Rise and shine! It’s 10k day!
Another chilly day means another run with all the layers! I was going to actually run/race the 10k so I tried to minimize the layers but I knew I needed to stay warm pre-race so didn’t change it up too much. I had on a RawThreads tank top, 2 long-sleeve shirts, and my RUN Brooks shirt on top. I then had regular women’s tights, running tights, and my fun mermaid tights on the bottom. Add in some wool socks, 1 wool BUFFs (neck and head), gloves, and a heat sheet, I was ready to brave the elements. Overall, these layers did the trick!
I was feeling a little sluggish this morning so I wasn’t on a bus until 4:10 but still got to the start area around 4:40 so I had plenty of time to hang out with friends and get psyched for the race.
I headed over to the A corral a little behind my friends but was able to catch up with them. They started moving the corrals to the start line chute around 5am so something to keep in mind for next year!
The standing in the corral is really the time you get the coldest. You can’t move a ton and you hope that the body heat around you keeps you warm but it doesn’t always work if there is a breeze blowing. You just try to keep you mind occupied.
Usually we get a really amazing vocalist to sing the National Anthem but not this morning. Someone must have come down with the flu so we had a nice prerecorded instrumental of the anthem and then it was time to get started. We were far enough up that we were in the first wave of A so I said goodbye to my friends and set off at a quick pace.
The first mile was really crowded so I was having trouble really getting up to the speed I wanted. When we got to the turn around at about 1 mile where Pocahontas and Meeko were it was still really crowded so changed up my game plan to take this as a tempo run rather than 10k race pace. This took the pressure off and allowed me to both run hard and enjoy the course.
We ran outside the park until about mile 3 where we came in through the entrance to World Showcase between Mexico and Norway where we were greeted by some rambunctious Vikings.
I kept cruising along and got to Germany where Flynn and Rapunzel were. Apparently this line got CRAZY long later but I got there right as the Photopass Photographer showed up so I was in and out pretty fast. Rapunzel liked my purple shirt!
The course took us around World Showcase and out the International Gateway again and stuck my arms out and soared down the hill again like I did on the 5k. The runner next to me noticed my arms out glide and I told him to try it. He seemed hesitant on that hill but when we got to another one near the Boardwalk he was still nearby so I encouraged him to try it there. It probably doesn’t help but it does make it more fun.
We ran around the Boardwalk and Beach Club area and then through the backstage area of Epcot and back onto the World Showcase Promenade at the UK. We then headed into Future World and saw Duffy standing there and had a fleeting thought of “I really just wan to be back in a warm bed, the next best thing would be to stop for a pic with a life-size teddy bear” and so got a quick pic.
We ran down the center of Future World and did a quick loop in the front of the park before exiting out the parking lot. I really love getting to run in the front of the park again like we use to during the 5k.
A quick section from Spaceship Earth to the finish and I was done! I grabbed my medal, a new heat sheet, the food box and decided to take a second to try to snap a pic with some characters. The line for Minnie was really long (it was her race of course!) and so I got into Dopey’s line. Look how cute he is!
I then hopped on the bus and headed back to my resort. The walk from the bus to my hotel room became the walk I dreaded the most each morning because my body had cooled down and I just shivered the whole way. No fun. I cooled down a bit in my room, had a hot shower, and got some food before settling in for a nap. Today I didn’t have any parks planned but I did have a social media meetup hosted by Cigna and a running Ohana meetup. I was excited for some fun without having to deal with the crazy crowds in the park!
After the fun of the day, I headed back to my room to settle in for the night. I was excited for another day of running and to rock my rose gold inspired Minnie outfit! Day 3 of Dopey Challenge here I come!
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