I've been sick-ish this past week or so, which has really put a damper on a lot of things that I had on my "to do" list. When you can't breathe, your head is stuffy, and you're just generally wanting to do nothing else but be in bed by 9:00 PM, you're sort of - well - useless. Thankfully, I'm out of the overly-tired phase of the sickishness and moving on into the my-head-doesn't-feel-great-but-I-can-move phase. This blog, a few threads on the Disney message boards I read/respond to, housework, and working out have definitely been neglected. Things are starting to pick up again, though - slowly by surely - and I think we're on the upswing.
That being said, we can move onto something a little more fun than listening to me complain about being sick and real life to do lists. Lets talk about Disney. More specifically - runDisney.
runDisney consists of a series of running events (including half-marathons and marathons) that occurs yearly at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. All events are held over a weekend and revolve around a different theme depending on the time of year. I'm usually a "snow bird" when it comes to going to Walt Disney World, so I'm most familiar with the two winter events which have occasionally coincided with my visits - the Walt Disney World Marathon in January and the Princess Half Marathon in February. I usually end up in Walt Disney World just about the time the Princess weekend is over, so I still see a bunch of attendees and runners sporting their expo exclusive gear and shoes and their fantabulous bling (aka medals).
A couple of years ago, my husband and I both traveled down to Disney World and spent our first day at (what was then) Downtown Disney. It's a good way for us to start off our trip - ease into things, take it easy and not have to worry about squeezing in a trip to a park. We were on the resort bus, people watching, and I happened to look around me at all of the ladies who were sporting these amazing half marathon medals. There were all sorts of people. Some were what I've always labeled as "obvious" athletes - folks with that classic lithe, strong, athletic build who really truly loved running and sports and all things athletic. Other folks looked "normal" - like someone who just decided this was something they wanted to do, and so they DID it. They ranged the entire body shape and size spectrum, and it was amazing.
Now, personally, I have never been an athletic sort of person. I have to admit I was a chubby little kid who grew into a somewhat chubby teenager who grew into an even chubbier college student. It wasn't until I was out of school and started my first job that I realized I had to do something about my health. I decided to cut down on the fast food intake and up my exercise level. I would go out walking on my lunch hour when I could. I found an exercise VCR tape (VCR - I know - right?) which worked out well for me, so I used that every now and then at home. I also put together a list of my favorite upbeat dance tunes, and I'd just dance around my room like a crazy person to get my heart rate going. Hey - whatever makes you happy and keeps you healthy. That's the way I see it.
And it worked. My cholesterol had been in the "high" zone during college, and it went back down to normal. I dropped 42 pounds total over 2-3 year or so (I never kept track of weight over time). My efforts took me to the smallest size I had ever been in my adult memory. I was thrilled. I felt better. Look what I did!
That same sort of thrill - that accomplishment - was what I saw on the faces of these women on the Disney resort bus. These women who were smiling and happy and wearing their Princess medals. They were so happy and so excited. Look at that they'd just accomplished! Some of them had probably never done anything like this before, so how awesome is that?!
I said to my husband who was sitting next to me, "If they can do it, I wonder if I could."
My husband - who is always my cheerleader when I don't have the confidence I really need - told me, "Of course. Why not?"
Which is why - I think - we're now involved in one of the craziest undertakings up to this point in my life. My husband. I'll blame him.
In late August, my husband sent me a fun little article that stated that Walt Disney World would be hosting the first ever "Star Wars Dark Side" half marathon in April 2016. The first ever Star Wars half marathon took place in Disneyland in early 2015, but now they were moving the fun to Florida in 2016.
I was beyond excited. You could run in a Star Wars themed race. At Disney World. Through the theme parks. And get a cool, shiny medal. And feel awesome!
We sat down and talked it out. I realized that having only run a 5K distance, it was probably a little crazy for me to go all out and say, "I'm gonna run a half marathon!" So my husband and I settled on the 10K race. It made sense. Seemed like a good enough distance to see some things along the way. Plus, you know, like...Star Wars and stuff.
Registration for this thing was absolutely nerve-racking in the beginning because I was told that you really wanted to get online at noon the day everything was released, otherwise you might not get a spot. While they 10K took a while to sell out, it did eventually sell out, so I'm glad husband and I both were able to get in and get registered. The only "extra" thing I sprung for was a commemorative pin because I'm a pin collector, and it makes me happy.
So then the research started. How best to do this. How to train. What method to use. When do I start. With the blast shield, I can't even see - how am I supposed to fight? That's pretty much how all of this has felt up to this point.
But this is my first runDisney race, so I'm running on adrenaline and confusion mixed together, just trying to figure out how to do this. I'm not an athlete. I'm not a runner. I'm a geeky girl who likes to wear costumes, loves Disney, and loves Star Wars. This is not my forté. Trust me. But I figure you have to start somewhere - whether its with costuming, fandom or running.
So the "real" training will start next Wednesday, December 16th. Then the Force will Awaken on Thursday, December 17th at 8:00pm (for me and my geeky crew).
All of this goes down in less than a week. Holy...freakin'...mother of gundarks.
May the Force be with me.
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