Change of plans

I think it is time to regroup. I have had a few nights lying awake feeling more than a little stressed about the progress of my training (or lack thereof) and my impending planned races.

Super cute, but no help at all these days...

When the clock struck 2011, I had sketched out a rough plan for training and the races I wanted to tackle. Looked something like this:



April 30 – Wildlife Conservation Society’s Run For the Wild 5K

October 1 – Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon

January 8 – Walt Disney World Marathon

Well, I dragged my feet (har!) about registering for the Run For the Wild race because of my job situation – I am job searching, and a job that I was in the running for presented a conflict with the April 30 date (my job involves working evenings, weekends, etc.). I got nervous about committing myself to my first race and then having to drop out – just seemed like a bad way to start my racing career. Since then, the race has filled up and I don’t think I am ready (mentally or physically) to compete in just a few weeks.

Also, my half marathon training schedule should start in about 6 weeks, which seems incredibly soon. Where does the time go?

All of this has been weighing on me, and I’m wrestling with the decisions. I am sure I can find another 5K to run over the summer, but I’m not at all sure about the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. On the one hand, I really don’t want to give up on my goals so easily. I am usually a Type-A/overachiever type, and I want to believe that I can still stay on track. On the other hand, I really want to be prepared for my first serious race – I want to do well, and I want to enjoy it.

Photo credit: runDisney

I picked the Wine and Dine Half as my first big race for a couple of reasons. First, it is a Disney race and Disney races are incredibly special. WDW is my favorite place in the world, and I know that I will really enjoy running through the parks and being part of the Disney racing community. As an added bonus, the race is is just a few days after my birthday, and there is something that seems kind of poetic about conquering a big challenge after blowing out another candle on the cake.

I realized that part of my anxiety about changing my plans might have something to do with my newfound obsession for reading running blogs. I get so excited reading about my virtual friends running race after race and I feel like I want to be right there with them. I am ready for a neckful of bling, for goofy running photos, for the excitement of getting up at the crack of dawn to stand in line for a porta-potty with strangers!

But I know that all of my favorite bloggers logged a lot of training hours before they started putting back-to-back races on their calendars, and I need to do the same.

So the plan for now is to pull back a little bit. I’m going to keep running and find a new 5K or two to aim for. I don’t want to give up entirely on the idea of participating in the Wine and Dine Half, but I’m moving it to the “Maybe” column to take the pressure off. I am definitely not going to register yet because those Disney races are expensive, and I already have a $140 Disney race shirt (from the 2009 Half Marathon that I didn’t run).

And I still want to be on the course for Disney Marathon Weekend in January, but I think the Half is more realistic than the Full. I’ll run a full marathon one day, but I don’t need to kill myself trying to pack it all into one year.

Besides, there are plenty more Disney races to pick from. Have you guys been following the clues for the new runDisney race on Facebook? I don’t have the slightest idea what clues like this mean...

...but I’m sure the new race will be a great addition to the lineup!

PS -- Maybe my first marathon should be an international one...I bet you burn a lot of macarons running 26.2 miles!

Photo credit: www.runnersworld.co.uk