A Confession……This weekend I “ran” my 6th runDisney 10k at Wine and Dine 2023. I use the term ran loosely as what my body does is a combination of some funny looking shuffling and walking. And I do this funny looking shuffling rather slowly to boot. But despite my cartoonish look out there on the road, Saturday I crossed my 6th 10k finish line. Why am I telling you all this? Because I have a confession to make. I do not now, nor have I ever been able to reach a 16-minute mile, much less maintain it over a 6.2-mile course. Is that the goal? Of course not. But the reality just hasn’t gotten there, and I am not sure it ever will. But that doesn’t mean I am going to stop trying.
RunDisney came into my life at the age of 42 in 2021 when our Disney loving family moved to central Florida. It was always something I thought about but never quite committed to the idea of, or the work that goes with it. Shortly after the move I was lucky to meet a new friend who I enjoyed morning walks with. When runDisney announced it would be returning for 2021 Wine and Dine we made a commitment to each other to work towards that goal. Up until this time we had never heard of a balloon lady or pacer groups, and the Galloway method could have been a formula for charting stars for all we knew. We were just two friends who enjoyed each other’s company and were excited to have something new and challenging to look forward to.
Just train harder…..We have participated in 6 race weekends and 2 virtual series since then, and a lot has changed since stepping into our Starting groups at the first runDisney event post pandemic. Our lives have settled back into normal work and school routines and our training is more as accountability partners than morning road warriors. But we keep moving forward. We keep learning. We keep working on form and nutrition and time on our feet. And a lot has changed because of that. I FEEL better. A lot. My body does not take a week to recover from a 10k and I am in control of my breathing, my intervals, and my mindset. But one thing has not happened. I have not gotten on average any faster. Each event is one foot in front of the other. As I search the internet for advice on what I can change to increase my pace I often see the same response- Just train for a 16-minute mile and you will be fine. As if that hasn’t been my goal since day one. Just train harder. And I know that advice comes from well-meaning runners, veterans on the road, people who have been doing this for a long time. I promise I plan on continuing to try, to work out the kinks, lose the few pounds and keep moving forward. But I do know there is no guarantee I will get there by the next race weekend, the one I signed up for months ago with a heart full of hope and a new pair of Brooks. So come Princess weekend you will find me in coral E for the 10k, determined to finish while processing the reality that I may still be just too dang slow.
Some other things have changed over the last 2 years. Now I know about the pacers, and the Galloway method and the balloon ladies. I have been tracking my time and working through training programs. I know I am at risk of getting swept when I set my alarm for 2 am to head to the last coral. I already paid for the race, I already put in the training, yet I am still not fast enough, maybe I never will be. But I won’t give up for the fear of the sweep. I won’t be embarrassed to be on the right of the road. I won’t lie about my time to get in an earlier coral. I am not ashamed to be amongst the first to get there and the last to finish. To all my back of the packers, don’t fear the sweepers, embrace the journey.
Why- It is simple. For me. “It’s the climb”. I think I will go add that to my play list.
Slay it girl! Stay focused and in time you’ll reach those goals.