Dopey Challenge Accepted! Sort Of..

The runDisney website has finally updated the dates of race weekend for 2015.

It is starting to get real. Unfortunately, so is the decision that I had to make.

I want to put out there that this decision was made solely on my own, however I had the support from my husband, my mom, my sister and my best friend. Throughout the course of the past few months I have been having an internal debate as to whether or not I should do the Dopey Challenge at Disney World. The pro and con list has gone back and forth and it's taken a very long time to make the final decision.

As much as it pains me right now, I know that the mature/adult decision would be to not participate in the Dopey Challenge and so that is what I have decided.

It was difficult, and I'm allowing myself to take a day or two to be sad about the idea of not actually running the race and then I'm going to get over it. In fact, I'm still going to train for it and I still plan on running all four days, all four distances. I'll just be in California running by myself instead of in Florida running with thousands of other runners.

It's not the same, but I know that in the long run it is the smartest decision for myself and for my family. And I know that with the support of my friends and my family I will be able to make it through the mileage with or without a medal at the end.

I've been looking into a training plan and the Jeff Galloway training plan on the runDisney website is the one I am leaning towards. For the most part, the training plan is three days a week. It's manageable and I'm fairly certain I can adjust it slightly in order to fit in my scheduled half marathon races that I'm already signed up for and still be able to run the same weekend as the real race.

I was also able to use mapmyrun to plan out a course for all four races. I tried to make them all a little different so that I won't be running the same course each time, but it's a little difficult when you're running in the same city four days in a row. I think it's going to be okay though. I also like the fact that I am able to be in control of where I'll be running and I know the hills that are a part of the course. In all honesty, now that I know that I am still going to run the distance and I have a visual of where I will be running I'm getting excited about it and less disappointed.

It's going to be a test of my mental and physical abilities. I'm sure I'm going to have to continue to tell myself over and over that this was the correct decision. I know that it is though..

Let the training continue!