Hi Jodie! Congratulations on signing up for your first marathon! It will be my first full marathon too, and I am very excited.
The diet part of running is always tricky! You need to have enough to fuel your body, but you also don't want to eat things that your body isn't used to, which can then make you sick while you run.
For me, I like to do a lot of "practice runs" before any race. I always pick a few things to eat, wear my race outfit, and run at a similar time as the race will be. I call them my "dress rehearsals"! I try to do at least two before each long race so I will be confident on race day.
I do like to eat some bland pasta, but my main pre-race fuel is always a bagel with some peanut butter. That way I am getting in some carbs, but also some protein. Bananas are good, and Jeff Galloway recommends eating the protein power bars before races. I also plan to have a gel or some energy blocks in my belt to use along the way during the race.
For Disney Dining, check out the restaurants at
Downtown Disney. You wouldn't need a theme park ticket to go there, and there are some great choices! I really like Paradiso 37 and Portobello.
Let me know if you have any other questions!