So, us Dopey folk are three days into our wild adventure. I say three days because being at the expo for the first day is an adventure in itself. This morning, Dopey runners and 10K runners took the Epcot Wonder parking lot by storm as we kicked off and ran the inaugural Walt Disney World 10K! The 10K is a very popular race distance. It isn't to short, but just far enough to spark a challenge! It also isn't intimidating as a distance for most newer runners since it is 6.2 miles. By leaps and bounds a great accomplishment for any and all who take on the distance.
So as I am sure you guessed, this was another early wake up for the race! I woke up around 4AM and got dressed up in my INKnBURN Dazzle Camo tech tee, grabbed some EnergyBits, and headed out the door with Kat!
We arrived at Epcot, parked, and took the sleepy walk to the runners village. Of course, I met up with some of my friends prior to the race where we checked up on how one another was feeling and discussed strategies for how we were going to take on today's race. 2/1 run/walk intervals were the overall winner.
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| Me, Jill, John, Erica, and Jenn |
We were off! We started our journey with every intention of keeping the pace easy. Many of us are participating in the Dopey Challenge, so we want to ensure we have plenty of stamina and muscle strength left to complete the challenge. Utilizing the run/walk method was a brilliant plan. Our pace was consistent, and none of us felt fatigued. A couple of folks I ran with have ever used this method in a race (or training) before. I made believers out of them. The course was simple enough in its design. You take a trip around the Epcot parking lot, enter the side gate of Epcot (same as yesterday) take a trip around the world, run completely around Disney's Boardwalk, back into Future World and make a bee-line for the finish line.
Taking it easy, we came across the finish line around 1:23. Not too bad with walk breaks a few character stops. Overall, I feel pretty good at this point. Mildly fatigued, nothing a nap, hydration, fuel, and compression socks won't fix. My spirits are high, I am highly motivated, and very anxious to take on the tasks at hand. It isn't anything I can't handle, but the distance must be respected at all times. This is no walk through Magic Kingdom by any means. Races are not meant to be run back to back like this. Your body needs time to regenerate and heal, and so does your mind. This is as much mental as it is physical, so you absolutely have to keep your head in the game at all times. If you are someone who is participating in multiple races this weekend, continue to hydrate and eat as clean as you can! I know it's Walt Disney World so that is tough, but try. Your body needs all the nutrients it can get to heal and keep you performing at your best! I want you to succeed!
I want to also take a minute and say thanks to all of you for your encouraging Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and in person hellos and encouragement. I always enjoy interacting with each and every one of you! Even if I am a little sleepy at the start lines lol!
Shout out to Jill, Becca, and Kat for a great run this morning! It was great having some awesome chats and getting to know everyone a little bit better!
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| Me, Becca, and Kat |
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| KRISSY! |
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| Patrick, Matt, Linz, Dani, Kat |
Overall, today was a good day! Tomorrow will be a test before the big show on Sunday! The rest of the day holds rest at Pop Century, and dinner at some point and an early bed time for some much needed Z's. Looking forward to the half tomorrow! Wish me luck, and good luck to all the runners and congratulations to those that rocked it today!
I really like the dazzle camo top. Wish there was a similar female one!
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