Good luck, OM.  I'll be with you in spirit along with a whole bunch of others from RA.

 

How about if I take mile 12 since that's about my maximum these days.

 

I don't know if I can offer much advice as a one time marathoner but I'll suggest starting slow and hanging on.

 

TomS

Wow you guys are awesome! I'm here in Animal Kingdom, taking a break while the rest of my crew is riding some roller coaster ride... not sure if I should be reading this thread or not 'cause it's making me nervous all over again! All your wisdom and advice is great, keep it coming! And support and virtual miles, wow... yeah i'll say it again, you guys are all AWESOME! Ok they should be coming out the gift shop any minute now,,,

Thanks for starting this thread, Mariposai.

 

1. I'll take mile 14. Near the end of mile 14, you'll be approaching the WDW sewage treatment and recycling center. When I ran this marathon a friend had told me to look for it. Otherwise I would not have even noticed this facility (no smell at all). Your choice whether to take fluid or food at the mile 15 aid station though .

 

2. Enjoy the day, take it easy, even stop and pose for a picture with your favorite Disney character as they will be out at every aid station.

 

3. I had two goals for my first marathon; the first was to finish in under 5 hours and the second was to run the entire marathon. However at mile 24, at one of the few hills on the course I was passed by a walker while running. I was able to pass her back on the next downhill but was a bit discouraged by her passing me. All of that disapointement faded away at mile 26 where we rounded the corner and could see the finish line ahead. I was ecstatic at having finished a marathon and swore never to run another (Boston 2011 was my 15th marathon).

 

Have a great marathon day,

 

Paul

I'll take 21, it looks open. Only 5 to go from here! You know you can run 5 miles!

 

My advice is to get off your feet starting the afternoon and evening before.  You'll have a very early morning, and at least an hour (or more!) on your feet before starting the race. Be careful about the afternoon before -- this is not the time to spend wandering Mickey world.  Get those feet up and comfy.

 

My first marathon was also the first organized race I'd ever experienced.  Everything was new, from chips, to starting lines, to water stops, mile markers....you name it...everything. I'd done a staggering 96 miles of total miles in training runs leading into it. Amazingly, it worked out and I finished ok.

 

Trust your training and preparation, you've done the work to get there, time to enjoy the rewards.

I'll take mile 11, just cause mile 14 is already taken (my favourite number).

 

I broke the race into 10 miles, 10 miles and 6.2 miles

At mile 11, instead of counting up from zero to 10 as you would for the first 10 miles, you can count down from 10 to zero (you can say, only 9 more miles to 20!!), which seems easy.  I told myself, get to 20, and I can walk the last 6.2 if I have to.

 

Hmm, getting fluids right before the race is tricky.  Since my first and only marathon had a large half-mary setting off at the same time, I knew the roads and porta potties would be crowded the first 12 miles, so I made the stupid mistake of limiting my fluid intake too much 2 hours before the race, and not drinking enough on course.  I almost hurled my gu at mile 22.  I swore I'd never run another.  I swore all these marathoners around me were fu#$ing insane (not out loud thankfully).  I still want to try another one someday.

 

I should have gone out a bit slower too.

 

It might get tough but I KNOW you can DO IT!

I'll take mile 16, you really know you are running a long race by then, but you still have a ways to go so keep smiling!  

 

I remember my first marathon and it was awful....but I was undertrained, had only done a 14 mile long run, and it was cold and raining, but I finished!  And if I can do it, anybody can do it. 

OM, I know you'll do great.  You have a big advantage in that, while this is your first real marathon, you have done something that closely resembles one.   I'll take Mile 9, becasue that's as far as I made it running in my first long race.  and right now, I'd be happy to go that far again.

 

Have a great race and I hope you get to meet up with as many RA folks as possible.  Everyone is at least as nice in person as on line--you WON'T be disappointed.

OM! I'll take mile 8. I break my marathons into 4 mile segments and take fuel and check my pace at these points. Mike 8 then would be the second check on pace and I'll be settled into a rhythm as I approach the 8 mile mark. My hope for you is that you've found your groove by this mile and we'll run it together just soaking in the experience. You'll be out of Epcot and onto some of the quieter miles here if I recall the course correctly. The Magic Kingdom awaits not too far down the road. Go OM Go!

 

My first marathon was in 1986 soon after I graduated from college and after a summer of waitressing and running with my fellow teammates. All we did was work and run, but had a blast.  My memories of that race are actually fuzzy...I know! You never forget your first and all that! I do remember some advice from a friend that I use to this day when I run marathons and that was to match the shoulder swing of someone just ahead (not their feet or strides) and follow their rhythm---let them pull you along. I do that when I can feel my focus slipping and the "stop this madness monster " in my head starts roaring. I focus on that and all of a sudden another mile has gone by.

 

Run the first 20 with your head and the last 6 miles with your heart.