I admit it. I am not what you would call active. I don’t know that I would go as far as saying couch potato, but I do have an aversion to exercise. It’s boring, it makes me sweat, it’s all things I don’t like. My idea of exercise is doing yard work, shoveling snow, going for a walk, cleaning the house. There is a purpose in each of those activities.
A bit over a year ago, I committed to completing a 5k as a fundraiser for Running for Rescues. There was more of a purpose to exercising here. It was helping rescue animals. I thought I could do this. After all, a 5k isn’t that long, I have certainly walked that much at Disney World.
My training started as the weather got better in the spring. I bought a good pair of walking shoes and my husband and I started walking. Within a couple weeks, we were able to complete a 5k in just over an hour. We continued training, walking at least a mile a day. Then in July, we completed an unofficial 5k while on a cruise in Cozumel. Our time was under an hour!
In September, our village had a 5k that we decided we could try. This would be our first official race. We did good, completing the race in 56:15. Not bad, it was a start! In October, despite Hurricane Sandy, we managed to get in our 5k on our ToaD Fantasy sailing. Our time was definitely better, but it wasn’t official so I can’t say exactly how long it took us.
As we were discussing the next ToaD sailing, we realized that the Expedition Everest Challenge would take place the day that we get off the ship. It starts at 10:00 pm at Animal Kingdom and we would be off the Oasis of the Seas in Fort Lauderdale by mid-morning at the latest. This was doable! Many of our cruisers decided they would be signing up. It came down to my husband and I. Would we fly home right after the cruise? Would we go to Disney World and see everyone compete? Or would we participate ourselves? We discussed it and decided why not participate!
This would not be just a regular 5k though. The race, as I said before, starts at 10:00 pm. It is listed as a 5k trek with obstacles. Oh no! What did we get ourselves into? The runDisney site describes the event:
Take a run on the wild side and uncover the mystery of the clues!
Take a run on the wild side during the Expedition Everest Challenge, a thrill-packed, timed endurance event that combines a 5K adventure run through Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park with the challenge of a scavenger hunt. Your nighttime adventure starts in base camp where you’ll begin a journey along an obstacle strewn course. Then get set for all the excitement of a scavenger hunt in the spectacular setting of Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. Complete the challenge and escape with a special edition Compass finisher medal.
I asked some friends how involved this would be and they all said we can handle it so we signed up! The only glitch when I signed up was the Pacing Requirement. We must be able to keep up a 16 minute mile pace or we will be picked up and transported to the finish line. Our first official time was an 18 minute mile so we have a little work to do! Time to get training.
Maybe with our new interest in racing events we should think about a ToaD running team. What do you think? Will you join us at the Expedition Everest Challenge?
Whoo hoo! You can definitely maintain a 16 mpm pace with some work Tracy. I’ll be there too with my daughter, and we’re hoping for a 15 mpm pace. I’ll see you at the start, and finish!