whoa?! i am still feeling sunday’s half marathon a bit, but another star wars half marathon – the dark side is under my belt (it’s my goal to at least be a perfect 5 for this race). and with finishing this half marathon, i have completed 4 of my 5 planned for this year’s goal. but let me tell you, i’d have to say that this one was the toughest yet.
knowing that sunday was going to be a little more brutal weather wise, i decided to go a little slower with my pace – in addition to testing out the run-walk method. while a slower pace was definitely needed (and utilized), the weather was a lot worse that i even anticipated – literally dripping sweat by mile 2. i don’t really think anyone could have anticipated the heat and humidity that came our way that morning. and on top of the weather, unfortunately my body (particularly my knees) was not overly cooperative with me during my run. ultimately seeing if the run-walk method was right for me, i think the continuous starting and stopping made my knees and body get a little more stiff that normal. but hey, you have to try different methods to see what works best for you body – so i definitely don’t regret that.
but due to the combination of weather and body aches, i decided to do something that i’ve actually NEVER done during a race…stop for pictures with characters! and man, am i glad i did. it finally allowed me to get out of that completely competitive mindset and just have a little bit of fun. between chewy to darth maul and stormtroopers, i had a complete blast getting to have a different running experience than normal. it made for some great pictures too?! i ended up finishing at around 2:41:00, which considering i stopped for pictures and didn’t have my best day – i will take it. i’m pretty sure my body is now just telling me to rest and run a lot shorter of distances…thanks to 4 half marathons in 4 months.
overall the race was incredible. i absolutely loved the new race course, starting at the magic kingdom parking lot and ending at epcot. i mean, disney knows how to do entertainment to begin with BUT ending with hollywood studios and epcot was a complete saving grace for me. there was so much to see and do, it made that time go by so much quicker. it didn’t hurt that the imperial march started playing right when i entered epcot (clearly my favorite star wars track). and the fact that we got to run through 3 theme parks…BONUS! on top of the great course and entertainment, i was able to reunite with some of my fellow bama gymnastics family before the start – always a wonderful time seeing old friends.
but, now is the time to rest up a little bit – recoup the body. lord knows i need it.
until next time
xoxo
kpmoments 