This year was the first year I was doing the runDisney Goofy Challenge alone, no Dopey Challenge, and no additional races. Five years ago when I did my first Dopey Challenge, Goofy was included in it. But I always felt that my first Goofy Challenge didn’t receive the fanfare it deserved because it was grouped in with Dopey.

I’ll share my experiences with my first Goofy Challenge and what I think about my future with running the runDisney Races

Day 1 – Arrival and Expo Day

After the first of the year rolls around, my nerves kick in. I had done my last training run which was 16 miles on December 27. I like to train a little farther than that, but my schedule didn’t allow for it this year.

Packing and Travel

The kids were heading back to school, I had work to do and I needed to start packing. I was watching the weather and it was calling for warmer weather this year. Instead of packing for every possible weather condition, as I usually recommend, I was packing for the heat.

I made a Donald costume for the half several years ago, but never wore it with the feather skirt yet. I packed it, just in case. I knew that I could always unpin all of the feathers before or during the race if they were too hot.

If you can arrive to Orlando a day or two prior to your races, that is always best. This allows you time to get to the expo for your race bib(s), get situated at your hotel and acclimated a little bit to the weather. It also gives you time to rest a little before the races begin.

When I run the Dopey Challenge, the races begin on Thursday and I fly in on Wednesday. This year my first race was Saturday so I flew in on Thursday evening. That was helpful to me to allow me a little time prior to the beginning of the race, to visit friends, prepare for the races, and attend the Cigna Media Event (more on that soon)!

Race Taper

The three weeks prior to the race is considered the taper time. This time can be nerve-wracking because you do not have a long training run on the schedule, you are working at staying healthy, and it’s mostly a time of rest prior to the race. This is when the old expression “the hay is in the barn”, comes into play. The training has been done and now you can relax knowing all your hard work will be utilized on race day.

Mental Preparation

Now is the time to overcome your nerves with positive talk and meditation. I especially had to use this time to rely on friends, family, and my past to remember that I have done this before and I know what to do. I’ve done five consecutive Dopey Challenges and seven consecutive Walt Disney World Marathons. I knew I could finish the race. I may not have the fastest race time, but I wanted to have fun.

I discussed a strategy for race day with my friends Amy and Jason Chase. We came up with a good plan for the race and it put all of us at ease going forward. Our plan was to enjoy the races and have fun. We didn’t want to stress over it. We knew we could finish and we wanted to have fun doing so!

runDisney Goofy Challenge Race Expo

After my flight arrived in Orlando, I grabbed my rental car and drove to the expo first. I arrived 30 minutes before they closed, picked up my bib, my shirts, and visited with Jeff Galloway. It’s tradition for me to get his signature on my bib before any race that he is at.

Since I arrived late in the evening, I didn’t have time to visit the runDisney merchandise area. I planned to come back to check out the new merchandise during a different afternoon.

Quick Tip!: If you aren’t one of those individuals who has to have the newest runDisney merchandise and wait for them to open the doors on the morning the expo begins, then you will have a better experience if you attend the expo in the afternoon. When I do this the lines are shorter and I can get in and out much quicker.

Day 1 of the race weekend was an easy day, I grabbed some sushi for dinner from Katsura Grill in Epcot and wandered around the Morocco pavilion when no one else was around! Then I checked into my hotel and began to lay out my gear for the weekend.

Follow my journey through the rest of the weekend, with the Cigna Media event and a team dinner next!

Do you want to run a runDisney race with me?

Are you interested in a runDisney race? I’m putting a group together for the runDisney Wine & Dine race weekend if you want to join! Visit my facebook page for more info!