Delaying the Half Marathon

My big motivation that has kept me going through the last two months has been that, in a year's time, I'd be running through Cinderella's Castle on my way towards the finish line of my first half marathon. That mental image helped me push through when we were stuck in the hospital, it has given me the strength to get through being sick from the pain medicine, and it has helped me be a good girl and follow the doctor's orders to the letter.


As part of this goal, I've turned to Pinterest. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of those who have run Disney races or just races in general and have posted their wisdom and advice. I probably spend an hour every day reading recaps, tips, and planning ideas for outfits for the races.

Yesterday, I came across this infographic:

First off, how awesome is this? A huge thank you to Crafting to Disney for putting this together. It is a great way to put a lot of info in a way that makes it easy to digest. What surprised me, though, was the registration date for the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. I did not expect that it would be so soon. 

It is February 6, and today I am really proud of the fact that I made it one full lap all the way around Target with my girlfriend Anastasia. But there is no reasonable way that, in only two and a half months, I will be able to complete a 10k, which you need to submit as proof of time. I am not even going to get to start physical therapy until essentially the end of February, and as the doctor keeps telling me, this was a full reconstruction of my foot and I need to have patience. Blargh, I hate patience. It has never been my virtue. 

I specifically chose the January half marathon for a couple of reasons. One, it isn't a gender focused race like the Princess or Tinker Bell races are. Not that those wouldn't be fun, and hopefully someday I can do one of those with my girlfriends, but for this first race, I want it to be with my family. My husband runs, and has actually done a couple of half marathons and a full marathon before. His sister is also a runner and a semi-pro soccer player, and every year they run a turkey trot with their dad. My family does not run, and unfortunately my dad's knees aren't up for a half marathon, but I think I can convince my mom and brother to join in. That way my dad and my mother-in-law can serve as our official chEar squad. 

The second reason I wanted to do the January race is that my family has always gone to Disney World in January. My mom is a small animal veterinarian, and the North American Veterinary Community Conference is in Orlando. She goes every year (and usually gets in at least a day of Disney) and my dad, brother and I have flown down and joined her many times. We love going in January because, even if the weather is cold by Florida standards, it is still a heck of a lot warmer than Iowa. The crowds are some of the smallest of the year, and we rarely stand in long lines. I know the marathon weekend is busier, but I'd like to keep that tradition going. 

But, I now have to reevaluate. We either do the Wine & Dine in November of 2016, or wait until January of 2017. I really want to attend the Food and Wine Festival anyway, but I'm worried that before the race I wouldn't want to eat anything different, and after I'd be too exhausted to enjoy the parks. On the plus side, either option gives me a lot longer to heal and train! What do you think? Should we do the Wine & Dine in November or wait until January 2017 and do the Disney World Half Marathon.