Injuries

Leading up to our first Disney race, I spent a lot of time injured during our training My calves were always tight, my inner thigh was always strained, I needed to lose about 100 pounds (still do – but this isn’t about weight loss; if that happens it’s a bonus). Our longest run prior to the Tower of Terror 10 miler was about a month before the race at 8 miles.

And here I am today – once again injured. We are 34 days out from out next scheduled half marathon, and I haven’t been able to run (let alone walk without pain) since August 22nd. It’s a miserable feeling. Especially missing the group runs with my family – sure, I get to make sure there’s a patio table waiting for everyone at Starbucks when they’re done, but I’d rather be running!

The race we have next month is one that J and I signed up for last November. We did this one in 2014, too. I had to walk it due to a hip injury. I was really excited to do this one running this year! It’s a super flat course with some nice views at the end, but now it looks like I may not even be able to walk it this time around. It’s disappointing, but it’s not the end of the world. I am still hopeful that I will fully heal in time to participate this year!

Meanwhile, I’m excited about early Annual Passholder registration for runDisney’s new Star Wars race weekend at Disney World, which opens (and probably closes shortly afterwards) tomorrow at noon. I know I’m currently injured, and I have a half dozen other races between now and then, but I have so much fun at Disney races that I can’t deny the irresistible force.

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Why stop there?

We committed to running the Tower of Terror 10 miler by the middle of January. Yet, all the time I spent on rundisney.com put other ideas into my head, beyond running only the 10 miler. I decided I was also going to start training for my first half marathon – the Wine and Dine half marathon held the second weekend in November. While the Tower of Terror 10 miler had a Villains themed after party (and I do love my villains), the Wine and Dine half marathon after party took place around the World Showcase at Epcot, with the Food and Wine Festival booths open until 4:00am! How could I resist an after party at one of my favorite events? I couldn’t. But why stop there? I mean, the marathon stories inspired me so much, why not keep going, and train for my first full marathon? If I’m going to run 26.2 miles, I want to have as much fun as possible doing so, and to me, Disney = Fun!

J was in for the 10 miler, he thought it sounded fun, and he started looking for local races for us to run. Being in retail, Wine and Dine was out (no time off in November) for J, and wisely, he had no desire to run a full, so I would be on my own for those two races. However, Amy came through, and decided to do all three races with me. We knew we would train together and run the races together – we would have a fantastic time!

It would be a blast…