On Your Left

It's less than two months to the 2006 Walt Disney World Marathon, and you might want to start thinking about making your travel arrangements if you haven't already.

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Most of us are back on standard time, which means we have far less light during the day. Many of us may now be switching from an outdoor run to an indoor jog on the treadmill, watching the leaves turn color outside. Some of you may have even received your runner's packet in the mail. According to the official e-mail from Disney, most people should be receiving their packets in the next week or so. This packet will include a program with more details about the marathon, as well as a liability waiver form you need to take with you to the fitness expo in January.

Are you starting to get excited about the marathon? Have you started looking around for what clothes to wear, or what to take with you on the marathon? In today's installment of the WDW Marathon Guide, let's take a look at the rules of the road as they apply to the WDW Marathon and Half-Marathon events, etiquette issues, as well as what you can reasonably carry with you during the race.

Before the race start

Part of what makes for a successful marathon is to have the right stuff with you without being overburdened. Things you might consider bringing with you:

• Something to keep you warm before the race. Disney asks that you show up two hours before the start of the event. Chances are, you won't want to sit around for two hours in the morning chill with nothing. Consider wearing a set of junk sweats to keep you warm before the start. You can shed them at the start of the race. Disney gathers all of these castoffs, washes them, and donates them to local charitable organizations, so you don't have to feel bad about throwing them away.
• Something to sit on before the race: You will be sitting around with nothing to do for a couple of hours before the event. Worse, you will be sitting for part of this time on cold pavement. Consider bringing a towel, a bundle of newspaper, or even an old piece of carpet in which to sit on.
• Something to talk into during or after the race: These days, cell phones are getting so small that it is easy to carry on one you during the marathon. If you have a small belt pack, you might consider bringing it with you, especially if you want to let your friends know where you are so they can try to meet you along the course.
• Something to energize with during the race: Some runners like to bring their own water, energy drink, or energy gel pack on a marathon. If you are thinking of bringing your own water, make sure to check out the course map first, and determine if you will be needing the water in shorter increments than will be offered with the official aid stations. Water weighs a lot, and you may end up not drinking a lot from your bottle. Same with an energy drink. That said, if you are accustomed to eating energy gel packs on a fairly frequent basis, you may want to bring your own because the full marathon course includes one energy gel station, while the half-marathon has none. If you do choose to bring liquids, find a way to belt or holster them on; you will not want to carry your bottle in your hand for hours.
• Something to listen to on the course: Here comes the contoversy. Should you wear your iPod or a radio when you run the marathon? The official answer is no. This is because race organizers want to make sure to minimize hazards for participants (and I think this is a condition for liability insurance purposes, too). If you are accustomed to listening to music or the radio while you run, I will not tell you that you shouldn't wear it. However, make sure you turn the volume down so you can hear ambient noise, and that you consider wearing just one earphone.

In general, though, my suggestion is that you leave our iPod at home. Part of the experience of a large marathon is that you meet new people, and you get to enjoy all the sounds. And don't forget, since this is Disney, they do pipe in the nice background music. If you're too busy listening to your audio device, you might miss a lot of it.

Rule Etiquette

Gearing up for the start:

After sitting around for a couple of hours, you can't wait for the event to start! However after Mickey (or Donald) starts the run, don't expect to leap out right away. There is always a severe bottleneck, and the larger the event, the longer it takes to get just to the starting line. Don't plan on moving much at the beginning; it can easily take several minutes of slow shuffling just to get to the starting line. You are in the appropriate corral for your pace, so just let the traffic move at its regular pace without trying to push people aside.

Once things start to spread out, you can gauge what you need to. If people are passing you left and right, it is a sign that you need to get out of their way; you were place in a corral of people who have a faster pace than you. Move slowly towards the right side of the course, looking behind you so as not to cut anyone off.

On the other hand, if you find that everyone is still too slow after you go a half a mile or so, you can start weaving your way through the crowds until you are closer to those doing your preferred pace.

Passing on the left

If you are needing to pass others, gauge their direction. Look behind first (to make sure you don't cut someone off) then pass on the person's left. Say "Passing on your left" or "On your left" so they know someone is coming.

If you are part of a group, be very careful how you walk together. This is a particular pet peeve of mine, and of other runners as well. In general, it is considered poor etiquette to walk more than two astride. And if you are walking next to a person you are chatting with, try to stay close enough that your elbows can touch. Avoid spreading out too far, because most people still don't leave enough room to pass in the middle, yet by taking up a lot of width it makes passing difficult around the sides as well.

Anytime you want to take a break, slow down, speed up, or pass, look behind you. Only when you see that you are not in the way should you step away from the middle of the course so you are not in someone's way.

Water stops

It's very difficult to drink water and run at the same time; most people at least slow down.

Although you can stop altogether at an aid station, most people like to at least keep moving a bit. Here is one way to do it:

As you approach the aid station, keep an eye out and listen to what the volunteers are saying. The water cups are usually all on one table/area while the Powerade will be at another table. The one thing you won't want is to splash Powerade on your face by mistake.

As you get closer to the aid station and determine which side of the street they are on, move yourself closer toward that side of the course so you are no longer in the main traffic. As you approach, begin to slow down, and put out your hand. The volunteer should have a raised cup for you to grab.

When you extend your hand to grab the cup, pick it up from the top like a claw. Immediately pinch the top of the cup so that you create a pour spout area on one end. Bring one of the corners up to your mouth; it may be easier to tilt your head a bit when you do this.

Staying hydrated is important, so try to ignore the thought that you aren't thirsty; considering stopping at every water stop.

Some people take the opportunity of an aid station to rest a bit. Unless you are in very bad shape, my suggestion is that you continue at least walking. Once you stop, your natural inclination when you are tired is to stay stopped. You will end up having to fight yourself; keeping some minimal pace will keep that at bay.

With just a little advanced planning and knowledge about the rules of the road, you will have a safe journey through those 26.2 (or 13.1) miles come January.

Happy training!