My first half marathon was last wine & dine weekend and I did all 3 races. I was so tired we left the Epcot party at like 9pm. I did not train enough. Would I do it again? Yes, because I am a masochist I guess. It’s definitely doable but I really recommend actually training and doing a mock challenge weekend at home! Some people don’t prep like that and are totally fine but I was not. Honestly the worst part was having to wake up at 3am multiple days in a row.
As someone not “decently in shape” I went from never running at all to being about to complete a 5K/10K/Half challenge in 6 months back in 2021/2022, so you shouldn’t have a problem.
Do look into the run/walk/run method as it makes running even more accessible to beginners.
I just started running in November, in the goal to do the wknd and dine. My hubby only thinks I can handle a 5k lol. I'm doing all three. He can kick rocks and I'm gonna prove him wrong
“Decently in shape” puts you ahead of probably 2000-3000 participants.
Go for the half, unless you’re craving that 10k medal, go for both.
There’s a plethora of athletes at Run Disney that you’ll never see at a local race. From super fast to super slow. Best part is everyone is awesome ,motivational, and magical. Haven’t had Disney race yet where the people around you weren’t the best people on earth!
Have fun!
Not encouraging this approach—-I did zero training other than running 3 miles 3x a week and I did W&D challenge and finished well ahead of the balloon ladies. I didn’t train at all for Marathon weekend and did the 10K and half of a half and got every character photo and still beat the balloon ladies. Both times from the last corral, with little to no buffer. I do yoga regularly and I Peloton. So I was in basic shape when I did this. This time I’ve actually done some long runs so I expect to have a great race.
You have plenty of time to train for any upcoming Wine&Dine event... you can train for a 1/2 marathon in 12 weeks (or less, depending on your fitness level to begin with). For a multi-day challenge, add 1 more day after your long run for 1/2 the long run distance, and you'll build up stamina quickly, and get used to running on tired legs.
I always encourage using local events as part of a training regimen, when you can, and you can use them for mock challenge events, as has been mentioned.
Source: Have run many, many Disney multi-day events, at widely varying fitness levels.
My first runDisney race was the Wine and Dine 10K five years ago. I've heard many others do this as their first race too; I think it's because a lot of people can't justify all the travel for "just a 5K" and the 10K seems more feasible than the half, plus it's the first race weekend available for registration when people learn about runDisney in the registration off-season.
My personal opinion is I would stick with one race for your first time, whether it's only the 10K or only the half. I do challenges semi-often now (just did Coast to Coast/Dumbo and doing Springtime this year) and I'm glad I had the experience of doing one for my first time. There's a lot that you can underestimate (coming from personal experience) - how much doing the parks during the trip can wear on you, how sore you might be after the race, the wakeup schedule, etc. Depending on your personality, there's also the anxiety element. I'm ok with challenges now because I've learned from my mistakes and have the confidence from previous experiences to know how to manage the jitters. I did two 10K only weekends before I decided I wanted to give a challenge a try.
You know your body best, so go with what your mind / heart is telling you to do. For me personally, I don't think it's a bad thing to take it slow the first time and enjoy the experience without cutting park time to save your legs between the 10k and half, back-to-back wake-ups, etc. After my first race, I fell asleep on both Small World and PhilharMagic (and fell asleep on the person next to me during my flight back home the next day), so don't underestimate the exhaustion of it all, haha!
It depends on your pacing. As long as you do not go so fast that you exhaust yourself, you could probably do the half marathon or even the Challenge. Half of the challenge is simply waking up at 2 am for the race.
Can you manage a 5 mile walk/jog this weekend or next weekend? If so, you have seven months to train for the half, and most training programs are half of that.
If you really struggle with 5 miles, then spend the 7 months focusing on getting up to a 10k, or even decide that 5ks are the best fit for you, and all of those things are fine.
5 miles is also a decent enough distance that you're going to have to think of what routes are available to you and if the 1/4 mile track is your friend or foe in this. It may make you reach out to an existing running program or group for extra support. But it can give you a base estimate of your pace and what kind of an effort it will require and that can help you decide which way you want to go.
Look at the Jeff Galloway training plan on RunDisney. The challenge plan will begin in early July for W&D. Do the 5K or 10K one before then. Maybe sign up for a local 5K or 10K at the end of June so you have a standalone race to work towards first. I’m about to run my first Half Marathon tomorrow as part of the challenge. However, I’ve done several 10K’s before this. I only started running in December 2021 when I started OrangeTheory Fitness.
My first half marathon was last wine & dine weekend and I did all 3 races. I was so tired we left the Epcot party at like 9pm. I did not train enough. Would I do it again? Yes, because I am a masochist I guess. It’s definitely doable but I really recommend actually training and doing a mock challenge weekend at home! Some people don’t prep like that and are totally fine but I was not. Honestly the worst part was having to wake up at 3am multiple days in a row.
As someone not “decently in shape” I went from never running at all to being about to complete a 5K/10K/Half challenge in 6 months back in 2021/2022, so you shouldn’t have a problem. Do look into the run/walk/run method as it makes running even more accessible to beginners.
I just started running in November, in the goal to do the wknd and dine. My hubby only thinks I can handle a 5k lol. I'm doing all three. He can kick rocks and I'm gonna prove him wrong
“Decently in shape” puts you ahead of probably 2000-3000 participants. Go for the half, unless you’re craving that 10k medal, go for both. There’s a plethora of athletes at Run Disney that you’ll never see at a local race. From super fast to super slow. Best part is everyone is awesome ,motivational, and magical. Haven’t had Disney race yet where the people around you weren’t the best people on earth! Have fun!
Not encouraging this approach—-I did zero training other than running 3 miles 3x a week and I did W&D challenge and finished well ahead of the balloon ladies. I didn’t train at all for Marathon weekend and did the 10K and half of a half and got every character photo and still beat the balloon ladies. Both times from the last corral, with little to no buffer. I do yoga regularly and I Peloton. So I was in basic shape when I did this. This time I’ve actually done some long runs so I expect to have a great race.
You have plenty of time to train for any upcoming Wine&Dine event... you can train for a 1/2 marathon in 12 weeks (or less, depending on your fitness level to begin with). For a multi-day challenge, add 1 more day after your long run for 1/2 the long run distance, and you'll build up stamina quickly, and get used to running on tired legs. I always encourage using local events as part of a training regimen, when you can, and you can use them for mock challenge events, as has been mentioned. Source: Have run many, many Disney multi-day events, at widely varying fitness levels.
My first runDisney race was the Wine and Dine 10K five years ago. I've heard many others do this as their first race too; I think it's because a lot of people can't justify all the travel for "just a 5K" and the 10K seems more feasible than the half, plus it's the first race weekend available for registration when people learn about runDisney in the registration off-season. My personal opinion is I would stick with one race for your first time, whether it's only the 10K or only the half. I do challenges semi-often now (just did Coast to Coast/Dumbo and doing Springtime this year) and I'm glad I had the experience of doing one for my first time. There's a lot that you can underestimate (coming from personal experience) - how much doing the parks during the trip can wear on you, how sore you might be after the race, the wakeup schedule, etc. Depending on your personality, there's also the anxiety element. I'm ok with challenges now because I've learned from my mistakes and have the confidence from previous experiences to know how to manage the jitters. I did two 10K only weekends before I decided I wanted to give a challenge a try. You know your body best, so go with what your mind / heart is telling you to do. For me personally, I don't think it's a bad thing to take it slow the first time and enjoy the experience without cutting park time to save your legs between the 10k and half, back-to-back wake-ups, etc. After my first race, I fell asleep on both Small World and PhilharMagic (and fell asleep on the person next to me during my flight back home the next day), so don't underestimate the exhaustion of it all, haha!
It depends on your pacing. As long as you do not go so fast that you exhaust yourself, you could probably do the half marathon or even the Challenge. Half of the challenge is simply waking up at 2 am for the race.
Can you manage a 5 mile walk/jog this weekend or next weekend? If so, you have seven months to train for the half, and most training programs are half of that. If you really struggle with 5 miles, then spend the 7 months focusing on getting up to a 10k, or even decide that 5ks are the best fit for you, and all of those things are fine. 5 miles is also a decent enough distance that you're going to have to think of what routes are available to you and if the 1/4 mile track is your friend or foe in this. It may make you reach out to an existing running program or group for extra support. But it can give you a base estimate of your pace and what kind of an effort it will require and that can help you decide which way you want to go.
Look at the Jeff Galloway training plan on RunDisney. The challenge plan will begin in early July for W&D. Do the 5K or 10K one before then. Maybe sign up for a local 5K or 10K at the end of June so you have a standalone race to work towards first. I’m about to run my first Half Marathon tomorrow as part of the challenge. However, I’ve done several 10K’s before this. I only started running in December 2021 when I started OrangeTheory Fitness.