Race This Weekend or Not?

My training for the Disney Dopey Challenge is done until Saturday.  So far this week I’ve run 26 miles and done a couple weight sessions at the gym.  I’m fairly sore.  It’s been a rough couple days as we’ve had 90% humidity each morning that I’ve got up to run.  Like running through soup.  But I got em done, and my pace was decent despite the conditions.  The weather man on the TV says it’s supposed to rain Fri and it should cool down after that.  But like my dad says, “The weather man couldn’t predict a bowel movement, let alone the weather.”

But assuming it does cool off and the humidity goes bye bye, it would feel great to run in that weather.  My training calls for this weekend to be an “off” one.  I’m only supposed to do 8 miles on Sat and cross train on Sunday (yoga and maybe a trail run).  Buuuut, there is a race that some friends of mine are running.  It’s a 15k (9 miles) around White Rock Lake in Dallas.  Aaaaand, the price to enter is only $10.  Yes, I said ten doll hairs.

It is one mile further than I’m supposed to run, but that doesn’t bother me too much.  But since it is a race, I know that I’ll be going harder than I would on a normal training run.  So I will exert my already tired body more.  But I like to race.  It’s been months since I have because I’ve really been sticking to the training plan.

So what do y’all think?  Should I stick to my easy 8 miler, or push a little more and join my peeps for the 9 mile race?

Holla!

-Scott

runDisney Dopey Challenge (5K, 10K, 1/2, Full)

So Disney World announced this new challenge last week – the appropriately named Dopey Challenge, cause that’s how you’ll feel doing it!  Here’s the breakdown: Thurs-5k (3.1 miles), Fri-10k (6.2 miles), Sat-1/2 marathon (13.1 miles), Sun- full marathon (26.2 miles).  Included in this is their original endurance challenge of running the half and fool marathons on consecutive days – which they call the Goofy Challenge.  Now when you complete the Goofy, in addition to the 1/2 Donald Duck and full Mickey Mouse medal, you also get a Goofy themed medal (coincidentally enough).  And if you know Disney, they go all out with their medal design and each year they change it up.  I also heard a rumor that the Goofy is having it’s 10 year anniversary, so that should be a special design too.

Medals dang near big as yo head!

For the 5k, you get a Tres Amigos finishers medallion (it’s like a regular medal, but made of rubber).  And for the new 10k you’ll get a Minnie Mouse medal, I hear.  And for completing all four races, you’ll get an innagural Dopey medal.  That’s in addition to the 5k, 10k, 1/2, full, and Goofy medals.  So you get 6 total medals!  You also get 6 shirts.  I believe the 5k is a cotton T, but the others are long sleeved tech tees.

I am tempted by this challenge.  Funny that I’ve never really had an inkling to do the Goofy, but I’m interested in the Dopey, which includes the Goofy.  I pretty sure the 5k is not timed, so could walk it if we wanted, but I think I’d want to complete the challenge by actually running all the races.  Tho there most likely won’t be any PR’s!  From what I hear, you’ve got to take it easy on the earlier races to save everything you can to finish the final race (the 26.2).

What I am not tempted by is the starting entry fee of 500 skrilla units!  And the price will go up as time passes!  Yowzy!  Add to that the cost of travel, and it would more than cover a year’s worth of races.  But I’ve been trying to rationalize it – you get 4 race entries, 6 shirts (5 of them tech), and 6 medals.  Still doesn’t quite add up, but I guess that’s the price you gotta pay to run with the mouse.

My standard Disney statue and castle photo op.

So anyway, I’m debating registering.  My only fear of hesitating is that their similar Disneyland Dumbo Challenge (10k and 1/2 marathon) sold out in less than one day.  Not sure if this one will too, but it adds pressure.  I’m sure it will be a magical four days of running, so this will be a tough call.

OH WAIT, I HAVE A SOLUTION!!!  Anyone out there want to sponsor me???  I’ll promote your gear/cause/business/company/family/product/etc. with all my powers…blog, “celebrity” friends, twitter, facebook, Instagram, and did I mention I’m a multi-Emmy award winning TV producer???  If anyone has any extra skrilla units hanging around, feel free to send em my way!  Haha, I’d love to be sponsored by something mundane, like “Running on behalf of John Doe’s 27th birthday”, or something of the like.  Think about it you and let me know and I’ll send you my Pay Pal account!

Have a great day everyone!