirmed yet, and I will at Proof-of-Time deadlines as they become available.

For informational purposes only, all dates & events subject to change.

Downloadable version below.

January, 2024

• January 3, 2024 - WDW Marathon Weekend – Expo Opens
• January 4, 2024 – WDW Marathon Weekend – 5K
• January 5, 2024 – WDW Marathon Weekend – 10K
• January 6, 2024 - WDW Marathon Weekend – Half Marathon
• January 7, 2024 - WDW Marathon Weekend – Marathon
• January 11, 2024 - Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend – Expo Opens
• January 11, 2024 - Disneyland – Yoga
• January 12, 2024 – Disneyland – 5K
• January 13, 2024 – Disneyland – 10K
• January 13, 2024 – Dinseyland Kids’ Races
• January 14, 2024 - Disneyland – Half Marathon

February, 2024

• February 6, 2024 - Club runDisney Gold/Platinum Registration – Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend
• February 13, 2024 - General Registration – Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend
• February 22, 2024 - Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend – Expo Opens
• February 23, 2024 - Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend -5K
• February 24 2024 - Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend -10K
• February 25 2024 - Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend – Half Marathon
• February 26 2024 - Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend – Yoga

March, 2024

• March 5, 2024 – Club runDisney Gold/Platinum Registration – Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend
• March 12, 2024 – General Registration – Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend
• March 26, 2024 - General Registration – Summer Virtual Series

April, 2024

• April 2, 2024 – Club runDisney Gold/Platinum Registration – 2025 WDW Marathon Weekend
• April 9, 2024 - General Registration – 2025 WDW Marathon Weekend
• April 18, 2024 – Springtime Surprise Weekend – Expo Opens
• April 18, 2024 – Springtime Surprise – Yoga
• April 19, 2024 – Springtime Surprise –  Neverland 5K
• April 20, 2024 Springtime Surprise –  Adventure is Out There 10K
• April 2, 2024 – Springtime Surprise – Hakuna Matata 10-Miler
• April 2, 2024 – Springtime Surprise – Splash

June, 2024

• June 1, 2024 – runDisney Summer Virtual Series opens
• June 11, 2024 – Club runDisney Gold/Platinum Registration – 2025 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend
• June 18, 2024 – General Registration – 2025 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend

July, 2024

• July 9, 2024 – General Registration – 12Ks of Christmas Virtual
• July 23, 2024 – Club runDisney Gold/Platinum Registration – 2025 Princess Half Marathon Weekend
• July 3, 2024 – General Registration – Princess Half Marathon Weekend

August, 2024

• August 20, 2024 – Club runDisney Gold/Platinum Registration – 2025 Springtime Surprise Weekend
• August 27, 2024 – General Registration – 2025 Springtime Surprise Weekend

September, 2024

• September 5, 2024 – (unconfirmed) Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend – Expo Opens
• September 6, 2024 – (unconfirmed) Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend – 5K
• September 7, 2024 – (unconfirmed) Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend – 10K
• September 8, 2024 – (unconfirmed) Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend – Half Marathon

October, 2024

• October 31, 2024 – (unconfirmed) Wine & Dine – Expo Opens

November, 2024

• November 1, 2024 – (unconfirmed) Wine & Dine – 5K
• November 2, 2024 – (unconfirmed) Wine & Dine – 10K
• November 3, 2024 – (unconfirmed) Wine & Dine – Half Marathon
• November 3, 2024 – (unconfirmed) Wine & Dine – Post-Racy Party

December, 2024

• December 1, 2024 – Virtual 12Ks of Christmas opens

January, 2025

• January 8, 2025 – (unconfirmed) WDW Marathon Weekend – Expo Opens
• January 9, 2025 – (unconfirmed) WDW Marathon Weekend – 5K
• January 10, 2025 – (unconfirmed) WDW Marathon Weekend – 10K
• January 11, 2025 – (unconfirmed) WDW Marathon Weekend – Half Marathon
• January 12, 2025 – (unconfirmed) WDW Marathon Weekend –  Marathon
• January 30, 2025 – (unconfirmed) Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend – Expo Opens
• January 31, 2025 – (unconfirmed) Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend – 5K

February, 2025

• February 1, 2025 – (unconfirmed) Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend – 10K
• February 2, 2025 – (unconfirmed) Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend – Half Marathon
• February 20, 2025 – (unconfirmed) Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend – Expo Opens
• February 21, 2025 – (unconfirmed) Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend -5K
• February 22, 2025 – (unconfirmed) Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend -10K
• February 23, 2025 – (unconfirmed) Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend – Half Marathon
• February 24, 2025 – (unconfirmed) Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend – Yoga

April, 2025

• April 3 2025, – (unconfirmed) Springtime Surprise – Expo Opens
• April 4 2025, – (unconfirmed) Springtime Surprise – 5K
• April 5 2025, – (unconfirmed) Springtime Surprise -10K
• April 6 2025, – (unconfirmed) Springtime Surprise – Half Marathon

rundisney-24-25-scheduleDownload

Reflections on Wine & Dine Weekend 2024

It’s hard to believe a week has passed since Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend already. I’ve been quietly trying to recover from all the weekend’s activities and only just now mustered up the strength to write about it.

Sunrise over the World Showcase

The weather was close to perfect, and it was an awesome weekend for racing, park-hopping and connecting with all my runDisney family. This weekend was extra special for me as my 14-year-old daughter begrudgingly agreed to run the 5k with me for 2 reasons: 1. Alice in Wonderland is her all-time obsession and 2. It would get her out of school for four days.

The Expo merchandise sale was the usual feeding frenzy of desperate people grabbing any and all merch they could get their hands on. I only collect pins, so I am usually in and out pretty quickly. There is a 125% chance that you will hear people will complaining about merchandise availability at the expo, and I understand why. The reality is that Disney doesn’t want to be stuck with a bunch of merchandise that doesn’t sell, so they only manufacture fairly limited quantities of everything.

There are always gripes about resellers and non-runners buying merch, but I am not convinced this is actually true. As a Gold Club runDisney member, I get early access to shopping. I was in the Advent Health Arena at 9:00 a.m. and items (notably the challenge medal pins) were already gone. It seems they only had enough for the pre-orders, so everyone else was out of luck.

Personally, I am a bit leery of the pre-orders. My understanding is that if for some reason you don’t show up, you forfeit the merchandise, and no one else can pick it up for you. Of course everyone always plans on being at the expo, but when you register and purchase 9 months ahead of time, there are too many variables at play to make it a sure thing. The other issue with pre-orders is that Annual Passholders don’t automatically get a discount. I have heard that you can return and immediately re-buy the merch to get the discount, but I have not personally tested this and, TBH it sounds like a hassle.

Costume Guidelines have been the subject of much (deserved) brou-ha-ha over the last couple of months. For those of you joining our program in progress, the costuming rules were reinforced for this season, and a lot of drama ensued. The biggest concerns being no “layered” costumes, no big structures that could cause a safety hazard, no hooped ball gowns or costumes that don’t “follow the natural contour of the body”.

In a bit of a panic, I hacked about 2 feet off the bottom of my beloved Belle costume (did I mention that I can’t really sew?) and then observed what people were wearing very closely. I have a few layers planned for January’s marathon, and a (costume) 19th-century dress I would hate to disfigure. Well guess what… I saw all of the following make it past the costume police:

• Full-length capes (an explicit no-no, and Edna Mode is seething)
• A full-body churro
• Numerous floor-length dresses

So, long-story short, I’m not worried about the rest of my costumes this season, and at least this past weekend, the expected costume carnage didn’t happen.

The races were awesome as expected, and I personally don’t have too many complaints. Although the course of the half-marathon was frankly a bit boring after mile 6 or so, the crowding issues that plagued last year’s course were significantly mitigated.

The People – oh my goodess! Every single time I go to a runDisney event I know instinctively that I am with my tribe! These are the people who unabashedly bust out into song! In stereo! These are the people who are not afraid to show their playful hearts to the world. I salute you! I got a chance to briefly say hello to so many runDisney friends, including Raj Hope Running, Puppet Runner, Jogging Jack Sparrow, DW Burge, and so many more.

The After-Party – Yes, it was fun, but I was a bit underwhelmed. Last year I went early, which I learned was a big mistake. In my sophomoric wisdom, I got to Epcot around 7:30 this year. I knew I wanted the special limited edition pin that would only be available at 8:00, so I slowly moseyed to the Creations Shop around that time and wandered around trying to figure out where the pin was. Something felt off – I was expecting a lot more people.

This is the pin that caused all the drama

Unlucky for me, I had picked the wrong door, and was nowhere nearly aggressive enough at asking a cast member where the pin was. I finally got the info and headed out the side door near Test Track to find the line. And, well, oops. There was the line, snaking around outside of the door, and then wrapping around the building. WAY around the building. Headed back towards World Showcase. I walked and walked, desperately hoping to spy the end of the line. When I finally found it, my spirits sank. It wasn’t too long before a cast member came by to tell us there were only 500 pins, and being in line was no guarantee that we would get one. WHAT? ONLY 500? If someone would have told me that before, I totally would have planned my evening differently. Looking at the vast swath of people in front of me, I was not too hopeful I’d get the pin.

But, I persevered. Maybe 20 minutes after sales started, a cast member came by counting people on his cell phone. As he passed me, I peeked and saw the number was 358. So… I had a chance, but since everyone in line had the opportunity to buy 2 pins, again there was no guarantee, and I was kind of nervous. We inched closer to the front, and then the line stopped. I was sure they were out of pins, about 10 people in front of us. And then, miraculously, the line started moving again. We were handed tickets… I got 342. The ticket gave me the right to purchase a pin! Hooray, my perseverence paid off! Just like during the races, it would have been so easy to quit. But in the end, sticking to the plan was the right path.

The rest of the after party so with pin in hand I was ready to “party”. OK… really.. I am 52, have had about 5 hours of sleep in the last 3 days, and just run races 3 days in a row. Oh yeah, and when I wasn’t running, I was at the parks, like from rope drop to very late in the day. I was toast. Like multi-grain toast that went through the cycle twice.

The after-party is billed as a chance to get on Epcot attractions with short waits. Well. Not sure I agree with that assessment. I really wanted to ride Guardians of the Galaxy. I read comments from last year’s after party that said they rode 3 times with almost no wait at the end of the night. Either this year was totally different, or that was a complete lie. My daughter and I went back to Guardians around midnight (after giving up earlier) and the line was an hour and 15 minutes long. We waited about 40 min for Test Track at the start of the night (I usually do single rider line in about 10) and probably waited 35 min for Soarin’ over California. I think the “short lines” story is a bit of a marketing job.

I’d love to give Soarin’ some props for just a second. I was a cast member in the College Program in 1992. Soarin’ Over California was the new thing at Epcot at the time, and I loved it. I also loved Soarin’ Around the World when it was released, but I did miss its predecessor a bit. As part of the Disney 100 celebration, Soarin’ Over California is back until the end of the year (if rumors can be trusted).

Soarin’ Over California is a bit older and less sophisitcated than Soarin’ Around the World. But. It’s beautiful. I was so happy to see that show again, with it’s unique smells and images. I was so happy to share it with my daughter. It was like seeing an old friend. One I am not sure I will see again. Thank you, Disney Parks for reuniting me with this happy memory.

The other big billing of the after-party was the special cocktail in a light-up glass, the “Wonderland Potion”. Cool. Well, lines were long early in the night, so I figured I’d grab one after Soarin’. It was about 11:30 and the party had officially started at 10. Already, the first location had sold out of the drink, so I walked some more. The second location had sold out. I left my daughter in line for escargot and walked to the next place, and the next, where they finally admitted the drink had already sold out park-wide. Boo. Kind of like my concern with the pins, if there are only 1,500 of the cocktails available (that was the post-mortem rumor) , PLEASE tell me ahead of time so I can plan! I would have grabbed one of those bad boys to enjoy while I was standing in line for my pin.

So there are my many two cents on the weekend. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. Now – I have MUCH training to do before Marathon weekend… so gotta run!

Winding up for Wine & Dine 2023

We’re only two weeks out from the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend! If you’re headed to Orlando it’s time to start your checklist! There’s a lot that’s the same about this year’s event but there are a few updates to share, so I’ll focus on what’s new for Wine & Dine 2023:

Course maps have been released. They have been published in the Virtual Expo. They are not terribly different from courses in the past, so I will spare you the detailed commentary. What I am foreseeing, looking at the Half Marathon map is a massive bottleneck between the Boardwalk and Hollywood Studios between miles 3 and 4. Best to just plan on walking this stretch and making some new friends!

Costume Guidelines have been updated (and are the source of much controversy and angst). An initial, and very vague email was sent to runners, but fortunately has recently been clarified. I know that the new guidelines are in the interest of safety, but I have to admit that I am disappointed that we may not be treated to some of the extravagant get-ups we’ve seen in the past.

Here’s what runDisney has to say about costumes (from an email dated 10/18):

• Layered costumes,  such as ball gowns, hoop skirts, those that have an infrastructure with metal components or hard edges, costumes that do not follow the natural contour of the human body, and/or. costumes that could conceal prohibited items are not permitted.
• Layered clothing, including tutus over running shorts, cold-weather gear such as sweatshirts or sweatpants, and clothing that follows the natural contour of the body are permitted unless they present a safety hazard (e.g. dragging on the ground). 
• Costume or large props including, without limitation, those that surround the entire body (e.g. cardboard, plastic or other wearable costumes with hard edges, such as a house from Disney-Pixar’s Up), those that are inflatable, or those that physically connect multiple participants to each other are not permitted.
• Small, inflatable or soft-bodied, handheld props (e.g. an inflatable Toy Story ball) are permitted.  Foam swords and all-plastic lightsabers may be permitted, however, they may not exceed 36″ in length.

Now I think there’s a whole lot of grey area between what’s a “costume” and what is “clothing”. Ultimately it will be up to the volunteers to decide what will and won’t fly that day. My suggestion is that you have a backup plan if you get flagged for a costume. That is, make sure you’re wearing something you can run in (publicly!) under your costume if you need to ditch your creation. Looks like I need to pull out the sewing machine and see if I can hack a few yards of material off my “ball gowns”.

Bling Honestly there’s too much to cover in this post between medals and merch! I’ll cover these later this week!

Epcot at Night

After-Party The much-awaited after party takes place at Epcot the evenig after the Half Marathon on November 5. It’s a ticketed event, and in true runDisney style is sold out. All Half Marathon runners should have received a hard ticket in the mail by now. They come in plain white envelopes and are pretty easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. If you purchased an extra ticket at the time of registration, your ticket came in an email with your confirmation. You may need to scroll waaaay back in your email to find it.

So, as with all sold-out events, there is a scramble for party tickets on the secondary market. People are selling tickets on the various runDisney Facebook marketplaces from face value ($105) up to about $120. For what you get at the party, I’d really think carefully about how much I am willing to spend, especially if you want to snag multiple tickets.

Party Ticket

Although a letter mailed with the tickets said that you must bring the hard ticket with you, I’m doubting they will enforce that if you have the ticket linked to the My Disney Experience app. I haven’t done this myself yet, but I have heard that linked party tickets are showing up in the app as “magic bands”. I think once a ticket is linked it becomes much more difficult, if not impossible, to transfer to another person. So my advice is to wait to the last minute to link your tickets to your profile, just in case you have the need to sell/transfer.

If you lost or never received your ticket, you can go to the box office at the Advent Health Arena during the expo to get a replacement. Heads up that this might be a difficult process. Last year I had to do this for a friend with a Canadian address, and I wasn’t sure they were actually going to give it to us, although we eventually did get the missing ticket.

Sheila E

So what do you get at the afterparty?

• Early entry to Epcot at 5:00 p.m. I did this last year and I totally regret it. I’ve never seen Epcot so crowded, and it wasn’t very much fun
• The private party that starts at 10:00 p.m. and goes till 1:00 a.m. I was so tired I barely made it to 10:00 last year, but by 9:00, the park started clearing out and crowds were more manageable
• Many attractions (including Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind!) with much shorter wait times than normal
• Character meet-and-greets
• Epcot International Food and Wine Festival food booths. Half Marathon runners will get a $15 gift card shortly before the race, but other than that, bring your money cause none of it is free 😦
• There has not been any mention of a special concert at the after-party (boo!) but if they do announce one, I am putting my money on the artist being Sheila E, who will be performing November 5 & 6 at the Eat to the Beat Concert Series. If you have your heart set on hearing her, DO get to Epcot early as she has shows scheduled at 5:30, 6:45 and 8:00.

So there’s lots more, but too much to cover here! Got questions? Drop me a comment! Want to meet up during race weekend? Drop me a comment! Have more info? Drop me a comment! I can’t wait to see you all in Orlando!

A Soggy Slog: Sunday Run-day was anything but

Looking at the calendar, I think a lot of us are starting to feel a little anxiety about upcoming races, and this year’s Dopey Challenge has me squirming a little. I have precious few outdoor long run opportunities between now and then. Even though Dopey is months away, my work schedule rachets up to insane levels during the fall, including weekends. If that weren’t enough to deal with, the weather is going to take a turn that excludes this cold-phobe from communing with nature very soon.

Two weeks ago was my less-than-satisfactory half marathon, and last weekend I took off to… well.. go ride Tron. I think it was worth it, but I missed a week of training to feed my Disney addiction. So I was quite anxious to get out today for a REALLY long run, to try to make up for not running last week. I often bite off more than I can chew planning long runs, and today was one of those days.

My nutrition has been good all week and I hopped to bed early in high hopes of getting at it bright and early. Then I checked the forecast….rain, rain, rain. I felt a little defated and resigned myself to running on the treadmill. Boooo. When I got up, I took my time and putzed around a little. Just before heading to the basement I decided to confirm the weather. No rain, at least not yet.

I quickly pivoted my plans and decided to head out to my trail. Who knows when I’ll get to do a long run outside again. I had everything in place: fuel, water, electrolytes, sports beans, and my latest experiment, pickle juice.

All was well at the start, but as I got up to mile 2, I just was not feeling it. At all. Maybe it was some new medication I am taking, or maybe it was a bad roll of the dice, but I knew my planned 16 miles was totally out of my grasp. I was thinking about the drizzle, and how awful it was that time I was 10 miles away from my car in a downpour, so I decided to walk. I could have turned back, but that would really have felt like defeat. So instead I used my much more relaxed pace to do something I rarely make time for: taking some pictures on my beautiful rail trail.

I really am lucky to have such a beautiful place to train. Mostly in the woods, on a well-packed dirt trail. It’s pretty ideal. I know every tree, and have names for all my landmarks like “The Mile Tree”, “The Cliffs of Coldness”, and “Whale’s Back”, and “Tail of a Whale”, to name a few. I often think about how the trail was constructed. In some places it’s elevated maybe 100 feet from the landscape below, built with unfathomable volumes of dirt moved in from somewhere else, at a time when most of it would have been done manually. In some places, you can see the old bones of the railroad ties resting in peace under a blanket of moss. I’m so glad that this trail is still enjoyed today by so many enthusiastic runners, bikers, and dog-walkers. It’s always really well-maintained, with washouts patched up regularly. If trees come down during storms, they are always removed within hours… people love the trail and everyone pitches in to keep it in top shape.

I hit my turn-around point and was feeling a bit more energetic and decided to start running again. I knocked my intervals way down to 30-second runs and headed back, arriving at my car just before the rain started for real. In the end I managed about 11 miles, more walking than running. But 11-miles walking is still way better than 0 miles on the couch. It wasn’t what I hoped for, but I am Dopey, and I don’t give up! Running when you don’t feel like it is hard, but it still counts. It’s the kind of stuff that grit is made of.

Medal Monday: You Can’t Win ‘Em All

This post is served up with a big slice of humble pie. Now I want to be clear here – winning a race has never crossed my mind. My idea of a win is just to not be last, and I had a really close call at this weekend’s Surftown Half Marathon in Westerly, RI. I was trained enough, but this beach-front run was under a heavy and perpetual veil of fog. Temperatures were reasonable for the 7:30 a.m. start, but the 95% humidity was a relentless and perpetual opponent. It was a lot like running in Florida, actually!

I had run 13.1 miles the weekend before in much better conditions. The shorter running intervals I had chosen for that run had me finishing 7 minutes over the 3-hour course limit, so I elected to extend my running intervals for the race. Everything started off great, and I was well ahead of the pace I needed to finish on time. But there were more hills than promised and the heat & humidity were just relentless. Water stops seemed few and far between, and I had chosen to rely on official water stops for hydration and nutrition. I may rethink that strategy in the future.

Even so, I generally enjoyed the course, winding through upscale neighborhoods (was that Taylor Swift’s house????) that smelled like money, roses, and the ocean. I walked a few of the hills and started to hit the wall around mile 11. That’s when the course was red-flagged for hazardous contitions, which I assume was due to the humitity. Trudging on towards the finish line everything from my knees down cramped up somewhere in mile 12. I had the will and the energy to run to the finish, but my legs and feet were just screaming, “not today, Minnie Mouse!”

The 3-hour pacers passed me as the finish line was in sight, and I hobbled over the finish line about 80 seconds later, just shy of my goal, but still good enough for a medal. Heck, I wasn’t even dead last, but it was a distinct possibility.

I paced around the finish area trying to get my legs to settle down and dealing with some nausea. I finally got a banana into me and started feeling better. Was in my best race? No way. Did I learn stuff? You bet. Was it good practice for running in Florida? Definitely. Was my confidence shaken a bit for my full marathon in January? Yep, it a healthy way. Will I do it again in 2 weeks? Probably, cause I am crazy like that.

Not every race can be your best race, it just can’t. But the crappy ones are the real motivators, and the best opportunities to learn. Happy training everyone! And with that I’m off to Orlando for a couple days of R&R!

Why I love the Jeff Galloway Run-Walk-Run Method

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about what it means to run a marathon. For sure I was among those who thought that a finish “didn’t count” if it involved any non-running steps. My very first half marathon (actually my first-ever race) was a bit of a nightmare. I was completely undertrained, and it was cold and pouring rain the whole time. And I was convinced I had to run it all. Somehow I dragged myself across the finish line “running” at the pace of Flash the sloth from Zootopia, but it was quite a while before I wanted to put any running shoes on my feet again. But I was not yet enlightened.

A few years later I ran my first marathon. I ran until I couldn’t run anymore, and then I walked for miles. Also not very fun. And I was still not enlightened. And I did it again. Now I did happen to notice that time that runners were using (rather annoying) timers that beeped a whole lot, but I wasn’t sure what to make of them. For sure, I thought anyone I saw walking in the first mile of the race was doomed. The third time I went for the Disney Marathon, I got this wild idea to actually do a training program. I download a bunch of materials from the runDisney website, and I was introduced to the Jeff Galloway method.

Me & Jeff Galloway, Wine & Dine 2022

Now there’s much more to this program than I can cover in this post, so I recommend you go straight to the source for all the sweaty details and learn all you can at jeffgalloway.com. The core of the program is simple, by breaking your run into short run-walk-run intervals, you conserve your strength and last longer during a race.

Now I was super skeptical. How can you possibly finish a marathon within the time limit with so much walking going on? Well, guess what – that energy you conserve during the walk intervals helps you to run faster during the run intervals than you would be running if you didn’t take the walk breaks… it all evens out. Most runners I know who have switched to these types of intervals end up with similar times for runs with no intervals. But guess what… at the end of the run, you’re in much better shape than you would be if you ran the whole distance, and the whole experience is so much more enjoyable.

At my age and weight, I’m not sure that I could complete a marathon if I tried to run the entire way. But guess what, I don’t have to do that! This method has afforded me years of long-distance running that I don’t think I would have had otherwise. I’m still in the game, and I have Jeff Galloway to thank for that.

For sure I made plenty of mistakes, mostly by keeping my run intervals too long. Once I finally read all the materials on Jeff’s website, I realized that my run intervals should be 90-seconds or less. It’s only the elite runners that run for 4 or 5 minutes at a time, like I was attempting. Total gamechanger for me to find the right intervals. It’s definitely OK to try out different intervals while you’re training, or even during a race. You can make it what your body needs in the moment.

The only thing you really need (other than to read through his training plans) is a way to time the intervals. For years I looked at my watch a lot and did a lot of math. When I discovered I could program my Garmin watch to buzz at me for various intervals, it was such a blessing. I’m not sure how I missed out on that fetaure before. I think most sports smartwatches will do this – for me it’s a must-have feature. If you don’t have access to an interval timer on your watch, for sure there are lots of free interval timer apps on the web that will do the same thing.

There’s lots more to the Galloway Method – go check out his website! Have you run the Galloway Method? If you’re a fan or not, I’d love to hear about your experience. Drop a comment!

Big Reveals at runDisney – Springtime Surpise Themes and Marathon Weekend Medals

There was lots of news from runDisney this week. Probably most anticipated was the final reveal of all themes for the 2023 Springtime Surprise Weekend. We’ve known for a while that the Challenge theme was Stitch’s ‘Ohana Challenge, and now we know that the weekend theme is Embrace the Adventure. Without further ado, here are the rest of the themes. (Congrats to everyone who correctly guessed based on the teaser art released earlier!)

Neverland 5K

Friday, April 19, 2024

5:00 a.m.

$108

Tinkerbell fans, rejoice!!!

Adventure is Out There 10K

Saturday, April 20, 2024

5:00 a.m.

$151

Up! Is finally getting it’s runDisney moment

Hakuna Matata 10-Miler

Sunday, April 21, 2024

5:00 a.m.

$212

Race through the Pride Lands!

Stitch’s ‘Ohana Challenge

(5K+10K+10-Miler)

Friday-Sunday April 19-21, 2024

5:00 a.m.

I predict that the Challenge will sell out first, because everyone loves Stitch.

Splash

Sunday, April 21, 2021

7:00 p.m.

$85

New this year is an after-hours party at Typhoon Lagoon

Yoga

Thursday, April 18, 2024

5:00 a.m.

$112

So there’s the 411 on Springtime Surprise! Club runDisney Gold and Platinum members will be registering starting August 15, 2023. Listen up, general registration is Tuesday, August 22, at 10:00 a.m. ET on runDisney.com. As always, DON’T BE LATE!!!

Marathon Weekend 2024 Medal Reveal

I am personally loving the Half and Marathon designs. I also love the light-up feature on the Dopey medal. Which one is your favorite? Drop a comment and let me know.

It’s OK to rest, really – but 12Ks of Christmas is on!

So I’ve been in a bit of a slump lately, with running, with writing, and just in general. And you know what? It’s totally OK. As long-distance runners we train and we train for months. Over-training is a real thing, and so is burnout.

So I have kept my runs, my posts, and my energy expenditure to a minimum over the past few weeks. I DID finish my Summer Virtual Series races, I DID bang out an 8-mile run last weekend, and I DID sneak in a quick trip to Orlando just before that, so it’s almost like I’ve been Busy Doing Nothing!

Anyway, during my downtime there was one particular happening that is worth sharing. runDisney announced details of the 12Ks of Christmas Virtual series, and registration is currently open. Here’s what you need to know:

• The series consists of three 4K virtual races
• You must register for all three races – there is no individual race registration
• Paticipants will get three race medals and a challenge medal – so far there are no rumors about the design of the challenge medals
• The medals are supposed to “double as Christmas ornaments.” That just sounds weird. Either they will be very small, or they will bend your tree over. I don’t see much middle ground there
• Registration will include a longsleeve hoodie and a Corksicle mug and hot chocolate kit
• All this fun can be yours for $267; which for those of you keeping score is more than $100 more than the usual vitual series price. That had better be soem spectacular hot chocolate!

Registration is available at rundisney.com

What’s your take on the virtual races? Worth the money? Drop a comment and let’s chat!

Medal Monday – Virtual Series Medals Shipped Early!

Runners for the 2023 Summer Virtual Series got a pleasant surprise this week. Virtual medals usually ship at the end of the summer, but boxes started arriving on doorsteps this week. Fortunately, I already ran one of my virtual 5Ks, so I earned the right to hang the Steamboat Willie medal on my rack!

I didn’t really do anything special for my first summer 5K – total missed opportunity. Oh well. Two more chances this summer to correct that error!

runDisney News of the Week: New Virtual Series, Princess Registration, and Park and Resort Discounts

12Ks of Christmas Virtual Series

runDisney dropped a big holiday surprise on us avid runners this week! They announced the first ever 12Ks of Christmas virtual series. Details are still pretty vague, but what we do know is that this is a series of three 4K virtual runs with a holiday theme. There will also be a challenge available. No details have been released on themes, price or timing, but we do know, that registration opens on July 25. We’ll keep you updated as we know more.

Princess Half Marathon Weekend 2023 Registration

If your calendar isn’t marked already, mark it now!! General registration for all Princess Half Marathon Weekend races and challenge starts at 10 a.m. ET this coming Tuesday, June 20. If you’re trying for a bib, make sure you’re logged in on rundisney.com at least 10-15 minutes before registration. Spots are going to go fast. Just try to keep your cool. Be ready with your credit card, and don’t panic if the form doesn’t open up exactly at 10:00 a.m. The last few registrations have started a little late.

Park and Resort Discounts

In a sure sign that demand is finally easing at the parks, Dinsey is now offering some ticket and resort discounts. The 4-Day 4-Park Magic ticket offers admission to 1 park per day for $396 plus tax. There are also a number of active offers for resort discounts for general Disney enthusiasts and Annual Passholders. Details are available at https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/. I perused what’s available, and noted that there are a lot of blackout dates, including – and most importantly – on weekends, inclcudine Wine & Dine Weekend. Make sure you check the fine print carefully, but you may be able to snag yourself a deal if your dates ar flexible, you’re a Disney+ subscriber (like who isn’t??), in the military or have Annual Passes.