Dopey Deferred

Well...today was the day. The day that I had been waiting for since last April. Today...the Dopey Challenge would go on sale for Walt Disney World's Marathon Weekend in January of 2015.

I had told myself last year when I found out about the races that I would do this in 2015. I had talked about it with friends, co-workers, random strangers (yup, I actually did that)...and I was building myself up for it. I even made sure to run a marathon in the Spring when I said I wouldn't in order to get my Proof of Time placement.

Then April hit.

As registration day grew closer, I started to doubt whether I should actually do the Dopey Challenge this year. I had been struggling with my options for the last few days in particular. My biggest worries were as follows (though not necessarily in this order of importance):

1) Money - Let's face it. Disney races are EXPENSIVE. A half marathon outside of Disney may run you $50-80 depending on when you register. A half marathon at Disney will cost you around $185 if you register right when it becomes available and will only continue to get more costly the longer you wait. AND this doesn't include airfare, hotel or even access to the parks. $$$$$. Dopey is $530 right off the bat. That's a lot of moolah to see fly out the door in one whack.

2) Support - I don't have a husband any more nor do I have a current boyfriend. I don't have someone that can say to me "sure honey, I'll come and watch you run these races" or better yet, "sure honey, I'll come run these races with you." Did I want to do all of the races by myself? Not really. Could I? Absolutely. But would I really want to? Some of my friends had expressed some interest in perhaps participating in a race or two (none of them wanted to join me for the full 4-race challenge) or just tagging along, but I really only got one full confirmation. And as much as I love her, would only one person be enough for me? I know, that sounds egotistical and selfish, but I was hoping for something that screamed camaraderie and honestly, I didn't really get that. And that's fine..I just don't think I realized until this week how much I want it. Disney is the happiest place on Earth and if I'm going to spend almost a week there battering my body, I want people there that I can spend time with and have fun with, even if I'm in pain. I want people there (friends and family) to cheer me on. I didn't think I would have that if I participated in 2015.

3) Health - Those who follow me on FB, Instagram, Twitter or just know me in general know that I'm breaking down. My body isn't what it was and all of my running is catching up to me. Don't get me wrong, I can still run and I still love to do it, but my body, while in better shape than even 2 years ago or even 1 year ago, doesn't bounce back like it used to. I had to wonder if my body would be in good enough shape to take on the challenge this year versus in another year of better prep, etc.

I went back and forth on my decision. I had the money, as I had been saving for it, and my tax return was going to basically replenish the massive hole in my savings from registering for the race. I knew I had at least one friend that was willing to go with me and even run a few of the races. And I knew with preparation and proper care, strength training and doctor visits, I could make it through physically.

But I was still on the ledge. I talked to a few friends about my thoughts and they gave my their opinions.

I watched Dopey go on sale this morning. And I watched as roughly 4 hours later, it was completely sold out.

I didn't register. I pondered, but I didn't flounder. Before the race went on sale, I had made the decision not to register today.

Will I be upset come January when I'm not there? Sure. I have friends who will be there and I won't be getting to see them. However, I knew I wouldn't be hanging out with them or even running with them, so I would have been lucky just to see them in passing. But will I be devastated to not be running this year? No.

Here's why: I'm going to take care of myself this year. I'm taking a few months off of training and will pick back up in July, as I had intended to do anyway for Dopey. I'm going to focus on the other events I have going on this year including 2 family weddings, a birthday trip for someone who is like a sister to me and another marathon in December.

I'm going to actively find my support team for 2016. I'm going to recruit friends and family and have them commit to a trip just like I'll commit to the training.

I'm going to do the Dopey Challenge one year. It won't be in 2015. Hell, it may not even be in 2016. But I know it's not going anywhere, and honestly, neither am I. I will do it one day.

So, I'm deferring Dopey...and I'm ok with that.

Go Big or Go Home: Challenge Accepted

So, those who know me, and/or read this blog, know that I had been planning on using 2014 as a training year with very few races, if any at all. This is still the case. But I'm sure many of you don't know why that is or what I'm training for.

For the past two years I've been a busy bee with my races, running twelve in 2012 and seventeen in 2013. I've been coaching for a year and helping others up their game in running and fitness in general. I decided that in 2014 I would focus on training and run fewer races, but I would have a goal in mind. And that goal is the Dopey Challenge at Walt Disney World in Florida. The Dopey Challenge is actually having it's inaugural run this coming weekend in fact, beginning Thursday, which is why I'm writing this post.

I found out about the Dopey Challenge last March when it was announced. I had always thought to do Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge, but never happened. When I saw the Dopey, I knew I had to strive for this and make it a goal for myself. I also knew it wouldn't be possible for the inaugural race in January of 2014. I was disappointed, but money is a necessity to run races and travel for them...especially at Disney, so I would aim for January 2015.

For those who are unfamiliar with these particular Disney challenges, let me break them down for you:

Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge: run the WDW Half Marathon on Saturday and run the WDW Marathon on Sunday. It's a total of 39.3 miles in two days. You receive both your half and full marathon medals plus a special Goofy medal for completing the challenge.

Dopey Challenge: run the WDW 5K on Thursday, the WDW 10K on Friday, the WDW Half Marathon on Saturday and the WDW Marathon on Sunday. This is a total of 48.6 miles in four days. You receive medals for the 5K, 10K, half and full marathons as well as the Goofy medal (since you are technically completing the Goofy Challenge as well) and the Dopey medal.

And those who know me...I'm a sucker for the bling.

Now on a slightly different, yet connected topic, I know an incredible woman. I had the privilege of running with her for a short time back when I lived in Connecticut and got back into running. She kept me going when I was training for my first half marathon and while she wasn't officially one of my couches, I always thought of her as such. This past summer she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but did she let that stop her? NO! After all sorts of surgery and chemotherapy and whatnot, not only has she continued to run races (Chicago Marathon, Disneyland Half, Wine & Dine Half, New York City Marathon and MANY OTHERS) she is tackling the inaugural Dopey Challenge this weekend as well.

This woman is a beast and such a motivation and inspiration for me. She is a powerhouse and she makes me smile when I read her blog or see her posts on Facebook.  You can visit her blog and read all about her journeys through races and life here. I heart you, Kimberly. You are such a strong, amazing person and I'll be thinking about you as you rock out all of those races this weekend!

So, this year is about focus. It's about pushing myself towards a goal that most people wouldn't contemplate let alone do. It's about making sure that not only will I succeed in all of these races, but that I will be comfortable during the process and enjoy it. The training program I am working with will take about half a year to complete, so...I'm going to do it twice. :-) Why not, right? Practice makes perfect, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger...and all that jazz.

I have friends who have agreed to sign up for a few of the races (only one has agreed to go the full Dopey distance with me) and I'm grateful for each of them. It will be an experience that I know they will never forget (since none of them have run a Disney race before) and neither will I.

Good luck to all of those who are beginning this fantastic and magical adventure this week. I look forward to hearing all about it and getting tips from you for next year!

Stay tuned as I live the ups and downs of my intense training year. I'm ridiculously excited for it. :-)

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler

So...one of the coolest things about a race at Disney (besides the fact that you are running a race at DISNEY) is the Expo you get to attend. The expo is where you pick up your race packet (bib number, shirt, swag, etc) and it's also the place to get additional merchandise (runDisney swag or just new earbuds, etc). Another neat thing about the Disney World Expo is that its held at the ESPN Sports Complex, which is honestly something I would never get to see as I would probably not voluntarily travel there.



 

 

Anyway, we got our swag and then we went off to enjoy more of Disney World...which brings us to  the day of the race, ya'll! Ok, well, the night of the race anyway...

I worked on my 'costume' as well as Stacie's...because let's face it. You go to Disney, you better dress up like a character in some form or fashion. So...as it was a 'Villian' race, we went as the infamous Disney Villains: Malificent from Sleeping Beauty and Ursula from The Little Mermaid.

 

 

We even signed the Hollywood Tower Hotel's guest book...

 

Now, for the race details. The race takes you to a couple different locations throughout the WDW Complex.

You start just outside of Hollywood Studios (in one of the parking lots to be more precise). So you can see the Tower of Terror (your destination) in the distance, along with the gigantic Sorcerer Mickey hat (which you will also run by at the end of your race).

Each mile is marked by a villain. Sadly, not all of these markers actually have a villain character there, in some cases it was just a picture, but there was usually music associated with each marker. Having heard so many stories of Disney races, I was disappointed at how few characters there were during this race. Granted, it was the inaugural race, but still, Disney knows how to do it up...so maybe I just misinterpreted others' experiences.

Anyway, you are on a long stretch of open highway until you reach the entrance of Disney's Animal Kingdom (miles 2 and 3). Sadly, you don't get to go into that park, but we did get to hear some "Be Prepared" from The Lion King...appropriate. AND the hyenas were there!

At mile 5, I felt like we were running through a haunted trail. We were literally running through the woods and in rough terrain. I didn't think I had signed up for a trail run. It was kind of fun but I was concerned for my foot (yes, I was still battling the fractured foot) and one slip could mean I was out of not only this race, but the full marathon in a few weeks.

We survived and the woods opened up to the ESPN Sports Complex. We ran through the baseball field and around the track...

 

...and encountered my favorite alien...STITCH! We were lucky to catch him. We were his last picture before he went on break. Apparently he was missing his ohana and had to go spend time with them.



 

At mile 7, we were leaving ESPN and we were back out on the open road. I was starting to struggle at that point. My foot was hurting. The air was ridiculously thick, which made it hard to breathe. But then we were in the final stretch as we arrived back at Hollywood Studios!

 

As we ran past Mickey's Hat and saw the Tower of Terror in the distance I was fried. Who knew this would be so tough. Not the distance necessarily, but the humidity and the running at night...for those who know me, you know I'm NOT a night owl. Stacie kept me going.

 

Finally, we finished...and did the obligatory photo outside the Tower of Terror ride...

 

 

...before we each proceeded to get sick. I won't go into the gory details, but it wasn't pretty. Luckily, we each felt better after the fact and did a few more poses...

...including one with the Evil Queen from Snow White (we missed Malificent by a hot second...I was so mad!)

Then it was time to go home. Not bad for our first Disney race. Looking forward to doing another, hopefully soon!

PS...those medals...GLOW IN THE DARK and the elevator can move up and down! Disney swag is the BEST!

Disney World or BUST

Welcome to the Happiest Place on Earth...DISNEY WORLD!

Before I left Hartford, Stacie and I had decided to embark on a 'magical' journey to Walt Disney World in order to run in The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler...which we will get to in the next post.

First...the theme parks!!

When we arrived in Disney, our first stop was to Downtown Disney. Our flights landed in the early afternoon and we were waiting for Stacie's mom as well, so by the time we were all assembled and checked in and everything, it was late afternoon/early evening.

The last time I was at Disney, I was about 12 or 13 years old and I came with my mom on one of her business trips. We didn't stay in one of the resort hotels (since moms business trip was in Orlando, but not Disney) but we had when I was younger. But since I had been barely a teenager the last time I was there, I had never been to Downtown Disney.

It was fun. The drinks were tasty (hehe) as I had two delicious margaritas (habanero and jalapeno) throughout the evening. We wandered around, got a late lunch, got stuck in a thunderstorm which kept us in a store for a bit, and then got a late dinner.

The next day was time for the Magic Kingdom. Can I just say, I love the Magic Kingdom? I do. There's just something about walking down Main Street USA and seeing Cinderella's Castle right in front of you. It takes you back to your childhood and I could remember visits I had made when I was little.

 

Stacie and I enjoyed a number of photo opportunities. 

 

We hit all of the important rides: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's A Small World, The Haunted Mansion, Stitch's Great Escape and so on.

 

By the way, did you know I can read alien?

 

 

Anyway, we enjoyed ourselves, even though it was HOT. I did wish that we had one more day at that park. I would have liked to have gone on a few more rides and had a few more experiences, but it's fine.

 

The next day was for Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM Studios). I had never been here before so I was intrigued by the opportunity. We got a later start than initially anticipated, but we were still able to do everything we wanted: Star Tours, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and the show I'd been hoping to see: Fantasmic. Too bad none of my pictures turned out well.

 



 

 

The day after the race, we made it to Epcot. It was the start of the Food and Wine Festival, so we ate and drank to our hearts content. Since it was our first Disney race, we didn't realize that it's cool to wear your medal the day after, so sadly, we didn't do it.

 

But we got to meet some of our favorite characters...



 

Belle from Beauty and the Beast (my favorite)

And Aladdin and Jasmin from, you guessed it, The Return of Jafar! Lol...ok, Aladdin is the correct answer, though they were in RoJ too!

We were hit by another torrential thunderstorm again and got soaked. We then headed back to the hotel to pack and get ready to say goodbye the next morning.

After eating at the airport, I said goodbye to Stacie, who headed back to Hartford and I headed back to Dallas. I will see her in a few weeks when I head back to Hartford to run in my very first marathon, and she, her first half marathon!

Till then...

Don't forget to check out my next post about The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler!

Gnomeo vs Bieber

It all began with Super Bowl XLV last Sunday. As the Green Bay Packers were running down the clock to claim victory as the Super Bowl Champions against the Pittsburgh Steelers, I was doubly excited.

1) Green Bay was the team I was picking to win.

2) Green Bay winning meant I won a bet

Let me back up.

Once the teams were determined, I decided to ask my dear Andy to see if he would like to make a bet about the Super Bowl. We bet on a lot of other things, including this past season's World Series, so why not the SB?

I knew Andy would be cheering for the Steelers, since he had a connection with Pittsburgh, so I vowed to cheer for the Packers. In honesty, I am more of a fan of GB in comparison to the Steelers, but I would have cheered for either team.

The wager: the loser had to take the winner to a movie date of their choosing.

The stakes: Steelers win = me taking Andy to Justin Bieber's Never Say Never movie. Packers win = Andy taking me to Disney's Gnomeo & Juliet.

I can't tell you how happy I was that my boys Aaron Rogers, Clay Matthews and the rest of the Green Bay Packers pulled through in the end. I really didn't want to see Justin Bieber.



I collected on my bet today...and the movie was actually very funny (particularly for theatre/Shakespeare savvy people) and ..... bom bom BOM....

ANDY LIKED IT!!!

It was a good day!! :-)