How to Fit in Running on Your Disney Vacation

How do you fit running into a vacation that is already jammed packed with park days, shopping trips to Disney Springs and dining experiences? More importantly how can you carve out time for yourself during a family vacation? Friends, if you are a runner then running during your vacation is as important as applying sunscreen to those sweet little faces. Your whole family knows if you run a couple of days during your trip you’ll be a better you for yourself and for them. So here’s a few tips.

Start by talking to your partner about running during your vacation. Don’t spring this on them when you are setting your alarm clock the night before. This is a family vacation after all and you need to make decisions together.

Trade off. If you’re going to carve out time to enjoy a 5k run around the Epcot resorts encourage your partner to do an afternoon at the Spa or take in a game of golf. It’s only fair.

Plan ahead of time. Figure out which days these runs will work best around your vacation plans. I typically plan on running the mornings of non-park days. This way if I get lost or take longer then I expected our whole morning isn’t ruined because of my mistake.

Be conservative. Plan to run twice, maybe three times. If you get to go more often then that’s a bonus. It is supposed to be a vacation after all. Give yourself a bit of a break.

Look into where you can run. Check out my running routes page to find routes at a number of resorts. If you’re staying somewhere that I don’t have a route ,for check with the front desk and they will have a running map for the resort area. If you’re staying in an area that doesn’t have a great running route then hop over to another resort and enjoy some miles at a different spot. Better yet, get the family to pool hop while you take in a few miles and then join them at the pool. If you’re doing this I would strongly recommend Saratoga Springs. It’s a large resort connected to Old Key West and Disney Springs, giving you lots of terrain to cover. Also there’s four different pools to choose from.

Be Flexible. Maybe you have to get up early to fit that run in or stay up a little later. Maybe you don’t get to fit in three runs you only get two runs in. Don’t stress. Fit it in when you can, the distances you can.

Running on Disney property is one of my favourite places to run. It’s one of the reasons I started this blog. Before heading on a Disney vacation I would look online for any ideas of where to run at the resort we were staying at and all I could find were the routes made by Disney. Even though they host great running events, the longest route I could find would be 2 miles. So I wanted to have a place where runners vacationing at Disney could go to find routes. Here we are!

Running around your resort property is a great way to see what your resort has to offer. As a runner, there’s no better way to start your day then to get some miles in. And running around such beautiful buildings and landscaping. Running past ponds and fountains. There’s just a special feeling I get every single time I run at Walt Disney World. So don’t let the opportunity pass you by. Bring those sneakers and some gear and run outside! Don’t head to the treadmill inside the gym, hit the pavement and explore.

Happy Planning.