Run Disney- Round 2

In the summer of 2014 I signed up to run the inaugural Disneyland Star Wars 10k. They always make you sign up for those races months in advance, so I had until January 17, 2015 to train.

I told myself I had plenty of time and, since I had done a 10k before, I was going to be just fine! Not long after I signed up, I ran my first Ragnar race. I was wiped out by the time that weekend was over and I told myself I deserved a break from running.... a week at least!

Well, a week turned into two.... and two weeks turned into a month! At that point, it was the middle of summer and it was hot.... really hot!! I told myself every night after work that it was way to hot and there was no way I could run outside! I told myself that if I waited until September, I would still have plenty of time to prepare.

Procrastination and justification are a bad combo.....

Before I knew it, it was October. It had been three and a half months since my last run, or any other kind of workout for that matter! Not only that, but winter was coming and my running outside days were going to be numbered.

I, of course, started to get a little stressed about how the race was going to go. I went for my first run annnnnd......... It didn't go well. I don't remember how far I made it before I gave up, but I would say it was probably less than a mile. My next few runs were not much better. One of my biggest obstacles was my weight. I had gained quite a bit over the summer and I could definitely feel it! My calves ached every single time I went out! And I felt like I was losing circulation in my feet.

Self doubt kicked in big time and I wondered why in the world I was even attempting to run! My self-conversations during a run went something like this:

            “Why in the heck are you doing this”

            “You hate running... you've always hated running”

            “You're not a runner, you are not cut out for this”

            “You are way to fat to be trying to run this kind of race”

            “There is absolutely no way you are going to be ready for the race. Why are

            you trying anyway”

It was rough. I told myself over and over I hated running. I had to force myself to go out each night and I was miserable the whole entire time. I would get discouraged after every short run and would be overwhelmed with frustration when I got home.

I had lost all motivation to be a runner! It got so bad, that I considered just not showing up for the race at all..... I knew I'd be throwing over $100 down the drain, but I told myself it would be better to not show up at all than to be humiliated by not finishing the race!

Daylight savings came, so my evening runs were now in the dark.

And cold. 

There were nights when it was freezing....when I couldn't feel my nose, fingers or ears! 

But, I told myself that was the price I had to pay for slacking off in the summer!

Believe it or not, running actually got slightly easier on those cold dark nights! It was sort of peaceful to be out alone in the chilly air. I still couldn't run a mile without stopping, but I would usually run miles two and three without a break, so that was progress!

I was also extremely blessed because we had an insanely mild winter. My plan had been to run outside as long as possible, and once the snow started flying, I was going to hit the treadmill. I wasn't excited about treadmill running, only because, for me, I don't feel like I get the same kind of workout. I feel like I can go faster and further on the treadmill, which definitely doesn't help when it comes time to run on the pavement! My last resort was going to the the rec center track. Track running is super hard for me..... I get bored looking at the same walls for 30+ laps!! But like I said, I was blessed with dry roads and was able to run outside until the week of Christmas.

We got our first snow storm on Christmas day, so for the next few weeks, I went to the gym. Sometimes I'd use the treadmill, but I mostly worked out on the elliptical machine. I felt pretty bad about it.... because I was worried that I wasn't getting the kind of workout I needed. But, I figured it was better than nothing.

January came and my nerves set it. I knew I wasn't where I needed to be, especially since my longest outdoor run had been 3.60 miles! And as if that wasn't bad enough, my pace was very very slow! All of my self-doubt came back and I again considered just skipping the race!

The night before I left for California, I was a mess. All I could think about was being picked up by the pacing cart. I did not want to be the fat girl who couldn't make it through the race and had to be driven to the finish line.

I needed all of the help I could get at that point and asked my dad if he would give me a blessing. In my head, I was thinking “I need him to bless me that I'll be able to run faster and farther that I've been able to in the past few weeks”. My dad is amazing and he knew exactly what to say! He didn't say the exact phrase I was hoping for, but what he said helped me feel peace, and really, what's better than that!

Once my friend Miranda and I made it to California, we went to the Health and Fitness Expo at the Disneyland hotel to pick up our race packet! That was the moment I finally started to get excited about the race! There is just something that pumps you up about holding your race bib and tech shirt!

We walked around the expo for awhile, checking out the vendors and buying some cool stuff. We didn't stay too long though because we wanted to go over to Disneyland! We rode a couple of rides and did some shopping. But we also made sure we had time to carbo-load and we ended up at Pizza Port for some delicious pasta and bread sticks. We didn't stay very late, because we knew we had to get up really early for race day!

(We went into the Star Trader store in tomorrow land because I REALLY wanted

to get a lightsaber to go along with my costume! They had basic ones.... that cost $12!
Or you could build your own sweet lightsaber.... that started at $20.
I seriously debated what to do...
I wanted a blue lightsaber SO bad!
In the end, I couldn't justify spending that kind of money on something that I would

only use to take a few pictures.)

Back at the hotel, we set out our running gear and laid out our costumes. We set the alarm for 3:40 a.m. and we were in bed by 9:30 p.m!