So What's Next?

I spent much of this year prepping myself physically and mentally for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon. Registration opened back in March and the race was just over two weeks ago.

So what now?

Here is what I really want: the Coast to Coast medal.

Seeing it in person made me love it more than I did when just seeing the picture. Admittedly, there wasn't the same dreamy feeling I had when I first saw the Wine & Dine medal, but it was pretty close. To get that medal, I have to complete a half in Disneyland and a half or full at Disney World within one calendar year. That gives me two races in Disneyland to choose from, and four in Disney World. Well, really only three in Disney World because no way am I doing the full any time soon.

Logistics seem to be the biggest obstacle I am facing. Ideally, I would like several months in between races. The races take place during these months...

• Disney World Half - January
• Tinker Bell Half (Disneyland) - January
• Princess Half - February
• Disneyland Half - September
• Wine & Dine Half - November

If I want to stick to my ideal plan, the best options would be the Disney World Half + Disneyland Half, Tinker Bell Half + Wine & Dine Half, or the Princess Half + Disneyland Half. (For the record, "half" starts to look misspelled once you type it several times.)

2013 is out of the question for the Coast to Coast. The Disney World, Tinker Bell, and Princess Half Marathons are all sold out (well, Tink is technically "open" as part of a Black Friday/Thanksgiving weekend offer until tonight). Not to mention that they would be too soon for me to even consider registering. That would leave the Disneyland and Wine & Dine. But those are only just over a month apart and travel expenses wouldn't work out. 2014 may also be out of the question. I will be in a wedding that spring in California, and the date doesn't fall in line with the races there. I considered possibly registering for the Princess that year, but that will be the 5th anniversary of the Wine & Dine. If runDisney holds to its own pattern, there should be a medal redesign for that year. If I am going to do two Disney races in a year, I would prefer I save the expenses and use it towards my Coast to Coast. Unless I am already living in Florida by that point (which is a possibility), in which case swinging two Disney World races in a year isn't as big of a deal.

So what is next? I really don't know. I do need to get involved in some local races. I need to keep that running stamina up, no matter how slow I may be. I am considering doing the OKC Memorial Half Marathon in April. There really aren't a lot of running events between now and then, so I may just use the time to train. I am still up in the air on whether I really want to do it. I find that running long distances just along the streets bores me easily. I am ok with a 5K or 10K...but any more than that and it becomes a mental strain. That is why I am now addicted to Disney races. Aside from it being Disney, the on course entertainment and the ability to run through the parks is enough to keep me going.