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Long story short, I had every intention to sign up for the 5K and 10K. Eliot and his sisters were going to do the challenge together. Eliot's dad was going to do the half and his mother was going to do the 5K and 10K as well. We all went into registration day with a solid plan of who was signing each person up, and what order to do it in.
When it came time to sign up for everything, I took on a monster load when Eliot couldn't get in. I signed myself up for my 5K, then did Elissa's challenge, then Eliot's when he was still locked out. By the time I went to get my 10K (which Eliot was supposed to do first) it had sold out and Eliot never got into the sign up.
I left the house to head into work devastated that I didn't get into my top choice. After a very tearful car ride... I'd decided to dive in head first. When I arrived at work, I sat out in the car long enough to complete insanity. I signed up for the challenge.
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The event takes place at Walt Disney World February 21st to 24th. The 5K is that Friday. Then, the Fairy Tale Challenge (previously the Glass Slipper Challenge) consists of the Enchanted 10K Saturday and the Princess Half Marathon Sunday. So for those of you counting, that's 22.4 miles total in three days. (Again, I plead insanity.)
I haven't had much luck with runDisney events in the past. But, I have finished two 10Ks at this point. I've always dreamed of finishing a half marathon and of completing a challenge. In fact, what finally tipped the scale to me deciding to do it, was looking at my 30 Things to do in my 30's list a few days before registration. Knowing that I'd have more time after leaving my job, I recently went back through my list to gain some perspective on my future. That's when I stumbled across #12 Complete a Disney Half Marathon and #18 Complete a Disney Race Challenge.
So, here I sit, signed up for the 5K, 10K and the half marathon. Thankfully, I ended up roping Eliot into the 5K with me too. We're both doing all three races together. And I've officially hit the crazy level. I don't even like running. Not even a little bit.
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But, what's most crazy, is that I'm actually excited about it. I decided that training would start as soon as I was done with work. Since yesterday was my last day in the office with patients, training will start any day now. I'm not sure how many hours I'll be at work tying up loose ends next week, but I'm hoping to get a few workouts in. I have a goal to finalize my training plan this weekend. Then, hello Mr. Treadmill!
Today marks exactly 26 weeks until the 5K. It's 180 days- or about half a year. That's plenty of time to properly train and prepare for this event. Right? I can do this.
Right now, I'm feeling optimistic about this one. I've never truly taken the time to train for a race. And I've never stuck to the training plan. I haven't put in much effort in the past. Now, I don't have time as an excuse. I can make my own schedule and I can plan my day around my work outs. My gut tells me it's now or never. So, let's do this.
Here's to another runDisney adventure!!! Hopefully this one has a happy ending! °o°