No Answers, Just Questions

It is ingenious to pair Disney with running. I get to run at the happiest place on earth! The whole reason I did the Princess Half was 1) because it said Princess and 2) because it was at Disney World!! And apparently I’ll take any excuse to go to Disney! I’ve now done 5 events at Disney World (2 put on by Disney, 3 on Disney property). One day I’d like to branch out and do another half (not at Disney) but for now, I’ll stick with Disney running for long distances. I was super excited when I heard they were planning a new race and watched all the clues hinting at the new race (but not really solving any). And then the announcement – a Tinker Bell Half at Disneyland!! Oh, but in January. (Excitement wanes a little.) Right before the Princess Half. (Excitement drops a little more.) But I really want to do the Princess again!! But the Tinker Bell Half sounds like so much fun!! And Tinker Bell means Peter Pan which means London.  And I love London! Plus it is in Disneyland! And how fun would it be to run the inaugural Tinker Bell Half? I still remember being at Disney World for a triathlon and hearing them announce the inaugural Princess Half – I knew then that I wanted to do it, even if it would take me another year or so before I worked up enough courage. Then there is the thought – I could do both. Could I? Really? Then I would (hopefully!) get a Coast to Coast medal. But a month apart? With the first one at the end of January? January is a bad month for me work-wise. Oh yeah, work. I still have no idea what I’ll be doing (or for how long). Is it smart to sign up for two races so close together? Is it physically smart? And is it fiscally smart? And let’s throw in mentally while we are at it! But then I’d be done. I’d basically have one long training build-up and then maintain for another couple of weeks. This actually might be the best way for me to do it. Hmm… That would translate into starting training in October-ish, which works out with triathlon season being over.  Not that I’m doing too many triathlons this year (in fact I think I’m only doing 1), but still it would be nice to finish up my triathlon and then solely focus on running. What to do? What to do?


Thanks for bearing with me as I sort through all the confusion in my head. I will probably continue to hem and haw and see-saw back and forth for awhile before making up my mind. I am not a good decision maker. Scratch that. I have difficulty making decisions. Anyone else thinking of doing one or the other? Princess or Tinkerbell? Neither? Both?

Here we go!

In a moment of "oh yeah, I can totally do that" I signed up for a race.  That's right.  A race!  In two weeks!!  Oh boy.  Apparently now that I am moving better, my love of all things race kicked in (race t-shirts, medals, start lines, finish lines, expos, and goody bags).  This race has an option for a 5K Run or a 5K Walk.  And you have to register for one or the other.  Now here is the dilemma - obviously I will be walking way more than I will be running this 5K.  But I will be attempting to run at least part of it.  Does that make me part of the Run or the Walk?  What to choose?  I tell you I was very torn over this issue.  I wavered back and forth and forth and back.  In the end I signed up for the run (after realizing both the run and walk started at the same time) because I always think back to my first half marathon (many, many years ago and I walked the entire thing) and the race official was telling us if you are a walker, you should be walking, not running.  Since I am pretty sure I will be able to run a little bit, that's what I signed up to do.  Wow, this will be my first race in about 5 months!  Now, what to wear?  And what playlist?  All these exciting decisions to make!

Ready or Not!

Woohoo!! Tomorrow morning I will be boarding a plane for WDW!! And on Sunday I will be running 13.1 miles. Or you know - running interspersed with walking. Which is a different definition for me than it has been previously – walking interspersed with running.

So let’s see what is on the packing list:

• iPod (complete with half marathon playlist)? Check
• Icy Hot? Check
• Epsom salt? Check
• Running shoes? Check
• Race belt? Check
• Various running outfits? Check
• Compression socks (for after the race)? Check
• Bathing suit (to soak in the pool after the race)? Check
• Tylenol (for before the race)? Check
• Ibuprofen (for after the race)? Check
  

I think I’m ready! Or at least prepared! :) I'm still not exactly sure what I'll be wearing race day. I might be all in black. So much for the pink...

And FYI, while iPods are discouraged, they are not prohibited. So I am not breaking the rules by bringing my iPod, because after all I am a rule follower if nothing else.

My goals for this race? In order of how likely they are to occur:

1. To finish!!
2. To finish in under 3 hours and 30 minutes
3. To finish in under 3 hours (this would be absolutely amazing!! And would probably mean no bathroom or picture stops.)
   

Oh, and a final tally on Operation 5 to 10? I’m down about 4.5 lbs, which isn't bad and hopefully will translate into a few seconds off my normal pace!