Convince me that the W&D relay will be fun

[Disneefun]

When they announced the W&D race, I was planning to be all over the half. Having done 2 goofys, and several other fulls and halfs I figured it would be a no-brainer. Well, fast forward several months and I've had a couple of nasty injuries and illnesses and I haven't been able to do a lot besides yoga and pilates since christmas. I finally got back to walk/running a month ago, but it's been slow progress to get into anything resembling my former shape.

I know now that the half will probably be too much. If I had a couple more months.... We have reservations for race weekend and DH really wants to go (I was of the opinion to just cancel whole whole thing and maybe go in Jan., but there are scheduling conflicts with that). So, the option left to us is the relay.

Part of me thinks it will be fun, but the other part of me thinks that seeing all the halfers and their (likely cooler than the relay's) medals will make me feel like I settled or something. And I don't want to pay $200 to feel like I missed out on something. I know it sounds weird, but I'm so used to doing the longer distances I'm afraid the relay is somehow going to make me feel like I missed out. I know I should just go and do what I'm capable of and be proud of it, but I'm just not sure the relay is going to be that much fun.

Since registration is nearing capacity, I have to decide soon. Help convince me that the relay will be way cool and I'll have fun. Help this former distance chick deal with the loss of her distance legs!

 

[FireDancer]

I think instead of looking at it as doing the half vs. doing the relay look at it as doing the relay vs. doing nothing. Since you have ruled out the half it isn't really like you are choosing the relay over it, you are choosing the relay over doing no race.

If you look at it that way the relay medal, even if it is not as nice as the half medal, will be better then none at all. To be hones though, I think the medal will be very close. I've seen a lot of relay medals that are the exact same as the full race medal but has relay printed on it somewhere.

Of course you could always do the relay and then if all goes well come back in January to do the half or full solo. That is if the scheduling conflict is with your husband of course.

 

[cewait]

I actually believe that you can be race ready! Not sure what injuries you are overcoming but it's not out of the question that you will be 13.1 ready by the first of October. Maybe it's not at the pace you would like or as easy as your past events have been. Nonetheless, you can still do it!

We are 12 weeks out. If you add 1 mile per week to your current long run you will have a long run near race distance. Even if you go alittle less agressive and peak at the 7-9 mile range, you can do the half distance by then.

 

[Duanerice]

I'm with Charles. If you are not still injured, you have plenty of time to get ready for a half. If you are still injured then that is a different story.

Personally the only way I would do the relay is if my wife ever decided she would actually run a race with me. And right now the chances are very slim.

So, probably not the answer you are looking for but I don't think I'd do the relay if there was any chance at all of finishing the half.

Good luck whatever you decide!
Duane

 

[dizneyfan23]

As far as the medal goes, it's possible that they might be exactly the same, just that the relay people will have a different lanyard.

 

[escape]

Something similar happened to me. I signed up to do the Half in January '09. Due to knee issues, I sat out but went anyway to cheer on fellow WISHers and DH. I thought I might not like sitting out since I'm usually the one participating having completed several halves and a full. However, I had a blast cheering on the other participants - especially fellow WISHers.

In addition to a lot more half-marathons and a Goofy, I've also participated in three relays since '09 and had a blast each time. Two of the relays were for a marathon, the other was for a half. I never thought I would enjoy the shorter distance and, like you, thought I would be "settling" but that was not the case. It's a different type of race and can be just as rewarding. I've talked with others who have had similar experiences with the relays. It's fun being part of a team and cheering for others.

However, as others have mentioned, I do think you have time to train for the half. If you are used to running the whole race, maybe you can do run/walk intervals if necessary or go a little slower and not push yourself. The main thing is that you don't want to re-injure yourself.

I'd give the relay a lot of thought, though. Is it worth $200? Heck, yea! You're at Disney! If you don't like it, you don't have to do it again. Let us know what you decide to do.