Disney, Here I Come!

Look at the splendor that will soon adorn my Pride Wall!

2013 Disney Half Marathon, Marathon, & Goofy Challenge Medals

That's right!  I'm headed to DisneyWorld!  I'll be 13 days into the new year and already have three medals and two races done!  Not bad for a way to kick off the new year. 

This weekend kicks off my 2013 Race Calendar with the Disney Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge; a half marathon on Saturday and full marathon on Sunday.  I have 9 runners dong the half marathon, 5 runners doing the full, and 2 of those crazies running both days.  Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!

And to boot, look at the weather we're gonna' have!

I have mixed opinions about the weather.  I prefer 50-60 during my own races, but this one I'm doing with my runners, so I might not mind it being a bit warmer.  80's, however, might be getting a bit carried away.  That will certainly require a lot more hydration on course even despite the 5:30am start time. 

My job as coach is simply to get the runners to the finish line.  I'll be starting with the first runner, running a mile or two with them, dropping back to the next runner and running with them for a bit, dropping back again, etc. until the final runner comes up and then I'll finish with them.  For obvious reasons, this race will not be a PR.  So I've decided on a few things to keep my mind occupied.

1. Team photographer.  I've got my new Olympus Tough camera ready to photograph the entire team in stride (literally)!
2. Chat with the volunteers & characters.  I am going to chat up the volunteers at the aid stations while I wait for runners to come by.  
3. Cheerleader.  I'm already this for my own runners, but I'll amp it up for everyone else out there on the course!

It will certainly be a unique racing experience.

I fly out tomorrow afternoon.  It'll be a quick trip - Friday afternoon in, race Saturday, race Sunday, fly back early Monday.  But it will be a very fun time I'm sure!

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Questions
1.  Have you ever run a Disney event?
I've heard mixed reviews - some say Disney runs the best events ever and other say Disney ruins the race.  We shall see.

2.   Have you raced yet this year?  If so, where?  If not, when is your first race?
Goofy is my first for 2013.  The Tradition Run 5k/10k is next on the 27th.  

3.  Do you ever run a race knowing that you are not going to even try to PR?  If so, what do you do mentally?
Racing for any reason other than to PR in distance or time seems foreign to me.  Go right ahead and place blame on the 7 PRs I set last year.  Maybe I enjoyed them too much.  

Dream.  Believe.  Achieve.