So yeah, it's been a while since I've updated this journal. There have been 3 major running related updates since last time. So, here they are in chronological order:
1. I signed up for the 2018 runDisney virtual shorts series. I had been considering this anyways since I love The Incredibles and virtual 5Ks are a different animal than the virtual half I ran for the Kessel Run this year. The free backpack for registering at the Dark Side Expo pushed me over the top. I figure this will work well to keep me running. Historically, I always struggle to start up again after a goal race.
2. I successfully completed the 2018 Star Wars The Dark Side races. I'm threatening to have an actual race report with photos and such later, but I also want to actually finish the Avengers race report I started last year. I'm quite good at starting race reports. Finishing them is a very different matter. I'll at least post brief recaps below.
5K: This marked my very first 5K. Different I know, but here we are. Knowing they didn't time this event helped me to take it slowly. Very, very slowly. I would describe most of my pace as a leisurely walk. But I loved that aspect of it. I love Epcot, so seeing it in the early light of dawn was beautiful. I managed to lose my drivers license and emergency race money at the Emperor's Throne photo stop. This means that the new race belt I purchased and tested for this race failed miserably. It will not be coming back again. Fortunately, runDisney found it and before the race was even over, I saw a message on my phone from the Orlando area code. Sure enough it was runDisney letting me know where to pick it up. Weeks later I also had another notification from the day of the 5K on Facebook from a different runDisney employee telling me where to find the lost and found along with a photo. So, have your cell phone number on items that you don't want to lose if you need to carry them. And check social media accounts even if you rarely do.
As I mentioned earlier, I loved the race itself. I stopped for a lot of photos including some fun ones with very creative costumes from other runners who became their own photo stop and the 501st right after exiting Epcot and heading towards mile 3. I also couldn't pass up the line to get a photo with a stormtrooper in front of Spaceship Earth. How awesome is that?
So I finished in around 90 minutes. After finally confirming the voice mail was about my lost drivers license, I found lost and found, met up with my little sister and headed back to the resort.
10K: I love this distance. It may actually be my favorite because it's long enough to be a challenge, but not so long as to take over the day like a half does. Lots of character photos again. I think the biggest lesson I learned was the importance of not tiring my legs before the race. Before the 5K, I decided the character lines were too long and skipped them. My sister and I headed right for the corral. Standing around in the corral took a toll on my legs. Before the 10K, I decided to get in a line to at least keep moving. Worked like a charm. Note number two about pre race lines. When runDisney starts to tell you that the characters will leave at a set time, this means two things. First, the characters will leave at that time. Second, the line will start to move very quickly. Don't give up hope. You just might make it unless you're very far away from the front of the line. And if you're in a later corral, it's fun to take photos in front of the now characterless backdrops with just you and/or your friends once the characters leave.
Finished the race. People were very terrified of the balloon ladies as the balloon ladies ran through Epcot, but at that point, runners were safe from the sweeper. So I remind people once again. You will be warned if you are in danger of being swept. You can finish the race "behind" the time so long as you finish before the actual sweep time. So while my chip time was over 1 hour and 40 minutes, I was far enough ahead of the actual sweep point that I was never in any danger. If you're close to being swept they will tell you. Don't expend your energy fearing that unless you need to. For obvious reasons, that time will do me no good for corral placement. But that's not why I run Disney races.
Half: As much as I love the 10K, I really love the Disney half races. The energy is different and there are more photo stops. Even if I don't stop for them all, I love seeing them. This year I had a specific goal in mind. I was going to skip photo stops I had done before including previous years in order to "save" that time up for new photo stops. While I broke that rule almost immediately for the Emperor's Throne, it had an extremely short line and I felt like I needed a brief break. So that worked well. This new strategy resulted in me getting a photo with the Ewoks and I decided to stop for Darth Vader with snow troopers just outside Animal Kingdom because this was from my favorite Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back. Somewhere between Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, I noticed I was consistently with the 6:15 Galloway pace group. I decided to start running with them for as long as I wanted to as a test. I wasn't concerned about keeping that pace up, but rather I wanted to learn how running with a pace group felt like for reasons related to the marathon. I used this race weekend as a test of sorts for marathon weekend next year. How do I fare after 3 consecutive races? What's it like running with a pace group? I wanted to try that in case I need to run with a pace group during the marathon. This also allowed me to ask a few questions of the lady leading the pace group about the marathon. All in all, this worked well.
I left the pace group for the Kylo Ren and Rey photo shortly after entering Hollywood Studios. I tried to see if I could catch back up with them, but when my knee began to bother me, I decided caution was the better part of valor and resumed my pace. After all, they will tell me if I'm in any danger of being swept. I saw one runner badly injured after entering Epcot. His friends were actually helping hold him up. I do not know if they were waiting to reach a medical tent or if they were going to support him all the way to the finish line. I could tell that the situation was under control so I moved on. I also passed a girl in tears. I could tell she was in pain and made sure she was all right. She told me that it was just a blister, and while it hurt badly, it would not prevent her from finishing. Sometimes I wonder if I should have offered to help make sure she finished, but I didn't. Should I have? Would it have been awkward since I'm a guy? Maybe I'm overthinking it.
At any rate, I continued on my way. At least until exiting Epcot. That's when I saw the line. The really long line for the Empire. So I got in it. And waited for a very long time. And that's okay. When else am I going to get a picture with Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, the Royal Guard, stormtroopers and Imperial officers? I suspect that the girl with blisters probably finished well before I did. But that's okay. My official time was 3:37. It would have been much faster, but for that Imperial photo stop right before the finish line. But by that point, I knew I was safe. I wasn't getting swept. And they would warn me if I was risking it.
After the race, I collected my medals and got in line for Darth Vader. My little sister joined me. I also got a picture with Boba Fett, Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, and BB-8. These lines tend to shrink down a lot near the end. Keep that in mind.
3. I felt surprisingly strong after the half and on Monday. Strong enough that later that week, I took the plunge and upgraded to an annual pass. Why would I do that? Well, there's a little thing called marathon weekend 2019. And I'm at least partially committed to it. Today I put a deposit down on a room reservation. All that's left now is to actually register for the marathon. I'm very committed to the marathon itself and am leaning towards at least Goofy, if not Dopey. While this will be my first marathon, I've run 9 half marathons. I know it's possible. I just have to prepare for it.
April miles update: 41.6. This number only includes running. It does not include any other miles accumulated while visiting Walt Disney World before and after the races.
May miles update: 6.86. This number reflects 2 self imposed weeks off after race weekend and 5 days afterwards in Walt Disney World. It also got adjusted because the week I would have returned to running instead saw me head down to
Disneyland with my nephews. I also took in the Disneyland After Dark Star Wars Nite while down there. That may be one of the best times I've ever spent in Disneyland. Being a Jedi in Disneyland is incredible. If I follow through on my intent to write full race reports, Disneyland After Dark has to show up too.