10:45AM - This morning has been a feeling of mixed emotions for sure. I am excited because it is registration day and I am registering for a runDisney race! However, the realization that I will be spending a lot time training in October, November and December has set in. Yes, Disney races are a BLAST but people have to remember the hard work that is put into the training to get to race day. Honestly, I feel like I want to vomit right now - that is how nervous I am. Registration opens in 1:15 minutes and I have my credit card ready to go. Here goes nothing....
12:15PM - I am in. I am officially running my 3rd marathon in January. While I am excited beyond words about taking a 26.2 mile journey around WDW with one of my best friends by my side, the thought of a marathon is still scary. It is a long way to run! Seriously, the next time you are in your car figure out how far 26 miles is. For me, it is the distance between my house and the mall. Yeaaaa. Don't get me wrong, I am honestly excited to start this journey. This was my face as I hit "register"
It still hasn't sunk in that I am running my 3rd marathon. Becky and I keep calling it "that thing we aren't doing" - lol! After running a half marathon PR a few weeks ago, I was pumped to have a new proof of time to use. While it was only 1 1/2 minutes faster, it is still an improvement. I have a few more months to try to get a better one, but for now I am happy with where runDisney thinks I will finish.
runDisney recently released the 2016 WDW Marathon training plans. I have looked over it and I am ready for this. I have a very heavy late summer and fall race schedule and I plan to use my races for training. My plan is to run my fall half marathons and add on a few extra miles as needed to hit my training goals. Now the hard part will doing so without y'all noticing. I have a number of friends running a lot of the same races as I am this fall, so this could get interesting later on trying to avoid them.
Becky and I are officially booked for our stay at Walt Disney World in January! We will be staying at Art of Animation. We chose this hotel because our friends Chuck and Nicole are staying there. They are running the Dopey Challenge, so our plan is to surprise them at the bus stop on Saturday morning when they head out to run the 1/2 marathon. Their faces will be priceless when they see us there for sure. I am excited to stay at Art of Animation because I have never stayed there before. It is weird booking a trip to Disney and not sharing the details with everyone, but I know the reactions will be worth it for sure.
With a very heavy fall and early winter of half marathons, I am tackling training differently. Since my base mileage is pretty high, I am going to be running past various half marathon finish lines for extra mileage for my long runs. Today I ran the Silver Comet Half Marathon with Momma K. Once we crossed the finish line, I headed back out to get a few extra miles in (roughly 16 miles total). I felt really strong and proud of the pace that I kept along the way. I was a little nervous going into it because it is my longest run since WDW Marathon 2014 (22 months ago). It all went well though and I am excited to continue to build my mileage up over the next few weeks!
Fortunately, Becky had proof that her proof of time was correctly submitted and email the team at Track Shack to request a corral adjustment. After a grueling 48 hours of waiting, Becky received confirmation that their was an error in her corral placement and that they will adjust her corral at the expo! Thank you Track Shack/runDisney for your awesome assistance with this!
Yes, there is a part of me that is starting to freak out - hello "taper crazies". Right now I just have to trust in my training and get ready for an awesome weekend ahead of me in about 10 days. 10 DAYS!!!!!! Ahhh! As Becky and I start to finalize all of our plans and even start to pack some little things, it is really sinking in. I am totally pumped, but a little freaked at the same time. I mean, 26.2 miles is a long way :)
Well, the next race I run will be at Walt Disney World! 26.2 miles of awesome memories with one of my best friends by my side! Yes, I I am on a roller coaster of emotions right now. I go from being nervous to being super excited all within a few minutes. It is time to put the final touches on my outfit and packing! EEEK!
Just for the record, taper craziness is a real thing. It is an even more real thing when you don't mention that you are tapering. I feel bad for my coworkers and other people around me the past few weeks because it is madness. Thank you all for bearing with me and my minor fits the past month. :)