It’s 3:30 within the morning on an incredibly chilly January day in Orlando. I’m wearing running gear, lacing up my Hokas, and rethinking every little thing as I head out of the foyer of the Disney Seashore Membership Resort. For starters: Why am I awake? And what did I signal myself up for?
What I signed up for, in truth, is the runDisney 10K at Walt Disney World — one among 4 races that comprise Marathon Weekend on the world’s happiest place. Once I was invited to take part in a type of races, in addition to expertise the opposite fitness and self-care choices accessible on the resort throughout January, I used to be all in. The promise of a fun-filled household trip plus some built-in me time? Signal me up, certainly.
And so it’s that I’m standing in the dead of night, with temperatures hovering round 40 levels, queued in line for a bus that may take me to the beginning of the race whereas my husband and two children are nonetheless cozy of their beds again in our lodge room. On the corral, the power is electrical. It’s far and away the largest crowd of runners I’ve ever been in, and any trace of fatigue has evaporated by the 5:00 a.m. begin time. (The early hour, by the best way, is as a result of the race winds via Epcot and must be over earlier than the park opens.) Nonetheless, pitch darkish and chilly, it seems like we’re operating in the midst of the evening, which is type of a thrill in and of itself.
I’m a racing novice, and that is my first 10K. It seems that that’s a superb factor. RunDisney’s Marathon Weekend is a good place to kick off a new-to-you distance as a result of, as I’ve come to grasp, runDisney races should not essentially ones the place folks push for a PR. They’re designed to be extra enjoyable than quick. Folks gown in costumes, there’s music and stay leisure alongside the best way, and there are built-in breaks for picture ops with Disney characters. (Full disclosure: I used to be not in peak type for this race, so I welcomed the breathers I acquired ready in line to snap pics with Goofy and Princess Aurora.)
Whereas the race began within the Epcot parking zone and on the highway exterior of the park, the enjoyable actually began as soon as we have been winding our method via the again of Epcot, via the resort (the place workers from the totally different nation pavilions cheered us on), and alongside the BoardWalk. Working previous the glowing, lit-up globe of Spaceship Earth was breathtaking (actually and figuratively, as I used to be huffing and puffing my well past it!). And seeing the park in a method that few folks do — almost empty save for runners and volunteers — was tremendous cool.
Once I crossed the end line and grabbed my Chip and Dale-decorated finishers medal, my instant thought was, I wish to do that once more. I’m hardly the one one who feels that method: there’s a complete class of people that do what’s generally known as the Dopey Problem — operating all 4 race distances (5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Marathon) in the identical weekend. (That’s a whopping 48.6 miles in the event you’re counting!) Plus, it could have been much more enjoyable if my household had been operating with me.
Because it was, they have been nonetheless asleep by the point I acquired again to my lodge, making it the right solution to do one thing for myself on a household trip. Later that morning, whereas they performed on the lodge pool, I headed over to Disney Springs to get pleasure from among the different Wellness Month activities, together with a free yoga class hosted by lululemon and a soothing mini-facial at L’Occitane. (Different choices have included Cirque du Soleil-led health courses and household Zumba.)
After which it was again to Epcot, however this time as a foursome and with a completely totally different perspective of the park. I used to be still in my Hokas, however it wasn’t about operating this time. It was about household bonding — and happening the rides.
