13.1 Before I Hit 40 - Running my 1st 1/2 Marathon at Disney uptd 09/30

[If U Had Wings]

I am probably the least athletic person you will ever meet.

Honestly.

I learned early on as a kid, that I had practically no talent at all when it came to anything that went on in gym class. In grammer school I was never able to get myself up on a balance beam. I never caught or hit a softball, and I could never even hang on the pull up bar let alone do an actual chin up. In high school I virtually gave up. I'd participate in the select few activities I could do without embarassing myself (swimming and floor hockey) and then skip as many gym classes I could before they'd fail me. When I'd run out of excuses for why I couldn't participate, I'd throw myself on the mercy of my gym teachers to be excused from softball, volleyball, lacrosse, flag football etc. if they'd let me run.

Not that I'd actually run.

Me and the other small handful of gym class rejects would walk up and down the pool hallway chatting, only running in front of the doors that opened up to the gym in case the teacher happened to be looking out. Invariably we'd get caught not running and be forced to run a lap under supervision and then return to our leisurely walk as soon as we were out of eyesight again.

Because honestly running was the worst activity possible in my mind. I'd run about 5 steps before doubling up with a side stitch and be gasping for breath. I hated it with every fiber of my being.

Which is why none of my longtime friends or family can believe that the entire point of my October Disney trip is to run the Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon. Really though, no one is more amazed by this fact than me.

About a year ago I started reading the WISH forums here on the Dis boards, and became fascinated with all the "normal" people training to run the Disney races. It intrigued me enough to do some research, where I found out about the book The Courage to Start by John Bingham. The more I read it, the more I wanted to try to run. I've never identified with a book so much in my life. Maybe it's the point in my life that I'm at. I feel like I've failed at so many things. At age 39 I'm nowhere were I thought I'd be in my life. I feel like I'm passing through life, failing at most things, and skimming by on the rest. I never thought I'd end up alone, in a brainless job, living paycheck to paycheck, finding nothing that really fullfills me.

I want to cross a finish line. I want to have that moment when I actually succeed and do what I set out to do. I don't think I ever really realized how much I need to feel that. I have no delusions of winning. I don't even care if I'm dead last. (Honestly I expect to be dead last). I just want to cross that finish line. For me, because I always told myself I couldn't do it.

I finished the C25K program back in September. I cried when I ran for 30 minutes straight, because I never thought I'd ever be able to do that. Now I'm ready to start training for the 1/2.

I'm going for 13.1 miles before I hit age 40.

While this thread is going to mainly be about my trip planning, it will probably touch a bit on my training along the way. If anyone is at all interested in the training part, I'll be keeping up with that primarily on my blog. I've added the web address to my profile, so if you click on my name over my avatar you can access it that way.

[If U Had Wings]

So now that I've babbled about why I'm doing something as crazy as running 13.1 miles, how about a bit of background?

I just turned 39 this past October, and have been completely addicted to Disney World since my first visit at age 9. I live in southern Connecticut, but work in New York city my second favorite place in the world. (Right after Disney World of course). No kids, but I have 2 beautiful, intelligent nieces that I couldn't adore more if they were mine.



I'm the planner for this trip. Joining me on this trip is my BFF, who has zero interest in planning and is happy to let me do everything. We've been friends since working at part time job together back in college. She joined me on my last Disney trip, and she'll be joining me for the 1/2 marathon as well. Unfortunately she moved south a few years ago, so we can't really train together.

As of right now everything else is up in the air. We'll be arriving on Oct. 1, but I still haven't figured out when we are leaving. It all depends on if we add on days at Universal, but there will be more on that later. I'm still up in the air about what resort to choose.

Lots of plans still to make. I'm 8 months out, and I feel woefully behind. Is that the sign of a Disser or what?

The Plans:
- Room Dilemas
- Deadlocked and Sidetracked
- Flights and Mess Ups
- It's Official
- It's All About the Food
- Treadmill Phobic
- How Many Days is Enough?
- I Think Disney is Messing with my Head
- Training at a Complete Screeching Halt
- Preliminary Plans for Day 1
- Itinerary Version 1.0
- ADRS and Itinerary Version 1.1
- Party at the Hard Rock
- A MNSSHP Quandry
- Woefully Unprepared and Flailing Miserably
- Five Things I Learned During My First Race...
- Changing the Training Plan up a Bit
- A MNSSHP Quandry Part 2
- Training Issues and Some Costume Narrowing
- And After All That...None of the Above
- Achilles Heel Exposed
- Plan Tweeking Possibly Necessary?
- Incognito...yet again
- The Most Horrible Training Run Ever
- A Few Last Plans
- 18 Days to Go and a Some Heartfelt Honesty
- A Bit Renergized
- Miscellaneous Thoughts
- 4 Days and Counting!
- 2 Days and Counting!
- La La La La La
- 16 Hours and Counting

[Flossbolna]

Just saw the link in your signature!! Great start to your PTR, you really can't start those early enough! I think it will be a great motivation for training to have this going on! I will need to check out your blog as well! I am still thinking about the 1/2 marathon (which I would think of as 21 km coming from a metric country ) next January.

It's wonderful that your BFF is going to run with you!

I will be looking forward to read about your planning!

[If U Had Wings]

Originally Posted by Flossbolna

Just saw the link in your signature!! Great start to your PTR, you really can't start those early enough! I think it will be a great motivation for training to have this going on! I will need to check out your blog as well! I am still thinking about the 1/2 marathon (which I would think of as 21 km coming from a metric country ) next January.

It's wonderful that your BFF is going to run with you!

I will be looking forward to read about your planning!

It's sad that I feel so far behind and I'm still more than 8 months out. I have issues obviously. I have no idea where I'm going to be staying for this trip.

I had been talking to my BFF over the summer about the John Bingham book and running, and she picked it up herself. She felt the same way about it, and became inspired to want to try it too. I just wish we still lived close to each other so we could train together.

[All7OfUs]

Hey Wings!

Just wanted to let you know I am here!! Ready for a PRE-trip party- and what is this??!! A half?? Going back to read now. Will comment tomorrow!!

[Native NYer]

Joining in.

I think I'm going to order that book.

[Lady Lallie]

WOO HOO!! I am so proud of you. I wish I could be there to cheer you on.

[PracPerfPatricia]

Subbing on...can't wait...

[All7OfUs]

Crissy, it takes a ton of courage and resolve to do what you are doing! I'm so proud of you! I know that you will make it and do well- I can hear it in the way you've so passionately poured out your heart here. This will be fun to follow and I can't wait to cheer you on!!

Now run, and be free from these lies that the Enemy is telling you!! You are loved with an Everlasting Love!

[If U Had Wings]

Originally Posted by Native NYer

Joining in.

I think I'm going to order that book.

I think the books are amazing. I've read a few of them now, but Courage to Start is the one that really got me going. It's very empowering. I love that it focuses on just trying.

Originally Posted by Lady Lallie

WOO HOO!! I am so proud of you. I wish I could be there to cheer you on.

Thanks! I'm a bit nervous about it, but I have nearly 9 months to get ready for it. I feel like I could walk 13.1 miles, but not at a 16 min. mile pace. It's just a matter of building up some speed. Hopefully as pounds fall off it will become a bit easier too.

Originally Posted by PracPerfPatricia

Subbing on...can't wait...

Welcome! It's going to be a very different trip that's for sure.

Originally Posted by All7OfUs

Crissy, it takes a ton of courage and resolve to do what you are doing! I'm so proud of you! I know that you will make it and do well- I can hear it in the way you've so passionately poured out your heart here. This will be fun to follow and I can't wait to cheer you on!!

Now run, and be free from these lies that the Enemy is telling you!! You are loved with an Everlasting Love!

I don't know when I've ever felt quite so driven to do something as I have this. I still find it odd that running is thing I've become obsessed with doing.

[maroo]

Oh...

I am SO in for this!

You rock!

[TarzansKat]

I could have sworn I posted! Well, I'm all subscribed up and can't wait.

What a wonderful idea. I will be cheering you on the whole way, through the whole process! It's so awesome that you're doing something for yourself, and at the end you can say, I did it.

[If U Had Wings]

Originally Posted by maroo

Oh...

I am SO in for this!

You rock!

Thanks! The thought of running 13.1 miles is a bit overwhelming sometimes, but then again I never thought I'd be able to run 3 miles either. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Originally Posted by TarzansKat

I could have sworn I posted! Well, I'm all subscribed up and can't wait.

What a wonderful idea. I will be cheering you on the whole way, through the whole process! It's so awesome that you're doing something for yourself, and at the end you can say, I did it.

Thank you!

After getting having a good chuckle my brother has been really supportive. (And really I don't blame him for the chuckle, I get a good laugh out of it myself). He's challenged me to a local spring 10k race, so I'm thinking of taking him up on it. He's doing the half marathon then, so I'm thinking maybe I'll get my SIL to train with me for the 10k.

[If U Had Wings]

For a trip that I'm taking in less than 9 months the planning for this is going fairly slow.

For me anyways.

Usually by now I'd have a room booked, and I'd be making preliminary dining plans. So far for this trip, nothing. Not without good reason though.

I really wanted to try a new resort this trip. I had been thinking of CBR or the WL, but then I hit a little glitch. For all of the Disney Endurance events they set a few resorts as "official" event resorts. They offer discounts for these resorts, and more importantly they offer transportation to and from the events from these resorts. The Wine and Dine 1/2 Marathon is a night race followed by a party at Epcot that ends at 3am so the transportation is going to be fairly important. They haven't released the special room rates yet, but they've said that the resorts are going to be All Star Sports, Port Orleans French Quarter, the Poly and the Yacht Club.

I've stayed at three of those. The only one I haven't stayed at yet is the Yacht Club. Right now I'm leaning towards POFQ. I'll be touching on my overall thoughts on AsSp later in my current trip report, but for now I'll just say that I enjoyed it there, but as this trip is really celebrating my 40th birthday I'd like to stay somewhere a bit more relaxing and plush if possible. I've pretty much ruled the Poly out due to cost. It tends to be higher than the rest of the deluxes other than the GF and I really can't justify spending that much.

That's leaving the Yacht Club out there. I'm hoping that they offer a good deal for that one, because I really liked the looks of it when I was there in December. I did a quick look at what the base rates are for that time of year and the problem is that standard view rooms are already filled. Bumping up to a deluxe is a big upgrade alone for me, I can't really justify spending more money just for a water/pool view.

My other little problem is that my December Boardwalk stay has completely spoiled me. I want to go back there for my birthday trip so badly!! Of course besides the fact there won't be a discount offered by Disney Endurance, there is also the issue that there won't be transportation home from the resort. I've already started to justify that though in my head by telling myself that it's just a short walk around the lake.

The discount rates are going to be released on 2/1 so I'm trying to hold off until then. It's killing me though to have no room booked.

[Lady Lallie]

I think you should really spoil yourself on this trip. Go BIG!