Thursday, January 10, 2013

I'm Going to Disney World!

I'm going to Disney World tomorrow! Yipee! I can't wait. Greg and I leave tomorrow morning and return on Tuesday afternoon. Greg hasn't been there since he was a small child, and I've only been there a handful of times.

What am I most excited about? The zebras in Animal Kingdom. I've never been to that park and I found out that they added 15 new zebras in October, making them guaranteed to be visible during the ride. I hope the ride stops long enough to take plenty of photos and just enjoy the magical presence of these fantastic animals. Yes, I do realize I could go to a zoo and see zebras, but not this many all at once. And I have been to zoos where the zebras are really far away so you don't get a good view.

I'm also excited about dinner in Cinderella's castle on Saturday night, a reservation we had to make months in advance, and exploring all the countries in Epcot. I can't wait to find the perfect souvenirs for my little nieces, one of whom is obsessed with Tangled.

Oh yes, and there's also that half marathon on Saturday morning. It totally doesn't feel like I am racing. I typically get way more fired up for a race, even just a 5K. I guess my focus really is on the trip itself and all the fun I will have, and the race is just one piece of that. Also, since the weather is forecast to be hot and humid, I really don't care about my time. I definitely want to go out there and run the best race I can and prepare well for the conditions, but I know my time will be a far cry from what I could do if the race was in DC this weekend. Once again, good practice for being process-focused and not results-focused.

Am I bothered by this weather? Not as much as I probably would have been in the past. And the annoyance that does exist comes from the fact that it's typically much cooler for this race and not as humid, but Florida is going through an unseasonably hot/humid spell right now. I feel like I just bring warm weather with me whenever I travel for a race!

Anyway, I've accepted this weather and I'm going to prepare as best I can, given that I am not at all acclimated. I've been sleeping well, I'm hydrating, I have no nagging aches/pains and I'm far more focused on having fun this weekend then my race performance.

If you'd like to track my race, my Twitter account will be tweeting my splits. Follow me at @Elizabeth1111.

Things that I am hoping to bring home with me:
1. A zebra from one of the Animal Kingdom shops, and probably other zebra stuff
2. A big shiny Disney medal
3. Souvenirs for my nieces and nephew
4. Several extra pounds from all the yummy food (well, I'm not hoping for the lbs, just the food!)
5. A great set of photos to remember the trip by
6. A suntan. Hey- if it's going to be really hot, let me have something to show for it!
7. Greg. (Just stating the obvious here.)

I have been looking forward to this trip for a very long time and I am so happy it's finally here!


  1. Awww, have so much fun! I ran the half a few years ago. Keep your eyes peeled at the start. They shoot off fireworks. :)

  2. Have a great race, and thanks for sending the good weather our way!

  3. ah!! I'm late to comment! But I hope you had a fun half!!