Packing for the dopey challenge

You’ve spent the last 6 months training, and now the Walt Disney World marathon weekend is only two weeks away – I’m sure you are thinking the same thing as me, where did the time go?!

In this post I am going to share 10 packing tips for the dopey challenge, and at the end of this post I will link to my favorite RunDisney packing list, created by Joyful Miles.

1. Pack the essentials in your carry on

When I head to Disney for races, I always carry on my running shoes and race day outfits instead of checking them. Most of the gear in my luggage I could replace upon arrival, but when I am taking on a challenge like Dopey, I don’t want to get stuck in new gear on race day.

Other essentials that I bring in my carry on are a few gels and body glide. Most of the time these can be found at the expo, but I prefer to bring a few along just in case.

2. Prepare for any weather

Florida weather in January is unpredictable at best. The last time I ran the dopey challenge in 2017 the forecast for Orlando looked warm when I left New York on Tuesday, but by Saturday the forecast for the marathon had shifted to a real feel of 28 degrees. I was very glad that I had brought along the cold weather gear I had been using in New York, just in case.

I was travelling with a group of 6 other marathon runners, and they were not quite as prepared – we wound up spending hours on Saturday trying to find cold weather gear in Florida, which was not the easiest task.

I always save the heat sheets that are handed out at the end of races, and bring those along as well for race morning. Just make sure to discard them before crossing the start line, or it could impact your timing chip!

3. Bring throw away layers

Odds are it will be a little chilly on race mornings, since for RunDisney events the start times are long before the sun comes up. I tend to go through my closet and do a little clean out before Marathon weekend, since I know that Disney will collect and donate all of the clothing that is discarded at the start line.

If I can’t find clothing that I already own and am willing to part with, I will head to a local thrift store to pick up some extra layers. You will be happy to have them on race morning!

4. Organize your suitcases – pack your outfits for each day in a different container

I will be sharing a room with three other people during marathon weekend, so I know I won’t have a ton of space to unpack. To make my life a little easier, I pack each of my race outfits in their own bag, so I can double check that I have all the gear I need before leaving home. 

Then the night before the race I lay all of the gear out, and don’t have to rummage through my luggage looking for a missing sock.

I have used gallon Ziplock bags in a pinch, but I prefer these packing cubes from amazon. 

5. Pack drawstring backpacks for race mornings

Disney provides clear bags that runners must use to check their bags, but they’re not quite durable enough to carry around in my experience. I always wind up receiving free drawstring bags throughout the year, sometimes at expos or when I make a purchase, so I use these bags to make race morning kits. I pack my breakfast, my gels, my body glide, a bottle of water, and anything else I may need the night before the race, so my brain isn’t required to function on race morning, and I can still have everything I need. The backpack is more comfortable to carry around than the gear check bag, and when it is time to check my stuff, I just dump it from the drawstring and into the clear bag.

Plus, after the race it is much easier to pop the drinks and food they give you into the drawstring, rather than trying to balance it all as you head onto the bus.

6. Pack pre-race and recovery fuel that you know works for you!

For me, this means having the supplies for PB&J or a kind breakfast bar before the race, and Skratch recovery powder that I can mix after the race.

I also make sure to pack a foam roller, for post-race recovery needs.

7. Pack a Hub charger for all of your electronics that use a USB to charge

For me, having all of my cords in one place makes it less likely that I will forget one, and wind up with a dead Garmin all weekend. I use this one from amazon.

My husband always packs a power strip, which can be helpful as well when you’re sharing a room with limited power sources.

8. Bring more than one pair of sneakers

Remember when I said weather in Florida is unpredictable? Just in case it rains during one of the shorter races, always pack a back-up pair of shoes, that way you know you will be comfortable for the marathon! I usually pack three pairs, but I have been called an over-packer.

9. Pack extra race fuel

If I told you I had never dropped my fuel during a race, I would be lying. So, I always make sure I am prepared with a few extra gels. I will even give a few to my family and friends that are spectating the race, just in case I need an extra!

10. Odds and Ends: The little things that will count on race morning

• Hand warmers

• Throwaway ponchos

• Chapstick

• Sunscreen stick

• Hair brush (for post-race)

• Extra hair ties 

• Baby wipes (for a quick refresh after the race)

If you are looking for an all-encompassing “Packing list,” I would recommend this one from Joyful Miles. They have everything you could need on it, and even offer a downloadable PDF. It is my go-to when I am making sure I have everything that I need packed.

You can find their list HERE!

If you are heading on a race-cation soon, what are your must-have items?

Gear Roundup: Running Shorts

There are two things that I really look for in running shorts:

1. They have to be long enough that my thighs don’t chafe

2. They need to have some kick ass pockets!

New Balance 2 in 1 Shorts

Honestly, I wish I could tell you that the first thing was the most important to me, but if a pair of shorts had great pockets, I would probably happily load up on body glide in exchange for them being able to hold all of my crap when I am heading out for a long run.

My go-to shorts for the last few years have been the new balance 2-in-1 shorts, which used to have a great pocket in the waist band that my cell phone could fit snugly into. The downside was that when I raced in them – something I did often, as I have run 3/5 of my marathons in these shorts – I needed to also wear a fuel belt with them to hold my inhalers and Gu, as there is no way that anything other than my phone is fitting in that pocket. But last summer when I looked to expand my collection of these shorts, I found out that they had been redesigned, and the pocket that was previously large enough to fit my phone now could barely fit my inhaler – a total bummer.

So, I began my new shorts quest, since I would really like to own a pair of shorts with enough pockets to comfortable fit my cell phone, inhaler, and race fuel. I like my SPI belt, the fuel belt that I own, but sometimes the weight of anything beyond gels in it makes my back hurt, and lately I have been using Skratch gummies over Gu as long run fuel, which takes up more space.

I already owned a few pairs of shorts other than my trusted 2-in-1s, all of which I like for shorter distances, but just weren’t capable of the carry capacity that I need for half and full marathons. I’m going to run through a few of them here, because I would still recommend these shorts, and the new shots that I purchased that have become my go-to shorts:

For track workouts:

New Balance accelerate 2.5” shorts:

These shorts have a wide opening around the legs, and allow you to really get moving with some strides. They do have a small interior pocket that I would say is sized to carry a key, but there is no means to close the pocket, so I have never used it. The one downside? They are a little bit on the short side, so on humid or rainy days, I do apply body glide before running in them to avoid chafing.

Oiselle Roga Shorts

For a long run when you don’t have much to carry:

Oiselle Roga Shorts

I purchased these when oiselle did a warehouse sale last summer, and they are a little on the short side, but are made of a super comfortable material. They have a good sized zipper pocket on the back of the shorts, large enough for my inhaler or one Gu, but too small for my cell phone. I ran in these for the Star wars Dark side half marathon in 2018, and while it was a humid day I can happily report that no chafing occurred.

Reading the product descriptions on the oiselle website, it seems that the “toolbelt” rogas offer more pockets, but I have yet to try a pair of those shorts myself.

But as for my hands down, favorite shorts:

So, in my search for the holy grail of pocket shorts, I spent a lot of time on running websites, looking at photos and descriptions of pockets. I checked out shorts on the brooks website, on REI – which carries a variety of brands, and at target, hoping maybe they would have something a little more budget friendly than the big running brands offer. Ultimately, I decided to order a pair of Pocket Jogger shorts from Oiselle, because I was basically drooling at all of that pocket potential, and I had a $20 coupon code to Oiselle for referring a friend to their site.

Two weeks or so later my shorts arrived in the mail, and I fell in love with all of the pockets. They have two deep side pockets, that full fit an iPhone X, one back zipper pocket, and two small open pockets in the waistband, which fit fuel well. It was still winter in NY when I ordered them, so I hopped onto my treadmill with them, and they fit like a dream. They stayed in place, without rolling up along my legs, an issue that I have with some spandex shorts. Heck, I can’t even wear the Nike PRO shorts that so many runners love because they immediately roll up on me! To really test these shorts, I loaded them up with my phone and race day fuel, and put them through the paces on the treadmill. Everything seemed to stay put, with no bouncing despite loaded pockets.

When I ordered these shorts, I figured I would continue to try other styles and brands if I was not happy with them. But I never did get around to ordering any other pairs, and for valentines day Dennis surprised me with two more pairs of pocket joggers – I had talked about how much I liked them so much that my non-runner husband had decided that I needed more pairs of these perfect pocket shorts.

My next warm weather race was the events at the princess half marathon weekend, and when I packed for Florida, I gave myself options for shorts – I had never run outside or over 6 miles in these shorts, so I wasn’t sure how they would compare to my New balance 2-in-1 shorts on race day. I packed a pair of each short style to go with my outfits for the princess 10k and Half, figuring I would make a race day decision. I was wearing a skirt for both events, so figured I had time to decide as things didn’t need to coordinate perfectly.

Oiselle Pocket Joggers

The morning of the 10k it was hot and humid, and I was going to attempt to race the event. I made the decision to go for the pocket joggers, since it was the shorter distance of the fairytale challenge, and if I liked them, then I would do the same for the half. My gamble paid off, and even when I was pushing the pace, my phone stayed securely in the side pocket. Plus, I no longer had to fumble with a zipper with pulling my phone out for photos, which is a frequent occurrence during RunDisney events. Since the shorts had served me well at the 10k, I decided to wear another pair for the half the following day, when they would really be put to the test, as I would be running with my GoPro.

I ran the WDW half marathon in January while wearing my newbalance 2-in-1 shorts, and spent most of the race just holding the camera in my hand, as I didn’t have a large enough pocket for it and it bounced too much when I clipped it to the waist band of my shorts, even if I was clipping it to my SPI belt at the same time. I figured worst case I would just wind up holding it, like I had done in January. But when we got moving, I slid the camera into one of the side pockets, and was shocked to discover that it sat there comfortably when I wasn’t filming with it, with no real bounce or annoyance. So, the pocket joggers passed yet another holding stuff test, and officially became shorts that I would wear for longer distance runs.

I plan on continuing to run in these shorts as I train for the Chicago marathon this summer, and will update this post if I purchase any new shorts, or have anything to add. But as of now, the Oiselle pocket joggers have officially become my go-to running shorts.