Walt Disney World Goofy Challenge Training Week 18: RACE WEEK is HERE!

WHOOOO HOOOOO here we go!  This is it!  Race Week!

While I certainly do not expect to win, I do expect to have two fun  trips around Disney World Resort with my good friend Jim and my new friend Pearl (even though I think Pearl is going to leave me in her dust).  So as I look back to running the Goofy in 2009 I wanted to share with some thoughts I have about running in general I have learned from Disney. 

First, when I run I am reminded a great quote from Kung Fu Panda ( I know it did not originate in Kung Fu Panda but that happens to be on the TV as I am writing. :-) ):

"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift, That's why it's called the Present"

This pertains to running really well and to the Goofy in particular.  For Goofy that means do not let the thought of the full marathon on Sunday control your run on Saturday during the 1/2 marathon.  Focus on the now.  Run the 1/2 and full as separate runs.  The opposite is true do not worry about the 1/2 performance (good or bad) as you are running the full.  Again: Focus on the now.  So as your running and you are feeling good Run with it and go.  Granted if you are doing Goofy you may need to make sure you do not over exert but do not overly conserver either.  This is Disney it is about having fun and not worrying, which brings me to the second major point:

Disney is not really about time, for me it is about magic, characters, and pictures.  I mean a lot of pictures, in 2009 I took two disposable cameras, and aside from a few I took at home I used them both.  This year I have cool new digital camera!   So I will be taking pictures every chance I get.  The point is no matter what run you are in or the type of runner you are remember to have fun.  For some of you that may mean breaking your PR and if your are running Disney for the 3rd time or more go for it the course is relatively flat and can be speedy!  If you are running Disney for the first time, do not miss the opportunity to be a kid again and enjoy seeing all of the characters as you are doing your favorite exercise.  Bottom line, yes it is hard work, but do not let yourself forget the simple of joy of running.

As I close and I get ready to pack I just wanted to say  thank all of you for following me on the training.  Thank you for checking out the posts and I hope you enjoyed them, you got to see some of the pictures I took in 2009. 

Lastly here are a couple of other notes and resources for Disney World Marathon weekend:

Wake Up Call:   If you are running Disney World for the first time, here is your approximate schedule for the weekend:

• 3:00 am Wake Up Call
• 4:00 am Get on The Bus
• 5:30 am: Running Time!

Weather Report: Thankfully the weather looks better than what Jim had to contend with last year:

• January 8th (Saturday 13.1)
  Partly Cloudy
  High:68° Low 47°
  10% Chance of Showers
• January 9th (Sunday 26.2)
  Partly Cloudy
  High: 71° Low: 48°
  20% Chance of Showers

Want to Follow Me (or another runner): One of the great things about the run is all of support I get as a runner, but Disney World also does a great job of supporting spectators.  Both folks at the castle and others farther away.

• If you are in Disney you can go to the spectator resources here and it will help you plan a route to follow your runner:

• Spectator Tool 

• If you want to follow them remotely you can sign up for email or text messages here:

• Runner Tracker

Motivational Speech: If you are running this weekend, please come up and say hi.  I am not shy, and would love to meet you!  If you need some extra motivation here is a good quick video for you:

This is my last week of training: