Dopey Challenge Review - Part Two - 5k

I woke up 5 minutes before my alarm which was set for 0300. I was impressed I did because I took melatonin the night before to make sure I slept. I'm not used to going to bed so early and when I know I have to be up for something important like this, I usually wake up hourly and I knew I needed rest. Surprisingly I wasn't feeling super tired, I felt decently rested and ready to get going. I was still a little nervous not knowing what to expect for my first runDisney race. There was a lot going on and several things I needed to remember.

I made an electrolyte drink in my room and drank it while I got dressed, did my hair and prepped my run belt with chapstick (it was cold!) and a recovery drink for later. Temperatures were in the mid-50s which is actually perfect running weather for me but was definitely cold while we were standing around beforehand. I packed a Mylar blanket in my run belt too just in case I got too cold standing around in my corral. I wore capri pants with calf length compression socks, a long sleeved tech shirt and zip up top. I ate a Honey Stinger waffle for energy and took a banana and Honey Stinger gel with me to eat in the corral. We had to be there over an hour and a half before the race actually started.

The start line

I got to the bus stop at 3:40am and there was already a line of people and 3 buses waiting. I was on the bus 10 minutes later and arrived at the Epcot parking lot at 4am. I was less nervous about the bus situation having "practiced" the day before by going to the Expo. When I got off the bus I followed the mob to the staging area. Those with bags had them searched while the rest of us walked into the staging area. It was pretty overwhelming when I got there. So many people! There was a map of the course and some signs with directions, DJs playing music, characters, a bag check, a Joffrey's coffee carts and port-o-potty city. I met up with some other friends who were running Dopey near the Joffrey's cart and that calmed my nerves a little.

While waiting to go to the corral I ate my gel and my banana and used the port-o-potty so I wouldn't have to deal with that later. I stretched and then we made our way to the corral. I was glad I had friends with me because the area confused me and I think I would have wasted time trying to figure it out by myself with everything going on and all the people everywhere.

We were at the front of our "wave" (group of 1,000 released from the corral)

There was some amusing entertainment as the race began, commentators got everyone hyped up for the start of each corral and pointed out some of the unique and funny costumes. This is where I made my first rookie mistake. I couldn't figure out where they would release the corrals to go to the start and the side I picked was not the closest. I thought they would release from the front of the pen but they released from the side so we ended up further back in the corral. Not a big deal but that added up when I realized just how long it took to get all those people moving! I had heard there were more runners for the later races so thinking this would be the smallest race, I was shocked when it took us 30 minutes after gun time to cross the start when we were only the second corral!

I crossed the start and hit play on my Epcot Entrance Loop music. This race had a lot of backstage areas where there wasn't a whole lot of music. I saw a bunch of characters including Frontierland Chip & Dale, Gepetto, and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. I wasn't interested in stopping for any of them as the lines looked long so I kept going. For some reason this race felt kinda long at times even though it was the shortest and my training runs are almost a mile longer. But I was enjoying myself, especially as I got to the World Showcase. It was unbelievable to be running there, to see the countries lit up and an empty, sleepy looking Epcot as I ran through the pavilions.

I crossed the finish line around 6:40am (this race wasn't timed and I didn't time myself) was so wrapped up in taking in the surroundings and trying to take in that I was really there running through the parks that when I crossed the finish line I forgot all about getting a medal and was surprised when someone handed me one! Although 3.1 miles has gotten pretty easy for me now, that medal still felt special and like a big accomplishment because it was my first runDisney race. I felt amazing!

Cue my second rookie mistake. After getting my snack box, water and Powerade, I skipped the photos because I didn't know you could hold up a paddle saying "5k - I did it!" All I could see was a super boring looking gray backdrop and what looked like really long lines. I didn't see what the point of that was and I kept moving. I'd heard the lines for the buses would be nuts and I didn't want to wait for 30+ minutes to get back to my resort. I was ready to take a shower! Well the next day I realized about those photos and wish I'd stopped because I bet the lines weren't as long as they looked. That's the only paddle picture out of the 6 that I don't have. I also didn't know that the pre-race characters are still there at the finish. I skipped them in the morning because the lines were all over an hour from the moment I got there but had no idea they were still there after each race until 10k day. Thankfully I found that out before it was too late!

I got to the bus stop at 6:50am and made my recovery shake. I was on the bus 10 minutes later (nowhere near as bad as I thought even though the line looked awful) and I was in my resort room at 7:15am. I made good time! I showered and got dressed before leaving for Magic Kingdom. I got almost to the bus stop when I realized I'd left my medal in my room. I went back to get it and as I returned a bus pulled up. Perfect! We made it to the park just 30 minutes after rope drop and I proceeded to get a well deserved (or at least that's what I told myself) breakfast waffle sandwich at Sleepy Hollow.

I was on cloud 9 all day and enjoyed taking pictures with my medal. I was also super glad I had more races to come. First, I wasn't ready to give up this runner's high, second, I was so nervous about figuring everything out - finding my corral, getting to the bus stop on time, etc., that I didn't feel like I really took it all in and enjoyed it so I was glad for an immediate second chance, and third, now that I'd gotten my feet wet and knew what I was doing, I was ready for my next three races - as intimidating as they still were. I was also ready to see more of Walt Disney World than just the World Showcase.

Unfortunately that night, my refillable mug stopped working and that took some time to get fixed, so I ended up not getting back to my room until 8pm, despite getting back to Pop Century at 7:25pm. Lights out was much later than I anticipated at 9pm which made me nervous for the earlier wake up the next morning.

Dopey Challenge Review - Part One - Expo Day

Let me preface this by explaining where I was at physically before I signed up for Dopey and what my motivation was. I had wanted to participate in a runDisney event since probably 2014 or 2015 when I first found out this was a thing. I had always wanted to do the Expedition Everest Challenge or the Tower of Terror Ten Miler because those sounded the most fun. Well, those both ended a while back and I hadn't really given it much thought since. I was well versed in 5K and 10K races but both were becoming pretty easy and I was looking for a new challenge.

Considering runDisney
I knew a couple people who had completed the Dopey Challenge so I knew about it and thought one day maybe I would do it. Well, two of my friends started to talk about registering for Dopey so I started considering it too around January/February of 2019. I considered other races, really I just wanted to complete a runDisney event but couldn't decide which. I didn't want to do a 5K or 10K because those were getting easy. I considered the half marathon but still thought I didn't want to go all that way for a half. I knew I wanted to complete the full marathon. But did I want to stick to just that? There was also the Goofy Challenge (half and full marathon) or the Dopey Challenge.

Choosing to be Dopey
I decided if I'm going to Disney to race, I should probably go big or go home, and I decided I would run the Dopey Challenge. For those unfamiliar, the Dopey Challenge is all 4 races over marathon weekend: 5K (3.1 miles), 10K (6.2 miles), half marathon (13.1 miles) and full marathon (26.2 miles) for a total of 48.6 miles. I did a ton of research and decided in March 2019 that I wasn't getting any younger, this would probably be an easier undertaking while I was childless, and if I signed up for 2020 I'd have two friends going for moral support. When registration opened in April, I signed up the first day. Many people were shocked when I told them. "But you've never done a half or full marathon before". I know, but there was also a time when I couldn't run a quarter mile and now I run 4 miles three times a week. You have to start somewhere.

Training
I was already running before I registered and I had been solidly for over 2 years. I was also training for another 10K the same month I registered for Dopey. Immediately after that race was over, I started on the official runDisney Dopey Challenge training plan in April 2019. Overall, training went well, but I'll be honest - you can't win them all. Some days I skipped my run, other days my run completely sucked and I questioned why I was doing this at all. But for the most part, my runs went great, I could see amazing progress, I was enjoying myself and I felt a sense of accomplishment. Each milestone gave me more and more confidence in undertaking Dopey. Especially when I completed my first half marathon, which gave me a qualifying time to submit to runDisney as proof of my pace for corral assignment during Dopey. Corrals for the half and full marathon are A-H and I was thrilled when I found out in December that my pace had earned me Corral E. My two friends also received the same corral assignment.

Expo Day
When the trip finally came, the first order of business was to attend the Health & Fitness Expo at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. This is mandatory as the Expo is where you pick up your race bib, which is not available for pick up on race day. Furthermore, you have to show ID to pick up your bib to prevent bib scalping, so each runner must be present at bib pickup. You can't pick up bibs for other people.

We stayed at Disney's Pop Century Resort and each Disney resort offers a bus service from the resort to the Expo and back. Buses started running at 9:30am and we arrived at the bus stop right at 9:30am. There were two buses already lined up and they loaded the first one and off it went, then they began loading the second bus which we got on. The line looked crazy long at first but I'm sure people were lined up prior to the buses running. The line constantly moved once the buses started. We were on our way at 9:40am and arrived at the Expo at 9:55am. Pop was a perfect resort because it was close to both the Expo and the starting line of the races.

The Expo opened at 10am and we went straight to bib pickup. I probably should have gone to the Disney merchandise section first, and I was advised to do so in my runDisney research, the bibs weren't going anywhere but people go nuts for the Disney merch. I didn't because I wanted to see my race shirts before deciding what merchandise to buy. I didn't want to get something too similar to something I already had plus I figured I would need to exchange my shirts for a different size. By 10:25am I had picked up my race bib and shirts, had my photo taken (Dopey Challenge participants have their photo taken with their race bib to verify it was them completing the races), and exchanged my shirts. I stupidly ordered the wrong size and after trying my race shirts on in the bathroom, confirmed they didn't fit. There were a couple of Dopey photo ops at bib pickup but the lines were long and I really didn't care to wait in them since the photo ops were just props.

Shirt Exchange
Exchanging my shirts was kind of a mess. The volunteers at the Dopey shirt pick up (different location to all other race shirt pickups) told me I had to go to another building to exchange. I headed over there and it was the building with all the vendors. We took a peek but I wasn't interested. Everything was regular non-Disney running brands that you can get anywhere. I didn't want to waste time there when I have an amazing running store down the street. I like to support local anyway. I found the shirt exchange booth and was told it was for all shirts except Dopey. The Dopey shirt exchange was where I just came from. Ugh. So I walked all the way back to the first building. There were no signs stating where the exchange was. I went back to the shirt pick up to ask and a volunteer rudely said that was shirt pick up and I clearly had my shirts. Thankfully another volunteer pointed to the end of the table and said I could exchange them there. I needed a women's medium and they had one bag! I tried them on in the bathroom just to be sure - perfect fit. Thank goodness! Now on to the Disney merchandise.

runDisney Official Merchandise
On the way to the building with the Disney merchandise I stopped for a Joffrey's. I hadn't had my morning coffee yet and after that debacle I needed some! By this time it was 10:45am, the Expo had been open less than an hour. We had to line up just to get admittance to the Disney merchandise area - I had been warned. We waited 50 minutes but thankfully it wasn't so bad because it gave me time to drink my delicious mocha.

I got inside and there was so much awesomeness! I wanted to take a picture to show how amazing it was but I also wanted to get done with my shopping fast after waiting so long so I didn't take any. I went down every aisle, picking up things I was interested in as I went so as not to miss out. I didn't really hold back because this would be a one and done event. I wanted to make the most of it and not have regrets. I decided what I wanted and then we joined the checkout line. I was afraid I'd have to wait almost another hour to check out but thankfully it was only 15 minutes. The damage wasn't as bad as I thought thanks to Annual Passholder discount! I got a marathon and Dopey "I did it!" tech t-shirt, a Dopey Challenge jacket, Dopey car magnet, Marathon Weekend 2020 Minnie ears,1st time runner pin, Marathon Weekend 2020 mug, shoe ornament, and a Marathon Weekend 2020 Tervis. My husband got a t-shirt that said "Sleepy Challenge 2020 - I did it! I slept while you ran!"

Pre-Purchased Merchandise Pick Up
After that I needed to pick up some merchandise I had pre-purchased during registration. I got a Marathon Weekend 2020 jacket and Magic Band. The pre-purchase pick up line was an absolute joke. By this time I was done and wanted to leave but the line took another 50 minutes to get through. I couldn't believe it. People have already paid for this stuff, you should hand it over and move along, why is it taking that long? Check out with 2 baskets took 15 minutes and they had to ring me up. I was getting hangry. I picked up my merchandise and moved along to the final booth at the end of the pick up line. Once again my genius self ordered the wrong size. The women's medium didn't fit me either but the Cast Member was nice and exchanged it for a men's small which fit much better.

I'm glad I pre-ordered the Magic Band because I didn't see those at the Expo so I wonder if they were only available for pre-order. The jacket however I absolutely did not need to pre-order and had I not ordered the Magic Band, I could have saved myself over an hour by NOT pre-ordering the jacket. I wanted to be out of the Expo by 1230 and I would have been if not for the disastrous pre-order line. We took a few pictures outside then left the Expo at 1:45pm.

Preparing for the 5K
We spent the rest of the day at Animal Kingdom after the Expo and had a delicious pre-race dinner at Yak & Yeti. We left the park at 7pm and arrived back in our resort room at 7:25pm. I was sad to miss the Tree of Life Awakenings but I knew it had to be done and I was proud of myself for curbing it and not letting temptation get the better of me. In the room, I got all of my clothes ready for the next morning, but my bib on my shirt, prepared my pre-race fuel, set a "wake up" alarm, a "you really need to wake up" alarm, and an "oh snap if you don't get up right now you're going to be late" alarm, and went to bed at 8:25pm in preparation for the early wake up call the next morning.

RunDisney Virtual Running Shorts 2019

(Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog)

The runDisney Virtual Running Shorts series is back for its fourth year and this year celebrates 80 years of Marvel! The Virtual Running Shorts series is a set of three 5K virtual races where you can run, jog, or walk around your neighborhood, on a treadmill, at the gym, or even around Walt Disney World Resorts - wherever you want, whenever you want at your own pace.

There are three individual race windows, each with a different commemorative finisher medal representing characters from the Marvel Universe. Run all three of the 5K races within the completion time frame and you’ll also receive a Virtual Running Shorts Series Finisher Medal.

I participated in the Virtual Running Shorts in 2017 and really enjoyed it! It was a great way for me to feel motivated to get into running and stick with it. It also prepared me for racing without feeling the pressure right when I was getting started. (You can read my review of the Virtual Running Shorts series here and you can read about each of my individual 5k races here).

(Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog)

Virtual Running Shorts 5K – June 
The June race has a completion timeframe of June 1-30 and earns the first medal of the series, celebrating Captain Marvel (pictured second from left).

Virtual Running Shorts 5K – July
For July’s 5K race, the completion timeframe is July 1-31 and the medal commemorates Iron Man (pictured second from right).

Virtual Running Shorts 5K – August
For the final virtual 5K of the summer, take home a medal featuring Black Panther (pictured left). The completion timeframe is August 1-31.

If you run all three 5K distances within the allotted time frame, you can also earn the Virtual Running Shorts Series Finisher Medal, which celebrates 80 years of Marvel (pictured right). In addition, the celebratory charity is Starlight Children's Foundation.

Registration opened today over at runDisney's website. Each race is $40 or $145 for the challenge. (Please note you must register for the challenge in order to receive the series finisher medal).

04/12/19 ETA: The June 5k is now sold out.
05/09/19 ETA: The July 5k is now sold out.

runDisney's Virtual Running Shorts 2018

(Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog)

The runDisney Virtual Running Shorts series is back for a third year and this year's theme celebrates Pixar (although with just one Pixar film represented, I think it's Incredibles themed). The Virtual Running Shorts series is a set of three 5K virtual races where you can run, jog, or walk around your neighborhood, on a treadmill, at the gym, or even around Walt Disney World Resorts - wherever you want, whenever you want at your own pace.

There are three individual race windows, each with a different commemorative finisher medal representing characters from the Incredibles. Run all three of the 5K races within the completion timeframe and you’ll also receive a Virtual Running Shorts Series Finisher Medal.

I participated in the Virtual Running Shorts last year and really enjoyed it! I was so glad that I did having passed on it the year before. You can read my review of the Virtual Running Shorts series here and you can read about each of my individual 5k races here.

(Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog)

Virtual Running Shorts 5K – June 
The June race has a completion timeframe of June 1-30 and earns the first medal of the series, which celebrates Elastigirl (pictured far right).

Virtual Running Shorts 5K – July
For July’s 5K race, the completion timeframe is July 1-31 and the medal commemorates Mr. Incredible and Violet (pictured second from right).

Virtual Running Shorts 5K – August
For the final virtual 5K of the summer, take home a medal featuring Jack Jack and Dash (pictured left). The completion timeframe is August 1-31.

If you run all three 5K distances within the allotted timeframe, you can also earn the Virtual Running Shorts Series Finisher Medal, which features the logo of the upcoming Pixar film The Incredibles 2 (pictured second from left). In addition, the celebratory charity is the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida.

You can register now over at runDisney's website. Each race is $40 or $142 for the series.

RunDisney Virtual Running Shorts Review

Back in April the 2017 runDisney Virtual Running Shorts sign ups opened and I signed up for the entire series: three 5k races over the summer, one each month in June, July and August. I posted reviews of each of my runs and this post will be a review of the series itself and not my achievements in each of the runs individually.

First, let me briefly explain what a virtual race is and how it works with runDisney. A virtual race is a race that you run at any time and in any location. You can pick a Saturday morning, a Tuesday night, you can run in your neighborhood, on a track, or at Walt Disney World. runDisney gave you from June 1-30, July 1-31 and August 1-31 to run each race respectively. You could sign up for just one, two, or all three.

Each individual race cost $42 and the series cost $147 total ($49 per race). Each race registration included a 5k medal, an electronic bib for you to customize and print, and the ability to enter your time and print a race completion certificate. These virtual races use an honor system, so you don't have to prove you ran in order to get your medal.

If you registered for the series, you would receive all of the above for each race, plus a finisher medal for completing all three race in the series, a cooling tower, a collapsible dog bowl and a pet ID tag. The 2017 series had Pluto as the mascot and selected an honorary charity to receive some of the registration proceeds (Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando), and so runners were encouraged to run with their dogs. Therefore dog accessories were included for those registering for the series so their pets could receive a reward too.

My dog Leia in her Minnie Mouse gear on a training run with me

Registration was super easy and I registered for the series the night that registration began. I had heard that there's a set number of medals produced and therefore sign ups can sell out. I didn't want to miss out after regretting not signing up for last year's Virtual Running Shorts series. You complete a pretty short form online and sign a disclaimer, pay at the time of purchase and you're done! Shortly after I signed up I received an email with more information about the races and how to get my bib and certificate. I also got an email later about Disney's runDisney playlists on Spotify, some of which I used during my races.

Some people strongly dislike the idea of virtual races. They think it's pointless to "race" alone and absurd that people pay to run in their own neighborhood or a local park. Furthermore, they hate the honor system that allows participants to receive medals even if they didn't run. My response is this, how would you prove someone ran a virtual race? Even if I had to enter my time to get my medal to ship, I could make it up. There's really no way around using the honor system and if people really want a medal without earning it, there's always eBay. Removing virtual races won't change that and runDisney is not the only virtual race organizer. And finally, if you participate in a runDisney event at a Disney Park and you don't finish a race for whatever reason, you still get your medal.

I wore this shirt during my races

So let's talk about why I wanted to run the Virtual Running Shorts as opposed to a local race or a runDisney event on property. I had been out of the running habit for 7 months when I started training for the Virtual Running Shorts and man had I regressed. My aim in running the Virtual Running Shorts series was that I wanted something that would motivate me to get back in shape, to get back into running and exercising regularly, something that was fun and realistic to stick to. Running a local race needed to work with my schedule and on top of that it came with a little more pressure of having experienced runners around me.

I was really thankful for having the opportunity to run a virtual race. Not having a ton of people running around me relieved my self consciousness of how often I had to take walk breaks, how red I got from how hard running 3 miles was, and the super slow time in which I finished. On top of that, I could not afford to take a trip to Walt Disney World just for a 5k and being a beginner at running, I wasn't sure I'd even be able to finish with their 16:00 mile pace requirement. The virtual nature of the race meant I didn't have a minimum pace requirement. Had I been running my June and July 5k at Walt Disney World, I would have been swept both times for not meeting the minimum pace requirement. That would have been such a disappointment and a waste of money that I paid for a race I didn't finish.

The trail where I ran my races

Having a set time frame to complete each virtual race also held me accountable. Sure it was still possible to blow it off, no one was checking in on me to make sure I did it, but something about knowing I'd signed up to run 3.1 miles by a set date made me do it. I don't like to be a quitter or a failure. If you don't intend to do what you've signed up for, then there's really no need to sign up. The Virtual Running Shorts held me accountable in making sure I got back in to running with regular training because I didn't want to suck at my 5k races! With each run I almost looked forward to the next for a chance to beat my previous time. If I had signed up for one local race, I may have stopped training either beforehand ("It's still 6 months away! I can skip a run this week") or after ("Well that race is over, I guess I don't really need to run today"). But having a race each month for three consecutive months meant I needed to keep up with my running.

Another neat aspect of the virtual races that I enjoyed but didn't think about when I signed up, was having friends in other states who also signed up to do the series like I did. We were then able to coordinate days and times so that we were technically running the race "together" in different places. It was that much more fun and motivating to know someone else was doing the exact same race I was in that same moment. We had each other for encouragement, motivation, and comparing notes on what went well and not so well in order to do better next time. That also added an extra layer to the accountability of the Virtual Running Shorts.

Pet ID tag, box of medals, collapsible dog bowl, and cooling towel

As someone who couldn't take a Walt Disney World trip just to run a race, I really appreciated how Disney made the Virtual Running Shorts feel like an event. They had some great merchandise you could buy including Champion brand performance tees and jackets, a pin, car magnet, baseball cap, and maybe other things I'm forgetting. It made me feel valued as a participant as if I'd run a race at Walt Disney World and not just on a local trail. Having friends run the series too also helped to make it feel like an event. We shared the same experience even though we weren't at the same place at the same time. 

So what did I think about the value of the Virtual Running Shorts Series? At $42 a race I wouldn't say that was cheap, but it's pretty on par with local races in my area, where a 5k costs between $35-$50 and some of those races don't even include a medal, and the ones that do aren't always to the high quality Disney medals are. Signing up for the series meant each race cost $47, an extra $5 a race for a total of $15 more than running individual races. I did appreciate the extra goodies that came with running the series: the finisher medal and collapsible dog bowl which my dog will get a lot of use out of and she deserves for training with me! But if you don't care about that stuff you could save some money by registering for each of the three races individually instead of signing up for the series.

Virtual Running Shorts Merchandise

I don't think each medal is worth $42, but they are very impressive, high quality medals so I'm not disappointed. I was also surprised by how much of a motivating factor the medals were for me. I wouldn't let myself see or open the medal until I'd completed my race - and boy did I want to open them! It was also a nice reward after finding 3.1 miles very difficult as a beginner. I felt I really did deserve the medal and I was glad to have something to show for my suffering (haha!). When I signed up, I was informed via email that the medals would ship after the completion of the series, however I received a box containing all four medals and my dog's swag toward the end of June. 

I really loved how Disney encouraged you to participate with your dog. I took the 5k races pretty seriously and didn't want my easily distracted whippet puppy to slow me down, so my baby girl went on training runs with me but didn't join in on any of the 5k races themselves. It was fun to have her train with me in her Minnie dress and for her to get some swag for her participation. 

My medals in order: June, July, August and the Series Finisher

Overall I am really happy Disney ran their Virtual Running Shorts series again this year, I loved the involvement of Pluto as a mascot, and I'm thrilled that I participated. I got everything I wanted out of the races, I felt like Disney came through with fantastic medals and accessories, fun and supportive emails, and great merchandise to make me feel part of the runDisney family. I would definitely recommend the Virtual Running Shorts to those getting into running! I think it helps to pick your own time and place to run and not to have a ton of people passing you and making you feel crappy. (Unless that motivates you I guess!) However, if you're a pretty experienced runner who does 3 miles or more on the regular, I can see how this is really not necessary for you and turns out to be a pretty expensive training run with a medal you don't really need. But it could still be fun for you to do with friends. 

This was a pretty long article, I apologize! But thanks for reading and if you have any questions, please let me know, I'd be happy to answer them! 

Virtual Running Shorts - August 5k

Last weekend I completed my final 5k out of the three 5k virtual races I signed up for this year as part of runDisney's Virtual Running Shorts series. For those just joining, a virtual race is one that the participant can run at any time and in any location. Disney gave a month long window for each race and I chose Saturday, August 26 for my August 5k. You can read about my June 5k here, and my July 5k here.

My next runDisney post will be a review of the Virtual Running Shorts series, including things like the nature of a virtual race, what I thought about the cost and registration process, the medals and how they were delivered, etc., but this blog post covers my experience running the August 5k.

I had a month between running the July 5k and the August 5k to give myself the maximum amount of time to train. I had been preparing for these races since the last week of May, but before that it had been over 6 months since I ran on a consistent basis. I needed all the training I could get! I ran on the same trail I had used for my two previous 5ks, which has a 1 mile and a 1.1 mile trail, so I used the 1 mile trail, followed by the 1.1 mile trail, then back to the 1 mile trail to complete my 3.1 miles. I started my race at 8am, and it was partly cloudy, 70 degrees and 83% humidity. A pretty decent temperature.

I was aiming for 16 minute miles or less as an average, which would mean if this were a real Disney race, I wouldn't get swept. I wanted to complete the 1 mile trails in 15 minutes or less, and the 1.1 mile trail in 16 minutes or less. I started with 3 minutes of brisk walking to warm up and then got into running at a steady pace. I feel like I ran for a pretty long time, making it somewhere between half a mile and three quarters of a mile before taking a walk break, which I didn't feel like I needed, but took because I didn't want to burn out with 2.1 more miles to go. I finished strong and was really happy with my time - 14:17 for the first mile!

Bridge over the creek

The second lap was my 1.1 mile and I started to wonder if I ran too quickly during the first mile because I noticed my run time was a lot slower. I was running about a minute and a half before needing to take a 1 minute walk break. I wasn't timing myself but that's about what it felt like. I finished the 1.1 mile in 17:47 which was thoroughly disappointing. While that was quicker than the 19 minutes this trail took during my July 5k, I was hoping to finish in 16 minutes or less, so I was almost 2 minutes over my goal. At the end of 2.1 miles I was so done and wondered how I would finish (again). I guess after running two 5k races in the past two months, it still wasn't getting easier.

For my final mile I felt like I was only able to run for about 30 seconds before needing a walk break of at least a minute. So I tried to sprint a little and then walk until I'd recovered. I kept trying to focus on a target "Just make it to that tree" then when I got there "You made it! Now keep going to that bench" I was determined to finish with a good time! I kept up with the sprints and walk breaks and finished the final mile in 14:53 which I absolutely couldn't believe because I felt so slow! I had reached my target of being under 15 minutes!

August 5k Medal

I finished in a total time of 46:57 which was around the time I had hoped to complete my first 5k back in June - haha. My August race was 3:10 quicker than my July race, and 6:13 quicker than my June 5k. If you read my July 5k post, you may remember that a 45 minute finish time was my goal for this last race and I was pretty darn close. I'm happy to see that I've made continuous improvement, even if it didn't feel like it while I was running. Luckily there were nowhere near as many dogs or people out this time as there were on my last race which helped a lot.

Strangely enough, as much as I seem to hate life in the moment, I'm going to miss these races. They have really helped to hold me accountable for running and I felt so proud of myself each time I completed a race, despite not really enjoying myself at the time haha. It was also great to coordinate two of these three races with a pal of mine. I'm going to need to find something else to help keep me accountable because I'm already slacking. With the holiday weekend I've only gotten out there twice this week instead of three times and I haven't done my long run like I said I would. Sigh.

My Virtual Running Shorts Series Finisher Medal

Depending on my running ability next year, I may or may not sign up again if they run the Virtual Running Shorts next summer. If 3.1 miles is still a challenge for me, I would do it again for sure because it really has helped motivate me and keep me accountable, and the medals have been a nice reward after repeatedly feeling like I was going to keel over and die.

But if by some miracle, running 3 miles is just another training run that I'm able to do frequently, there wouldn't be much point in paying for what would essentially be just medals at that point. We'll see. And I'll go into that more in my next post where I'll review the Virtual Running Shorts series as a whole. I hope you'll join me for that.

Thanks for reading!

Virtual Running Shorts - July 5k

If you've been following along with my posts on runDisney's Virtual Running Shorts, you'll know that these are three 5k races taking place this summer where you can run whenever you want, where ever you want. I have signed up for the series, which means running three 5k races: one in June, one in July and the final race in August. You can read about my June 5k here. 

At the end of the series I plan to write a review of the Virtual Running Shorts, including things like the nature of a virtual race, what I thought about the cost and registration process, the medals and how they were delivered, etc., but as I go along I will also be blogging about each individual race and talking about that specific experience. This blog post covers my July 5k.

I ran my July 5k on Saturday, July 29, which meant I had a month between races and a total of 10 weeks training for this race. I ran at the same park I used for my June 5k, because it features two trails: one is 1 mile long and the other is 1.1 miles, which means it's super easy to track 3.1 miles for my 5k. Not to mention it's close to where I live and very pretty. I used the 1 mile trail for my first lap, the 1.1 mile trail for my second lap, then back to the 1 mile trail to complete my race. I started my race at 8:20am and it was 73 degrees and sunny. That's a little warmer and sunnier than my last race but not super hot, although the temperature had increased 9 degrees by the time I got done.

For my June 5k I ran for 1 minute, then walked for 2 minutes so that I wouldn't burn out and would actually make it to the finish line. This worked but in hindsight I felt like I didn't need to talk that much and therefore slowed myself down much more than I needed to. For this 5k I decided to run to failure (which basically means when you literally can't anymore) then walk until I had recovered which in training was 1 minute, and repeat.

I started the race with 2 minutes of brisk walking to warm up, then got right into running. I felt like my first mile was strong, I was pleased with how much I was running, although I didn't time how long or for what distance, and I felt like my walk breaks were short. I was aiming for 16 minute miles or less, which would mean if this were a real Disney race, I wouldn't get swept. I completed the first mile in 15:02 and I was really happy with that!

Well my second lap was tougher for some reason. I got a pain in my ribs at once point, then that went away and later on I got a pain in my thigh. It was very distracting. I felt like my walk breaks were more frequent this lap and my running time/distance was shorter. I don't know why it was so tough. I wanted to get done with this lap in under 17 minutes (allowing an extra minute for the extra 0.1 mile) but this lap took 19 minutes even. I was very disappointed and couldn't really evaluate what went wrong or why it took so long.

On to my final mile and I didn't think I was going to make it. I wonder if I accidentally went too fast and didn't pace my running very well. That's hard for me to do because I'm not aiming for speed but I was a sprinter in high school so I was trained for speed not distance. If I go slow, I don't feel like I'm moving or going anywhere. On the third mile I felt like I was running through molasses, super slow and going nowhere. I was getting out of breath more quickly, and I was feeling like I was simultaneously going to throw up and pass out. I wondered if I'd have to walk the entire last mile just to finish and why I'm the only human who finds this so hard. I've been training for 10 weeks for goodness sake!

I kept at it and just tried to keep running even if just for 45 seconds to a minute before taking walk breaks and keeping them as short as I could. As awful as I felt my final mile went, it wasn't actually as bad as I thought because I finished in 16:05, just 5 seconds over my goal. So I was happy with my final mile, really happy with my first mile, and really disappointed by my 1.1 mile. My overall time was 50:07, which was 3:03 minutes off of my last 5k time, for 1:01 minutes off of my mile pace. 

I was even more happy to unwrap my medal for this race because this one was harder than the last! I'm disappointed by time time because although my average pace was 15:45, once again I would have gotten swept if this were a real Disney race. (And again, thank the maker for the virtual races!) I would have been much happier if I could have stuck to 15 minute miles and completed the race around the 45 minute mark. Maybe next race.

I also hope there are less people about because there were so many people this time! The dogs were distracting, some people wouldn't move despite me telling them and it was awkward to get around people, especially when I knew I would start walking soon after passing them. I'm not attributing any of that to my time or making excuses, just noting a difference between this race and June's 5k.

Most of my disappointment stems from the fact that I can't pinpoint why my 1.1 mile lap took so long. For my August 5k I plan to do the same intervals of running to failure and then taking a walk break. I'll try to make sure I'm pacing myself well and not going too fast, and maybe I'll even time my walk breaks to ensure they're not too long. I may also get out there an hour earlier to see if that helps with the heat and number of people.

Virtual Running Shorts - June 5k

I posted back in April about the 2017 Virtual Running Shorts Series by runDisney. This year the mascot is Pluto and there are three virtual 5k races: one in June, July, and August. A virtual 5k means you can run 3.1 miles where ever you want and whenever you want.

I signed up for the series, which means running all three 5k races. At the end I plan to write a review of the series, including things like what I thought about the cost and registration process, the medals and how they were delivered, etc., but as I go along I will also be blogging about each individual race and talking about that specific experience. This blog post covers my June 5k.

I chose to run my June 5k on Saturday, June 24 to give me 5 weeks of training before my race. I have a friend who also signed up for the VRS series, and she was able to run "with me" at the same time on her treadmill on North Carolina, which I thought was really cool and very encouraging! I put on my Virtual Running Shorts t-shirt that I purchased from the Disney Store, and headed to the race location.

I ran on a local running trail about 15 minutes from my house, a trail we love to use when walking our dogs. What's amazing about this trail is that there are two routes, one is 1 mile in length and the other is 1.1 - how perfect! So, I did two laps of the 1 mile route, and one lap of the 1.1 mile route to complete my 3.1 mile 5k.

The trail is really pretty, as you can see. Lots of beautiful trees which helped keep me shaded. It was about 68 which is decent, not too hot and the humidity felt relatively low. There's also a bridge which gives a slight change of scene on the 1.1 mile route, as well as a pretty creek. The trail is almost entirely flat which makes for easier terrain for the novice like myself. There are just two small inclines on each route, which I walked.

On my last 5k in November of 2016, I ran until I needed to catch my breath, then walked until I got my breath back, and then resumed running. I completed the race in 39 minutes, but I got a pain in my side which was miserable and I'm not sure why it happened. This time I decided to do 1 minute of running followed by 2 minutes of walking instead, in the hopes of not getting pains in my side, and not burning out before the end since I've had half the amount of training for this 5k compared to the training for my last 5k. This ratio is Week 1 or 2 of the training program I've been using.

Using the 1 minute run/2 minute walk ratio seemed to work really well. 1 minute was up before I knew it and 2 minutes felt like enough time to rest a little before running again, so that I never felt out of breath. I remember thinking that I could go on indefinitely using this ratio because it didn't make me feel tired.

At the end when I could see that I had maybe a quarter of a mile to go, I decided to ditch the ratio and just run until the end because it didn't seem that far and I felt like it would take maybe 2 minutes, which isn't that much longer than 1 minute. Well that was a mistake because I think I went too fast because I felt like I was going to throw up and had to switch to walking until the finish line. I finished in 53:10 which I was incredibly disappointed with and still am.

I know I shouldn't be so disappointed with my time at this stage, especially when I'm just getting back into running, but I can't help it. I know I've done better before and if I hadn't this probably wouldn't have phased me. I also know that a time that slow would have got me swept in an actual runDisney race on property. Thank goodness for a virtual race!

Despite my disappointment, I was pleased that I ran a 5k, especially since being a virtual race it's possible to just keep putting it off, not finish 3.1 miles, or not run altogether. But I enjoyed this method because I wasn't last over the finish line, I didn't see a ton of other race participants pass me, I didn't get swept for not keeping a required pace, etc. because it was a virtual race, which was less distracting, not intimidating, and more encouraging. So I went home and promptly unwrapped my medal - I'd earned it!

I chose the ratio I chose because it was taken from a running plan (so I thought that must be more legit than making up my own) and it was an early week that I'd already completed without difficulty, so I felt like that was appropriate. However, in hindsight I think it was maybe a little too easy and I don't need to be so stringent in sticking to a plan.

I should have listened to my body more and if I had my breath back after 1 minute of walking, I should have run again instead of walking a whole second minute for the sake of it. I think that would have significantly improved my time. I'm planning on running my July 5k toward the end of the month to maximize my training time beforehand. We'll see what ratio I go with then or whether I just make it up on the fly like I did in my November race. I will blog about that race too so stay tuned!

runDisney Virtual Running Shorts Series

The runDisney Virtual Running Shorts series is back and this year's theme is centered around Pluto! The Virtual Running Shorts series is a set of three 5K virtual races where you can run, jog, or walk around your neighborhood, on a treadmill at the gym, around Walt Disney World Resorts - wherever you want, whenever you want at your own pace. This year, in honor of Pluto, Disney is encouraging participants to run with their favorite four-legged friend.

There are three individual race windows, each with a different commemorative finisher medal spotlighting elements of Mickey’s No. 1 pup. Run all three of the 5K races within the completion timeframe and you’ll also receive a Virtual Running Shorts Series Finisher Medal.

(Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog)

Virtual Running Shorts 5K – June
The first medal of the series centers around Pluto’s dog tag and collar with a playful yellow lanyard (pictured left).

Virtual Running Shorts 5K – July

For July’s 5K race, the medal highlights Pluto’s dog bowl with every dog’s favorite chew toy featured throughout the lanyard and on the medal (pictured second from left). 

Virtual Running Shorts 5K – August
For the final virtual 5K of the summer, take home a medal inspired by Pluto’s dog house (pictured second from right).

If you run all three 5K distances within the allotted timeframe, you can also earn the Virtual Running Shorts Series Finisher Medal, which combines all of the fun Pluto-themed elements from the individual medals (pictured right). In addition, the celebratory charity is Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, who are celebrating 80 years of saving pets in Central Florida.

You can register now over at runDisney's website. Each race is $40 or $142 for the series. 

My New RunDisney Performance Tees

Before you ask, no I haven't signed up for a RunDisney event. As much as I'd like to, it's not in the cards right now. I do however go kickboxing every week and I try to run regularly also, even though I really suck at it. When I saw these new RunDisney performance tees online, I had to have them! They're so cute and fun, perfect to wear when I run, or go kickboxing.

Disgust from Inside Out

Anger from Inside Out

The Yoda tee was particularly appropriate, since I am so bad at running! (I currently have about a 12:44 pace). The best part was, I ordered them during a 25% off deal!