Walking Through Disney (Race Report)

On Jan. 6, I joined 15,000 of my closest friends to walk the Disney World half-marathon. I arose bright and early to catch the 3:45 bus to Epcot for the 6:30am start time. Why we had to be there so early, I still don't know. The weather was warm for January, with temps in the upper 60s and high humidity to start and around 75 when I finished. We waited in the staging area until about 4:30, then moved into the corrals. This year there was a wave start, and I was in Wave C (the last one). Around 5:30 we started gradually making our way to the start line. Wave A started just after 6am, Wave B was right behind at 6:10, and I crossed the start line just a few minutes after 6:30. I was amazed at the sheer numbers of people. This was my third race, and with about 15,000 participants, was about the same size as one previous race I've done (the Nike Women's half in San Francisco). I don't know if the road was narrower or what, but it seemed a heck of a lot more crowded than SF. Being in the back of the pack, I figured things would thin out, and they did some, but I ended up passing people through the entire race, and frequently had trouble doing so because of the crowds.

We started by Epcot and made our way toward the Magic Kingdom after about 4 miles. The crowds were sparse until we reached MK, and then the spectators were mostly Disney cast members. Around this time, one couple pulled off the course to get married before continuing on with the race as newlyweds. (Probably one of those things that sounded like a good idea at the time.) We walked through Cinderella's castle, and made our way out of the park and headed back toward Epcot. I saw a few participants dressed as their favorite characters, including Captain Jack and the Incredibles. The home stretch of the race took us through Epcot to the finish line, where we were greeted by cheering fans. My final chip time: 3:25:21. Slower than I would have liked, but given the weather conditions, I was okay with it. I was dismayed to discover, however, that at the finish line they had run out of not only water, but finisher's medals! I kept thinking to myself, "Isn't this Disney? The people who move thousands of people through their parks every day?" After standing in line for about 10 minutes to put my name on a mailing list, a box of medals mysteriously appeared, and I finally got one. Many others didn't, however, and I was amazed at the lack of organization.

Overall, it was an okay experience. I was happy with my personal performance in the race, especially considering both the weather conditions and the trouble I had early in my training schedule finding the time to get all my walks in. Would I recommend the Disney World half to another walker? Yes and no. Yes, because I hope they solve the organizational problems for future races. No, because it was way too crowded for me to feel like I could maintain my pace consistently, plus even if I give Disney the benefit of the doubt for having a bad day, I think it's highly problematic to run out of water on a warm, humid day. (I saw several runners and walkers who had to get medical attention both during and after the race.) Will I do another half-marathon? Absolutely. I loved my experience at the Flying Pig in Cincinnati last year, and hope to do that race again (although not this year). And there are several others I'd like to try, too.

What does the future hold for me as far as races? I'm hoping to pull off another half in the fall, preferably somewhere on the East Coast (any suggestions are welcome). Meanwhile, I really want to work on my pace, so it's more intervals and shorter distances for me the next few months. And I'm hoping to enter a few smaller local 5Ks and 10Ks as well, which I think after the masses at Disney will be a welcome relief. I still see walking in races as a good thing, because it's a great way to set goals and keep myself motivated, as well as meet other walkers and runners.


Until next time...

Goals, Not Resolutions

I'm not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions. They're always well-intentioned, but not very practical, at least in my experience. Emotionally driven, accompanied by lots of enthusiasm, and then they fall flat in a few weeks or (if I'm lucky) a month or two. Instead, I prefer to set goals for each year. The trick, I've found, is to make them concrete: measurable, and with time goals. For instance, if I want to save money, I'll set myself a goal of $X by June 1, say. That way, when the date rolls around, I have an easy way to gauge if I've met the goal.

So here are my health and fitness goals for 2007:
1. Lose the last 50 pounds by December 31; this includes smaller goals of 10-15 pounds at different dates through the year.
2. Return to a healthy diet. This one's harder to measure, but my plan is to consume 1800-2000 calories/day, with no more than 30% of the calories from fat. In order to lower my cholesterol, this includes less than 14 grams of saturated fat and 200 milligrams of cholesterol daily.
3. Continue walking at least 20 miles per week. I also want to walk at least 1 and preferably 2 half-marathons in 2007.
4. Add cross-training and strength training to my exercise regimen. This is something I've struggled with in the past. My goal by the end of the year is to have 1-2 days of cross-training (biking, swimming, etc.) and 2 days of strength training per week.

As you can see, I have some tough goals to meet. But I'm also confident I'll get there. The key, for me, is patience, mostly with myself. And to realize I have a whole year to get there, not just a few weeks. I'll post updates as I go through the year, including progress reports each month.

Here's to a healthier 2007 for all of us!