RunDisney finally announced the return of in person races this morning! They are returning this fall with the annual Wine & Dine races, along with the January Marathon Weekend and the Princess Half in February. All dates, registration dates and information were all released as well.

I decided I’m going to do it. I’m finally going to bite the bullet and do the Dopey Challenge. It’s now or never. And then continue on with my February tradition of Princess races with Kerri. I am so excited to have these events back that I don’t even care how expensive next year is going to be. I’m in a YOLO mood and want to take every opportunity given to me to complete these goals! It’s crazy because a few years ago I would have never had the courage to take on a full marathon, let alone the Dopey challenge.

A Dopey challenge is a 5k, 10k, half marathon and a full marathon back to back over 4 days for a total of 48.6 miles. It’s Disney’s ultimate race challenge because well, you’d have to be Dopey to do it! I used to think this was insane and that those who wanted to do it and willingly signed up for these things were insane. What are you trying to prove to people? Why would you want to run that much? Do you want to die? What is WRONG with you?

And well, it’s 2021 and here I am. SIGN. ME. UP.

I can’t explain it. Running is something I hate and have grown to absolutely love and enjoy at the same time. I complain about it every time before I have to go out there and do the deed but I come back every time feeling accomplished. And a Disney race is truly like no other. Nothing compares to these in person races. Running through my neighborhood is just not the same and I learned this past year virtuals are NOT my thing. ALTHOUGH! For those interested in obtaining the medals without the extra cost of a Disney vacation, this is the first time they are also allowing a virtual option along with the in person races! I don’t know if this will continue in the years after so I would take advantage of it if you’re really interested. But back to my main point. I can’t wait to run through the parks, feel the energy all around me, hear the roar of the crowd cheering everyone on, and cross that finish line once more for the highest high I’ve ever felt in my life. The minute you run across it, can not be replicated by anything else. And no one can take it away from you. I can’t wait to crush another goal. I’ll be honest, I’m absolutely terrified of how hard this is going to be, but I know with everything I take on, I ultimately buckle down and give it my all to meet that goal.

I mean, once upon a time, I used to be terrified of the Princess Fairy Tale Challenge but I did it and here I am taking it on again, this time more confident than ever! And EXCUSE ME, did I mention this year they have a new event for the Princess weekend?!?! Sunrise yoga in front of the castle! EXCUSE THE HELL OUT OF ME, SIGN ME UP PLEASE. I went from barely being able to run one block in my neighborhood, barely being able to lift weights to gym rat and obsessed runner. It’s crazy. I always say 2018 me does not know this version of me, lol. It’s crazy how much I’ve changed and grown in the course of a few years.

Before Disney races were announced, if you read my last post, I WAS working on training for the September 19 marathon I had put as a goal for myself. I’m still on the fence as to whether I want to go through with it now that Disney races are back on and had til June 30th to sign up for the Sept 19 race before prices went up. Unfortunately I forgot to sign up today before the cutoff point. Good and bad, this next registration period’s cutoff date is Sept 15th. So I can continue to train with regards to how the summer temps will play out and decide closer to the date if I still want to go through with this or forgo this goal and make Disney the ultimate first marathon along with the challenge. A few runner friends have encouraged I continue with the Sept 19 race to help have a base to build upon for Dopey and honestly it’s a good idea. I just don’t know if the summer will be too hot to train in and if I’m willing to put in that work. But so far for the month of June, I did a long run every Friday and went from 13 miles the first week and added a mile every week for a current progress of 16 miles ran last Friday. It was definitely difficult, I’m not going to lie. But I woke up every Friday morning determined to get it done, no matter how many breaks it took, how many loops around the neighborhood for a water break, and the mental gymnastics to continue on when it felt really hard. The Sept 19 deadline is definitely an aggressive training schedule compared to the Jeff Galloway training schedule which just started this week and is a lot less grueling and much more doable. And this week has been harder than the past month for training because we’re going through a heat wave. I haven’t been able to train properly on schedule this week like the past few weeks so it’s been challenging to say the least. But then again, life is about challenging ourselves sometimes and seeing what we can do, right? So let’s see what the summer will bring and give it a fair shot.

I know I’m mostly afraid because it’s simply something I haven’t done before so my fear is just fear of failure. It’s also because running outside of 13.1 miles is pushing myself out of my current comfort zone. But these few weeks, going from 13.1 to 14, to 15, to 16 miles, I found every week to be excruciatingly hard but also ultimately doable as I pushed myself each week to go beyond the last week and be better than who I was yesterday, yesterweek, yestermonth, yesteryear. But I’m also learning to accept that failure is not the end. Whether or not I finish these challenges - which I really do hope I do and I really plan to work hard to ultimately crush these challenge- I know it’s about the journey more than the end goal. It’s about the experience, the training, the pushing the mental part of my brain to work harder than ever to KNOW I can do this. And even if I do fail, it’s not going to stop me from ultimately trying again until the deed is done. I mean, that’s what life is, right? Trial and error until we get it right.

SO. The race is on. I already have some new ideas for race bounds and park bounds. Let’s go earn these medals in style, bitches!

I have both the Jan and Feb trips for next year booked, thanks to my travel agent Jill of Never Grow Up Vacations. I know I’ve recommended her several times on my blog but I can not recommend her enough. Every one of my friends and family members who have booked their trip through her has never went back to booking their own trips ever again because of how well she handles everything and literally takes care of every little thing you need, and all services are free of charge!