This week hasn’t been the week I was hoping for a week ago. However, there were some good things to report and a change to my plan for getting to Dopey in 2023 to share.

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First off, I’m excited to report that I did register for the 2022 Virtual Walt Disney World 10K race! I’m super excited to be registered for a race again. While it’s not exactly the same as registering for an in-person race, the Virtual WDW 10K is something I believe I need in order to get myself off the couch and running again. From what I’ve read, I will get a 2022 WDW 10K shirt and finisher’s medal. Not sure if it will be the same one given to those who are running the race at Walt Disney World. That part doesn’t matter that much to me. The point is that I will get a race shirt and finisher’s medal, just like if I were at Walt Disney World. What I won’t get is the experience of running around EPCOT and the EPCOT resorts. I won’t get to run with thousands of other runners and experience the energy that comes from having such a gathering of runners. I won’t get the DJ and Race MC’s hyping me up. Truth be told, I’m not planning on running this race on the exact same day as the 10K will be run at Walt Disney World because running on Saturday makes more sense. It is my goal, however, to be ready to race this 10K on the same weekend as the WDW races so I can join in the social media fun.

One race that I had talked about last week was running the 2021 Aquarium of the Pacific 5K. While I do have the money to register for this race, I don’t have the Saturday morning off to be able to run this race. Why? This Fall, I’m going to be coaching my son’s AYSO soccer team. That means, my Saturday mornings in the fall are already booked. So, I can’t do the race. It’s okay, though. I will save the race entry fee. Also, for the first time in forever, I can train for a 10K race! I don’t think I’ve even looked for a 10K training plan since my first year of racing (2012). So, I’m looking forward to using the Jeff Galloway 10K training plan as I get ready for the 2022 Virtual WDW 10K. The plan starts on September 13th. All running before this will help. However, skipped runs won’t kill my 2023 Dopey Challenge dreams either.

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Speaking of running, I finally did get out and do a run this week! That’s the good news. The bad news? It was only ONE run. However, it was good to get out and run with my son again. He’s convinced that he’s training for a marathon. It will be a sad day when he realizes that my distances are going to get to the point where he doesn’t want to run. This week, we got to run a full two miles. Of course, running with the boy meant that we had quite a few walk breaks and outright stop and rest breaks. For the first half mile, we did the run/walk/run with daddy’s intervals of run 30 seconds, walk 90 seconds, and repeat. After a half mile, we took our first stop. I tried to get him to keep going. But, by 0.60 miles, he didn’t want to run anymore. So, we continued toward the 1 mile point just walking. My boy is starting kindergarten in about 10 days! His school is divided in two campuses that are very close together. In our last run, we went to the campus he will be at from 2nd – 5th grades. This week, we went further to get to the campus he will be at for the next two years! It was kind of exciting to get there.

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The downside, though, is that the play equipment were pretty much open to the public. So, instead of heading home, Colton needed some time to check out the new play equipment. So, I stopped the clock for a while. On the way home, I was totally expecting to walk the entire way. However, after about a quarter mile, Colton took over our run intervals. I didn’t time them. So, I have no idea how long each lasted. Each run came whenever he was inspired to run. So, that was fun.

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While it’s been great to get out and run once, I know that my goals will require more than that. If you’ve watched the Olympics over the past week, you’ve probably heard all the talk surrounding Simone Biles. My opinion is that she did the right thing by withdrawing from competition. When you listen to the elite gymnasts talk about it, something that becomes incredibly evident is how important it is to be on point mentally. As a person who has attempted runs where I wasn’t there mentally, I can vouch that this isn’t only true of gymnastics, but other areas of life as well. This comeback for me is quite frustrating because of how many runs have already been missed. Since I’m not doing that 5K in October, my focus has changed. Between now and September 13th, I’m looking to merely build momentum. If I can get myself running 3 miles 3 times a week…AWESOME! If not, it’s okay. The training plan takes me from a first weekend “long run” of 1.5 miles to a max of 6.5 miles in December. I’m not chasing any finishing times with this virtual 10K. I just want to get my body to the point where I can do it again.

Depending on how my times look on the 10K day, I’ll evaluate what kinds of goals I want to pursue for the 2022 Rock n Roll San Diego Half Marathon. Since there are 3 weeks between the Virtual 10K and when I need to start training for the Rock N Roll San Diego Half Marathon, I’m planning on taking the weekend before my RnR San Diego training to do one of those Jeff Galloway Magic Miles to help me with my goal setting. After all, it is likely that my time at the RnR San Diego Half Marathon will be my proof of time for the 2023 Dopey. Since the goal of Dopey is merely to finish and show myself that I can do really hard things again, my finish time at RnR San Diego ultimately doesn’t matter too much. I mean, I’d love to avoid the last corral for those Dopey Challenge races. My secondary goal for Dopey is see where my physical condition is as I get ready for the 2023 Los Angeles Marathon. There ‘s a part of me that wants the LA Marathon to be the one where I finally have a sub 6 hour race.

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While I didn’t get in all the running I had hoped for this week, I did manage to have some fun. Swimming with my boy is always fun!

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Also, Colton is really interested in baseball right now. So, we went to the park and worked on his throwing and catching the ball.

I hope that you’re all doing well and getting out there to pursue your dreams (whatever they may be). Let’s make this coming week LEGENDARY!