I did it! I finished The Royal Family 5km run at Walt Disney World with a JOGGING STROLLER and toddler intact. Alive. Unhappy, unable to crack a smile, tired, but alive.
A runDisney race is anything but ordinary.
Racing around Epcot at 7 a.m., for me was a mix of magic and misery. I am NOT a morning person. Neither is my daughter, we love our sleep-ins, especially after a long day of snow storms, cancelled flights and 6-hour delays. The alarm at 5:20 AM hurt… A LOT.
I was so thankful for coffee, bottled water, a rented car, close proximity to the car in the parking lot and a quick drive to Epcot. I have run 5km on a treadmill numerous times. Outside, not so much. It was way too easy to blame streetlights, traffic and stop signs for breaking my rhythm. Sure, I’ve made it 8-10km in an outing, just not running continuously.
However, the magic and excitement of running through Epcot was a whole different experience… once I got past all the people walking this race that is! As a side note rant… The jogging stroller division was lined up at the start line BEHIND the walkers. Yes behind. WTF? That needs to be remedied for next time, or I will be forced to cut in the queue further ahead (if I ever do this race again with a stroller). I exerted a lot of energy over the first mile and a half, taking slow walkers and I’m blaming my 42-minute finish on them. I thought you had to maintain a 16-minute mile?!?! Anyway, it was all done with a smile.
My daughter, while not a fan of the whole ordeal will probably be too old to agree to even get in her stroller next year, so I’m glad we did it together this year.
Would I do a RunDisney race again? Yes, I would! A 5-kilometre race is the perfect length for me to do with a stroller.
*** I booked and paid for my trip through Fairytale Dreams and Destinations. This is not a paid or endorsed blog post by either Disney or Fairytale Dreams and Destinations ***
