Sidetrack thought: runDisney Dumbo Double Dare Registration

Wow!  45 minutes and it's sold out!!!  Thank goodness I didn't work today so I could ignore my daughter for 15 minutes and stalk my computer while I attempted and then was successful with registering for the event.  I couldn't get on at first, but then I saw a post from Matt on the Team runDisney site and I was in!  How do people do this while they are working?  My job as a teacher would not make it so I could slip away to get on and register, so what did you all do?

Here is what I signed up for:  the Dumbo Double Dare (10k and half for Disneyland), the family 5k, and the new welcome event.  Oh I am such a sucker!  The new welcome event includes (according to the runDisney website):

Official Welcome from runDisney

Question and Answer Session and Dynamic Warm-up with Runner's World Experts

Official Welcome to California with a ride on Soarin' Over California

One (1) hour early entry into "Official runDisney Merchandise area" on Thursday, August 28, 2014

runDisney bag which includes a runDisney tech shirt and a Runner's World Magazine

I figure this is as close as I will ever get to a meet up, so I might as well go for it!  Hopefully I will finally meet Bart Yasso in person!  Hopefully!  

Okay so my other thought is this...  How come runDisney actually still posts price changes for signing up in the future?  Almost all of the races hit capacity before the increase in price happens, so why do they still advertise that?  Does anyone think the will go to a lottery system like Boston or the Marine Corps Marathon?

All just thoughts at this point...  I'm curious what others think.  I am just relieved that I made it in.  The book was going to be tricky if I did not.

WDW 5K Recap - 1/9/14

I know the race was a couple of weeks ago, but I've been a little busy with running other races, catching up with "actual work", and traveling that I have not been able to do my race recaps.  They will all come one by one in the next couple of days (weeks), I promise!

It was interesting running in this race considering it was actually my first 5k.  That fact didn't dawn on me until much later, but it is a weird thought.  My first race was the Shamrock 8k in Portland Oregon back in 2011 and everything since then has been a 10k or above.  So for a first 5k experience this was an interesting one.  I arrived way early, as I am apt to do, and it actually started misting.  I felt like these are my normal conditions only slightly warmer so I was good.  I kept an eye out for fellow Team runDisney folks, but I missed them all that morning.  I did however notice that most of the people hanging out with me in corral B had on Dopey bibs much like myself.  Little did I know that we would all be sticking so close together through the entire course.

The course was great!  We ran out of Epcot parking lot and to the right to come in to World Showcase close to Mexico and Norway.  There are few things as beautiful as World Showcase all lit up.  I tried to soak as much of it in as I could, but I was unable to shake my pack.  I felt a bit like cattle considering all the runners around me were sticking to a 9:45-10 minute mile.  I felt like it was fast, but I couldn't find a spot to slide into to slow down.  I went with it.  The adrenaline was pumping so I rounded World Showcase enjoying every little view I took in.  Before I knew it I was heading out past Spaceship Earth and back into the parking lot for the finish.  It was still dark!  33:09 was my final time for this "warm up" run.  I wondered though if that was too fast.  This being the first and shortest of four runs this weekend, I knew I would need to do something differently the next two days in order to survive the marathon on Sunday.

Just as the pack went out together, we arrived at the finish line together.  In the largest clump, all of us waiting to get our coveted 5k wristbands we funneled past the water and Powerade.  It seemed chaotic, but it moved relatively quickly after the initial stop.  It felt like somebody threw a party and about 50 extra people showed up.  However, I had my "medal" and my wristband, so I was ready for picture number one of the experience.  I grabbed my awesome box of snacks and headed back to the rental car noshing on my earned banana, for I knew I'd be back at the same place the very next day.

Fantastic first run, but there was way more to come...

A few pictures from the event...

Okay, very few.  Ha!  More will come in the next posts and the book of course!

Posts to come...

Here is a sneak peak at what is to come...  I plan to update every couple of days from now until Princess half, but I've got to get my students through finals first!  All I can tell you so far is 71 miles, 7 races in 11 days with 9 medals is just AMAZING!!!  More to come...

1 More Sleep... And it All Begins.

A quick one...

As I woke up this morning to go back to work today after winter, it hit me...  "one more sleep"!  How nice to come back from break for one day then head off to Walt Disney World!  Beyond excited over here.  Then when I was about to head to my classroom  the theme song for Chariots of Fire came over our PA (we do passing music instead of bells) and I thought, "how fitting".  2014 is going to be a phenomenal year!  This year is all about making my dreams my reality.

See you all in Florida!

Getting Nervous...

The realization has set in...  Here it is... Three more sleeps and I'll be in Florida!  A myriad of emotions are rolling through me right now. Will I forget something? Will I get everything done before I leave? Having a 14 month old changes everything. Not to mention, I feel guilty taking her away from her daddy for 6 whole days. Ideally Matt would be coming with us, but it just didn't work out that way.  So come Tuesday morning he'll be dropping us off at the airport for my big adventure.

Then there are the thoughts of my body... Will my knee hold up? Will my toenails survive?  Ah, but it's all just nerves. I've trained, I've done races leading up to this, including a 35 mile and 40 mile weekend.  48.6 isn't that much more, right? I mean other people run ultras and way bigger races than this one. I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be for the runs, but I'm not ready to go. Packing...  Hmmmm...  It would be bad enough if it was just me, but I'm taking Katie.  Carrying all of our stuff and her is going to be challenging to say the least.  Because of that I may be rethinking some of my costume choices and wardrobe while I'm there. Conserving space is probably a must.

None of this will matter when I finally make it there.  I have been training and thinking about this for almost a year, and it's finally here!  The exhilaration of storming the castle, literally, passing cheating fans, and earning all the bling and swag, yes, I am so ready! I can't wait to be surrounded by fellow running community buddies who are just as nuts about Disney as I am, so much so that they are stepping up to this crazy Dopey Challenge. 

Yep, I'm writing this as I can't sleep because I am so excited to get this show on the road.  I need to get the sleep though, for it have three of those left until I'm there.  To get the New Balance shoes, more Rawthreads, other running swag, ugh! These thoughts don't stop!  But I will let them go for now and say good night for now.  I'll keep everyone posted as this journey continues.