runDisney Virtual Run

runDisney has made yet another announcement for a new race, but it's a race that's doable for pretty much everyone.  It's a virtual race, well actually the Virtual Running Shorts that includes three 5ks and of course a challenge to do all 3.  The series include the Yellow Shoes, Red Pants, and White Glove 5ks and the Running Shorts, which includes all 3 races.

Some may say that this race is just a ploy to get more money out of the runners, like myself, who are hopelessly addicted to the already expensive runDisney races.  I'm not fighting that opinion, but I'm also loving the idea of earning medals while training for these other races.  The prices aren't too crazy and just about where I'd pay for local 5ks and the one other virtual race I do.

When it comes to the virtual races, you really are just paying for a medal and it's up to your morals as to whether or not you actually run the distance required for the event.  There usually isn't a proof of time required and if you wanted to you could sit on your couch and collect the medal without doing anything.  Luckily, I don't have that issue and I'd be hitting the road one way or another so I might as well get a little reward here and there for the training and put some money towards a good cause.

I've been discussing the race with a few running groups and some of the runners are signing up and looking to give their medals to their kids.  They are using it as a reason to get their kids out there and be active, and better yet do it together as a family.  I think that has been one of the best reasons for someone signing up so far!

The first race (yellow shoes) isn't supposed to happen until May 15th so I have a little bit of time until then.  I'll actually be on Disney property during the time frame for that race so I figured I should run that 5k around my resort.  Stay tuned for that update!

Another Race On The Schedule

I know I said I was only going to do a few races before Dopey, but that list is already growing.  I have the Lumiere challenge and a few 5ks this year, just like planned.  But next year I have now added the 20th Anniversary Donald's Half Marathon to this list.

That means I now have four halves before the Dopey challenge and three of which are paired with a 10k as a challenge.  I guess my training will definitely be constant and hopefully by the time 2018 rolls around I'll be back and ready for the Dopey!

I think the best news about signing up for the half marathon in January is the fact that I convinced my roommate to do it with me and then we have a bunch of people from work also signed up.  While I don't really like running the race with people (I did it once which was great, but it was with a close friend and we had similar paces), I am happy we're making it a social event.  It will just make it that much better.  This is just helping me get more and more prepared for my challenge, but it is helping my roommate keep running and staying healthy as she's had a tendency to quit when things get hard.  We're helping push each other and the rewards will be sweet...

Celebrating Earth Day!

When you work in the field of Conservation Education... today happens to be a big day, it's Earth Day!  So I've been celebrating it in two ways.

First, I went out for a run that ended up being a really, really good 6 mile run.  I headed out this morning before the moon set and the sun had rose.  It was a really nice sun rise run.  Overall, the run felt strong and when I got home I just had a feeling of accomplishment.  Plus nothing was hurting yet, a little tight, but nothing screaming.

Even though I killed it on the roads this morning, I was still excited to get out on some of the local waterways and try stand up paddling.

Stand up paddling is rough when you've just run 6 miles and your calves are a bit tight, but I wouldn't say it's hard.  It just takes all different muscles really.  It works on your balance and core muscles with some arm muscles as well.  For the most part you plant your feet on the board and they don't really move.  I did drop to my knees once when I was trying to balance and take pictures at the same time, and that gave me a nice break from the standing.

The paddle was a relaxing break from everything.  We pretty much had the whole waterway to ourselves.  Not too many animals were out, other than some fish, turtles, and birds.  Yet the scenery was breath taking and even though it was an hour, paddling really let us reset ourselves and forget about everything else.  My roommate and I did agree that this was something we needed to keep doing, for the fresh air factor and the relaxation.

Happy Earth Day everyone!  I hope you were able to get outside and enjoy it!

Needed Motivation

I had that nice rest day last Monday and I felt really good about it, but after that I had another rest day... and another one... and an easy workout... etc.  It really wasn't the best week for me when it comes to training, or my diet if I'm completely honest.

I do know that these weeks happen which is why I'm not totally heartbroken over it.  It's just so hard to get going again when you've been sick and your body gets used to resting so much.  It's almost like starting over from the beginning again.

Luckily I've had some inspiration which has been whispering words of encouragement and motivations.

The first was that I received my medal for the Run3rd 5k.  It's a great event held in Mesa, AZ and virtually.  I obviously do the virtual race, but since most of my runs are at least 3.1 miles long, I feel good about it.  #Run3rd is Sean Astin's foundation for really everything... as the medal and the group likes to say "1st I run for me, 2nd I run for my family, 3rd I run for YOU".  It's really about supporting any and all charities or reason that we run, which was something I knew I could get behind since I heard about it.  For more information on #run3rd, you can visit their blog here.


Second, I was able to watch some of the Inaugural Star Wars Dark Side 10K this morning.  Of course that just made me more excited to get running again and be ready for Lumiere's Two Plate Challenge.  I want to be running out there in the parks and I want to earn my own medal again.  The only way I'm going to do that and meet all of my other goals is to get training again.

So with those to pieces of motivation I was able to get back out on the road today when I got home from the race.  I got in 3.5 miles, which I was happy with, but I was definitely tired and hurting, which I totally deserved.  So here comes the hard part to get back to where I was before this month and to get back to those long runs which are motivating in themselves...

I Could Have Run...

My Mondays are usually my late days, thus leaving me with enough time to run before work.  However, this morning, while I did in fact wake up with enough time to run, I chose the comfort of my bed and time to relax.

While one day of my weekend was nice and relaxing, I still got my runs in and was lucky enough to get wet on a river dive yesterday.  So I think I deserve one morning of rest.  Yes my next few workouts will be done in the late afternoon or evening after work, which some of you know I don't really prefer, but I will still get them done. 

Sometimes this is just what you need though.  A nice, lazy morning where you don't have to do anything.  I won't be sore going into work (kind of... my arms aren't happy from carrying a bunch of my gear around yesterday), I'll just be relaxed and ready to take on the day.  

The nice thing is, I don't feel guilty at all.  If I hadn't done much over the weekend, then I'd be sitting here regretting my decision, but that's just simply not the case.  

So here's to having a good day and a good week!