Do I want to do Wine and Dine half marathon in November?
Well, you're already thinking about it, so I'll address some of your reasons for not doing Wine & Dine as your first WDW race and why it might be a better choice than you think.
That's just part of the equation. I do think though that it's a great experience. And I second the thoughts of others have planted the idea of running the 5K or the challenge in your head. It took me many years and different race experiences to realize that running 2 or even 3 races in a single weekend was not as impossible as I once believed. In the end successfully finishing 4 Star Wars challenge race weekends played a major part in helping me realize that I actually wanted to run a marathon
and that I could complete the marathon. That confidence will give you something to build on.
- it would mean that my 1st run Disney race isn’t the marathon.. not a huge deal but not the picture perfect moment I’ve been dreaming of.
In this case, I would in the words of Tangled find a new dream. Not that your old dream is by any means bad. Just that creating a new dream gives you something to look forward to and will not diminish the original dream of a marathon at Walt Disney World.
- would take away from park time.
Maybe not as much as you think. This year, my little sister and I finished the 5K and had 90 minutes before we had to be in the Magic Kingdom for a Be Our Guest breakfast ADR. We made it. The 5K will end around 8:00 or so. The 10K around 8:45 to 9:00 and the Half around 10:00 to 10:30 for a slow runner. You may have to cut evenings short to go to bed earlier if you need the rest. When I run a half marathon only, the only day that really gets skewed is the day of the half itself. All that said, wearing that medal around the parks more than makes up for having to spend less time than normal in the parks.
- I’m still a slower runner meaning I wouldn’t be able to stop at all the stops.
That's okay. Choose the stops you want. I've never stopped for all the characters. But I have a great time getting character photos after the race in the parks with my medal(s) when I can really celebrate the moment.
2. Why not just run the challenge and make it your first Disney challenge? That’s magical.
Very magical. The most emotional I've ever been after a runDisney event is after the Dark Side Challenge in 2017 which also earned me the Kessel Run. I think I've done more challenging things than that as a runner, but that meant the most for a variety of reasons.
Asking this group if you should sign up for a Disney race is dangerous.
*Best Sam Eagle voice* You are all a bunch of weirdos for enabling each other to run races at Disney World!
Unfortunately my uncle passed away Sunday night. Family night was Thursday and funeral was Friday.
So sorry to hear that. I hope you find peace and comfort in your memories of him and an assurance that you will see him again in the life to come.
I still struggle with depression and anxiety but now I’m able to slow my self down and pull myself out of a situation before panic takes over... I don’t treat running as my therapy or anything like that and I’d be lieing if I said “when I’m feeling down I just go for a run and all is better.” That just not how it works for me. I don’t even know if my progress is running related but I have to assume that it is.
I think it's great that you're being honest about this. Regular exercise may help, but it may also be only one part of a multi part solution.
I thought that running may make me more confident and it has, but it’s really just redefined it for me. I used to think confidence and fearless were the same think, but now I’ve learned that confidence just means acknowledging the fear and doing the thing anyway.
I love this.
I think this is just another example of that confidence spilling over into other areas of my life.
Absolutely. During my very first half marathon, I had a crisis of confidence. I started the race way too fast. I had to slow down to avoid total disaster and did okay for about 4 miles. And then the course left
Disneyland and went onto the streets of Anaheim for most of the rest of the race. And did I mention the freeway overpass at this point? My recovering confidence took a hit with Disneyland behind me and city streets looming ahead for the 8 miles or so as my legs began to protest leaving the relative flatness of Disneyland for a tiny hill. Yet as I began to struggle, I thought of more difficult things I had done in my life and I thought of the struggles my ancestors dealt with and overcame. I knew I had to keep going. So I did.
I have since done things I once believed were truly impossible for me.
I’ve learned the importance of constancy. Obviously with running but also this journal has really helped me. The accountability that I’ve received is just amazing. But it doesn’t work the way everyone talks about. I never really thought about this journal during the week (unless I had specificly asked for extra support). I’d skip runs without a second thought, but come Sunday I’d write my weekly update and it forced me to assess my progress and set the tone for the following week.
That's the key. At the end of the day, you have to be the one to decide to get out there. And being willing to say I skipped a run this week for lazy reasons helps you redefine what you want to do and what you want to accomplish. The community is happy to help, but in the end, you decide to keep getting out there.
I don’t have many running friends in real life but I feel like I have a solid group here! So thanks!!
I feel the same way about this community. Sometimes our friends in real life are supportive, but don't quite get why we do this. It's good to have people here that understand us.