Last Friday (first day of vacation), I woke up to twitter going CRAY-CRAY about a new runDisney announcement. Well it ended up being more than one announcement, it was two and it was sending people into a tailspin! runDisney released the new female race inspired Coast to Coast medal that will be available starting 2014.
In addition to the new Coast to Coast medal, an announcement of the Princess Half Marathon race weekend expansion. Hot off the successful registrations for the Dumbo Double Dare and Dopey challenges and in addition to the record sell outs of the two new 10K races for those weekends, runDisney announced they will be adding a new race, the Enchanted 10K, and the Glass Slipper Challenge medal for those that complete the 10K and Half Marathon. ::eyes bulging:: (See official announcement here.) I am SO curious to see what the medals will look like, ESPECIALLY the Glass Slipper medal! Though it appears we Disney runners love our endurance challenges because the moment this news was released there was a flurry of people already talking about signing up for this race weekend, when they had said in the recent past that they probably wouldn't run at PHM any time soon.
Myself included. D'oh!
What is with these races that just keep pulling you back in? Maybe the fact that it's an inaugural event that makes it so irresistible. Being the first to hoist that bling around your neck knowing that there will be thousands that will do the same for years to come. Maybe it's the hope that us latecomers to the runDisney party will be able to be "perfect" in a race series. I don't know. All I know is that it is irresistible and yet I'm still indecisive on whether I want to run the PHM this next year. I just know myself, if I decide to do PHM, then I will want the new Coast to Coast medal and will have to run Tinkerbell the month before in order to get the new medal. Don't get me wrong, I want to run Tink and I've heard great things about that race weekend, but two Disney race weekends in two months is hard on the wallet. Besides, if I'm going to try to be "perfect" with Dumbo, then that means two Disneyland race weekends in one year for me. I think my husband will protest.
More news released this past weekend was the registration for the 3 Little Pigs Challenge for Disneyland Half Marathon weekend!!! WOOHOO!!! I've been looking forward to this announcement for months since I'd heard about this challenge during WDW weekend.
Lastly, and certainly NOT least, I talked with my chiro on Monday about increasing my running. My back is almost 100% better, it's still stiff in the morning and after a long day of standing, but nowhere near the discomfort and pain I'd had a month ago. So he said I can increase to 2 miles.
I was so excited!! But wait, there's more!!
He said after I run 2 miles, see how I feel the next day, if I'm not hurting or having any discomfort then I can increase to 5 miles!! I can run twice at 5 miles and if I'm still feeling good, no pain or discomfort, then I can go back to my training and running as usual.
I was ELATED!!! FINALLY some light at the end of the tunnel!!
I'm still going to be cautious, I don't want to reinjure myself, so I will follow his orders and if I do have pain or discomfort I will back down and take it easy. But the fact that I can start running longer distances again made me feel so good again. Strange, right? When you first start running these longer distances you dread them, then when you can't all you want is to run them? Crazy stuff I tell you, but I'm so glad to know that I'm well on my way to recovery. I just need to keep up with my stretches and exercises to keep myself from reinjuring that part of me in the future.
So there you have it! Quite a long post, but full of lots of good information and news! Hope you are all having a great Wednesday and first day of May!!
Question for you: For all you runDisney fans, will you be doing the 2014 PHM for the new challenge? For those already planning on running the PHM, will you also do the 10K to get the Glass Slipper medal? What about the new Coast to Coast medal, what do you think of it?
ARGH...add me to the list of people who said they wouldn't be back for PHM. Now I've already registered for Dopey, but I WANNA DO THE GLASS SLIPPER CHALLENGE SO BADLY! We shall see... ;-D
ReplyDeleteI know, right? After this year I was fine not going to PHM again for a few years. NOW...that has changed. I held off on Goofy/Dopey for 2015 (Goofy Anniversary), so I don't have that commitment next year. But like you, we will see what happens.
DeleteI will not be doing the Glass Slipper challenge in 2014. I decided that I wanted my first half (the PHM 2014) to not be overshadowed by anything else. There will be plenty of years for me to try and do new and exciting challenges and I have my sights set on 2015 for the Glass Slipper challenge! I have to admit, I was a little bummed that so many who said they weren't going to do PHM in 2014 are going to do it now...makes me worried it will sell out too fast or it will be even MORE crowded and crazy than the reports for 2013! I'm sure it won't matter to me in the end, I am going to be so excited and nervous and running my first half marathon! I am so happy to hear you are on the mend and going to be able to get back to running! Can't wait to hear about the weekend getaway too!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good way to think about it, keep your focus on your ultimate goal.
DeleteI'm thinking that with the reduction in participants runDisney did with WDW marathon weekend, they will be doing the same for PHM. I think the complaints were too loud for them to not listen. It really was a safety issue at certain points!
Just think of it this way, if I do end up running this race, we might be able to run together! It would be great to be there to support you during your first half!!
Squeeee! That would be so exciting!!! To be honest, the first thing I thought when I saw you say you were considering it was that I might get to meet you! LOL...I didn't want to seem like a stalker though, so I didn't mention it!
DeleteOh goodness no...I don't think that way. :) It would be great to meet you and possibly run together. VERY exciting stuff!!!
DeleteMy poor family, I think by the time the race arrives, I'm going to have a TON of people that I'm going to want to meet...not sure when we'll get park time in! LOL! I have already met so many amazing runners...I really love the running community, everyone is so amazing. Naturally! ;)
DeleteI mixed in meeting people WITH park time and sometimes even meals! It's fun to meet people in exciting locales because everyone is having fun and people are naturally more lighthearted.
DeleteThis community we are a part of is quite amazing and you will meet SO. MANY. PEOPLE during race weekend that it will be tough to keep names straight. But I will say that it is worth every second you take to meet these people as my trip was that much more enriched and amazing with these people being a part of it. :)
I'd already committed to the DW half and I'm planning on Tinkerbell, so this challenge won't apply to me. I thought for a long time about doing DW versus Princess, and the thing that swayed me was the idea of traveling in February. Even though I'm in CA and the race is in FL, weather in other parts of the country can mess up the air travel system. It seemed like January was a bit safer than February...although...you never can tell with weather. The glass slipper challenge is interesting, but I'm not crazy about the pink Coast to Coast medal. I'm glad I'll be in line for the traditional one.
ReplyDeleteThe pink Coast to Coast is definitely interesting, I'm not a pinky person myself, I like the purple side to the lanyard. :) I will hopefully be getting my blue C2C in September with the DDD challenge, so next year could be devoted to getting the pink one! I don't know, the jury is still out on whether or not I'll do it. But I as well am intrigued by the Glass Slipper Challenge. Decisions, decisions.
DeleteI really enjoyed Princess2013, even with the crazy weather and recovering from "daughter cut her bangs"-itis! But I am not interested in The Glass Slipper Challenge! I have been wanting to run 26.2 with Donna...well, with Marcia & Linzie. So if I'm running on February 23, 2014 it will not be at WDW.
DeleteI remember you signing up for that race and that will be a great time for you all. I'm just not sure if I want to go back to PHM again next year when I haven't run any of the other races yet. I feel kind of odd repeating a race without doing any of the others before that.
DeleteI don't know, I'm still thinking about it. I had that "new race, wanna run it!" knee jerk reaction, but now that I've had a few days to marinate over it, I am starting to be more pragmatic about it.
There are so many different races I want to experience! I am still such a rookie....but I have a VERY long race wish list! I have no idea how I'm paying for anything. ;)
DeleteI know what you mean! My race bucket list keeps getting bigger and bigger. So. Many. Races.
DeleteI need to race with you again though soon!!
I wasn't planning to to the PHM/Glass Slipper Challenge, but.... now I really want to! Unfortunately, I'm still recovering from Dumbo's cost and I'm committed for Tink. Like you, I'm hoping to run my first full marathon (though not Goofy) at WDW in 2015, so Princess will once again have to wait.
ReplyDeleteAs for the C2C, I personally prefer the blue one. It just looks more... normal? ;)
I agree the pink is a little much, I really enjoy the purple color more. :) I think I'm more intrigued with the challenge because it's Glass Slipper and I love the Princesses. I'm just finding it tough to justify going to PHM again a year later when I haven't done Wine and Dine, ToT 10 Miler or WDW marathon weekend yet. Definitely need to mull this over!
DeleteI sure the Glass Slipper medal is going to be beautiful! If it's any consolation, I did the DL 1/2 twice (well, 3 times if you include Dumbo in Sept) before doing any other runDisney race. You've got a good reason (new challenge) and sometimes it just works out that way.
DeleteTrue, very true. Hubby also said we could make a whole trip out of it so that might be a good thing. Still don't know, still on the fence. Feel like Humpty Dumpty, which side will I fall on?
DeleteWhile intrigued by the new challenge, I won't be at the inaugural race. Highly doubtful that I'll even get a runDisney race in next year, but I'd rather save that for Dopey 2015. I'm personally not a fan of the pink C2C medal...I wish they had done something else to jazz it up instead of substituting the colors and lanyards on the same design. I'll have plenty of time to do the Glass Slipper Challenge :)
ReplyDeleteSo excited about the bacon challenge at Dumbo though!
I agree, something a bit more jazzy would have been fun for the new C2C. I'm really excited about Dopey in 2015, that is an ultimate goal for me. But I have found I am easily blinded by the bling!
DeleteSpeaking of bling, I too am excited for the bacon challenge at Dumbo. I'm going to look like Flavor Flav with all my bling from that weekend! HA!
I know! 10k medal + Half medal + Dumbo medal + Bacon medal + C2C medal = a very sore neck! :) Gonna take my Princess Medal for a photo-op as well :)
DeleteSorry to barge in, but I was wondering about the bacon challenge... Have either of you done it before? I'm curious, but I don't know if I can handle the bacon. :)
DeleteJen - YES! Exactly! I'm also doing the 5K as well, so I'll have that medallion too. Also bringing PHM medal for photo op too! YAY!
DeleteKim - I've never done the bacon challenge before, but the process this time is different than what they did at WDW this year where it was a table you get the bacon from. This year you eat it where ever you want, so you could eat it during the 5K or 10K if you wanted to. A bit odd and takes away from mystique of going to a table to participate, but I think the bacon will be fine considering it's protein and your body will appreciate the fuel.
DeleteThat's good that you can eat it whenever. My stomach is so sensitive to food, I'd probably be scarfing it down right by the finish line! Haha!
DeleteCongrats on being able to add more miles!! Yay!!
ReplyDeleteI was already planning on running both Tink and PHM in 2014, so the addition of the Glass Slipper Challenge only made me more excited, and then the pink C2C!?!? Wow! The day Disney made the announcement was a very exciting day for me!! I will definitely be running the Glass Slipper challenge! :)
YAY! That is pretty awesome that this new challenge coincided with your plans to go to these events. Too much fun!
DeleteI was looking to see if there were images of the "Three Little Pigs Challenge" medal on the net and to my surprise there are. Why you ask? I'm the designer who did them. Just dropping a hello and glad it brings smiles to people.
ReplyDeleteitaharadesign.com