Category Star Wars Half Marathon

11 Weeks Until the 2020 Star Wars Rival Run Weekend!

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Okay, it’s getting real folks. My training has been very rocky so far. However, I think I’ve come up with a last minute save that all starts TODAY! This time, I have to stick to the plan. You know what Master Yoda says…

The month of January has had a lot of challenges that have made training hard to focus on. Some of those challenges have been fun…like spending time with my family and getting to go to Club 33 at Disneyland! Some of those challenges have not been fun… like work drama. Through it all, I did get some workouts in the books. The last workout was my absolute best of this training cycle! On top of this, I’ve worked with my friend David on dining plans for while I’m at Walt Disney World and they will be amazing! We have 3 reservations made at 3 places I’ve never eaten. I’m so psyched for these three meals! With those dining reservations in place, I got to work on and finished my budget for the trip! So, all that’s left is to get to the training.

So, here’s the plan to get me to the 2020 Star Wars Rival Run Challenge. It will be hard work as I build up to 9.5 miles. Since I haven’t done any weekend miles since the first week, this plan gives me all the long run miles in the Jeff Galloway plan I was initially using. The only long run I will miss is the 14 mile run (which some consider unnecessary in preparing for a half marathon). I’ve also eliminated the back to back run weekends that included Saturday runs of 1 mile and 2 miles. The only other eliminated element is 1 Magic Mile Run. Since I’m doing these races for fun and not for time, I’m okay with that. My weekend runs will be performed outside, Magic Mile runs at a track, and my week night runs will be on a treadmill at the gym. My last gym workout finally included the abs machine and leg press machine! So, there’s hope that I can make these mid-week gym workouts about more than just running on a treadmill again. Ideally, I’d like to be on the elliptical machine for 15-25 minutes before I head to Florida. We shall see what my body allows. No matter what, if I can do all of the above without very many misses, I’ll be in good shape by the time I fly to Florida.

It’s go time. There is no more time for excuses. I’ve only got 11 weeks to go. Next week, I plan on reporting on a good week of workouts.

Happy 2020 Everyone! – Star Wars Half Marathon Training Recap

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It’s finally 2020 and the Star Wars Rival Run Half Marathon Weekend will be here before I know it. If you are training specifically for this race, you know that we are in week 4 of the training plan! Yikes! This training cycle has caught me completely off guard. Thankfully, runDisney had a post on their Facebook page to remind us. Starting a training plan one week before Christmas is definitely not an ideal time. So, how did I do?

As you can see, I got off to a pretty good start in week 1. Although, I didn’t complete the workouts on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The runDisney post came up on the Tuesday of week 1. So, I wasn’t prepared to get out and stat. Instead, I completed workouts on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Being flexible with your workout days is a big key to getting in all the miles. Each workout was a run on the treadmill. I walked the first 5 minutes and then completed intervals of 30 seconds run (at 5.5mph) and 90 seconds walk (at 3.5mph). These workouts would have been easy for me a few years ago. However, they taught me just how much out of shape I am right now. Each workout pushed me. As hard as this comeback tour is for me, I was proud of what I did in week 1.

As great as week 1 turned out, week 2 was a total bust. It was Christmas week and I just wasn’t into the idea of working out on any day for the week.

Week 3 was supposed to be a bounce back week. Just like week 1, I scheduled the treadmill runs for Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Since I had week 2 off, I knew I couldn’t just pick up where I left off in week 1. I debated over how much time I should go for on that first workout. The first 30 minutes went better than expected. So, I kept run/walking all the way to 40 minutes. I used the same warm up and run/walk ratios as in week 1. That first workout was hard, but I made it through! The second run on the treadmill was my worst in quite some time. I walked for 5 minutes. Then, got into my run/walk intervals. However, I only lasted a mile before I gave up and walked it out. In order to make this time on the treadmill worth it, I upped the elevation. Even though I didn’t make it 3 miles of run/walking, this workout wore me out. I wasn’t feeling well on Saturday night or on Sunday. So, I decided to listen to my body and take Sunday off. I also think it’s time for some new running shoes. The pain I felt on Saturday was something I remember from when I’ve needed new shoes in the past.

The first 3 weeks are behind me. I’ve got so much work to do. This comeback stuff is hard. I have all this head knowledge of what my body used to do for me. It gets confusing when the “easy” workouts of old are so difficult. That’s what 2 years of time off does, though. You lose conditioning. I’ve been reminding myself of this during these first 3 weeks. There’s no time to panic just yet. I wanted to do something hard and this is just that. However, each new week brings new hope. I know that if I keep working I’ll get there.

Let’s go week 4!

For the First Time In Forever… I Signed Up for the 2020 Star Wars Half Marathon at Walt Disney World!

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For the first time in forever….I’m blogging. For the first time in forever…I signed up with a runDisney race! For the first time in forever….I’ll be running a half marathon! For the first time in forever… I’ll be running a 19.3 mile challenge! All of that to say, this past weekend, I signed up to run in the 2020 runDisney Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend races! Lord willing, I’ll be coming home with quite a collections of race medals to boot. I’m sure you’ve heard the mantra…”Go Big or Go Home.’ That’s what I’m doing. I’m signed up for the Kessel Run Challenge with the Rival Run Challenge. So, I’ll be putting in 13.1 miles of running between January 1st and March 31st of 2020 to complete the first part of the Kessel Run Challenge. The nice thing about this virtual half marathon is that I don’t have to do it all in one run. By combining this with completing the Star Wars Rival Run Half Marathon (fka Star Wars Half Marathon – Dark Side), I’ll ear something similar to this….


Y’all, I’ve wanted one of these medals since runDisney announced a Star Wars Half Marathon at Walt Disney World around 5 years ago. So, when I decided to head out East for this race, I knew I needed to throw in the virtual half marathon to make sure I got one.

In addition to the Kessel Run Challenge and running the Star Wars Rival Run Half Marathon, I decided that, since I’m heading out East, I should throw in the Rival Run Challenge and run the Star Wars Rival Run 10K as well. So, I should be earning the Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon medal early next year. Then, I’ll earn the Star Wars 10K medal, Star Wars Half Marathon Medal, the Rival Run Challenge Medal and the Kessel Run Challenge Medal. That’s 5 runDisney Star Wars medals by the time I leave Florida. To top this off, the 2020 races will mark the 5th Anniversary of this race weekend. So, I’m expecting the medals to be awesome!

The last time I ran more than 4 miles was at the 2017 TCS NYC Marathon. To be honest, signing up for this race does put a little fear in me. However, I’ve been intending to get serious with training since the start of 2018. When I began 2018, I did pretty good at getting out there and trying. However, I learned that running 5K’s doesn’t put the same fear in me that running more than 10 miles does. So, after nearly 2 years of false starts, I’m hoping that signing up for the Star Wars Half Marathon will motivate me to find better consistency again. After all, these races cost so much to enter and the trip to Walt Disney World is not inexpensive for any West Coaster, like me. So, I’m betting a good chunk of money that this will be what gets me moving towards goals I’ve mentioned before on this web site to happen. I have missed running and missed runDisney races more than I could express in words. It really sucks that runDisney hasn’t come back to Disneyland.

My plan for this race is pretty simple right now. I’m planning on lots of time at the gym for most of the rest of the year. I need to use this time to get active again and used to regular workouts. My training has been so spotty since the 2017 NYC Marathon that I can’t expect to have a great training cycle if I were to just to jump into a half marathon training program at the end of December. So, the goal for the rest of the year is to get active again and see if I can lose some weight along the way.

Race day is April 18 and 19 at Walt Disney World. I’m going to use Jeff Galloway’s training plan for a challenge race found here. So, week 1 of training will start on December 9, 2019. So, on December 6th or 7th, I’ll head to the track for one of Jeff Galloway’s Magic Miles. This weekend is also the Candlelight Processional at Disneyland (which I should be singing on December 7th). So, it might be tricky scheduling. But, I want to make my last workout before the Star Wars Half Marathon training cycle to be a Magic Mile. Why? It will give me a good idea as to what my goals at the start of training should be for this race weekend. According to Jeff’s plan, there will be 5 Magic Miles to complete. So, if I do this right, I’ll have a really good idea of my fitness level for this race and what to expect from myself.

As I go along in my training, I’m hoping to get back to blogging as well. My goal in blogging is at least 1 blog post per week. Feel free to subscribe to my Facebook page, here, to get updates. My plan is to be posting at least my workout recaps on this page. So, if you want to follow along in real time, follow me on Facebook or on Instagram. Feel free to post any encouragements as I go along in training for this race. I’m sure I’ll need those. Even though I’m a veteran of 20 half marathons, it’s still been around 2 years since I entered a half marathon training program. So, there will be some jitters along the way.

Either way, I’m so looking forward to adding to my runDisney Star Wars race medals! See you in Florida for the 2020 Star Wars Rival Run Half Marathon Weekend!

Pixar Fest Fun at the Disneyland Resort

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The Star Wars (Dark Side) Half Marathon is officially underway at the Walt Disney Resort and I have several friends that have most likely finished their 5K race this morning before this post goes live.

As for me? All I can do is reminisce over the fun times I’ve had at the three Star Wars Half Marathons we’ve had out here on the West Coast and wonder if there will ever be another Star Wars Half Marathon at the Disneyland Resort.

This picture, from the Inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon is still one of my favorite pics from any race I’ve ever done. Best part? I waited in line for a whopping 2 minutes. Gotta love the 501st!

So, I could sit here sulking over the fact that runDisney will not hold a race on the West Coast this year. Or, I can do a happier post about what is going on at the Disneyland Resort. Currently, and through the end of summer, they are hosting the Pixar Fest. The video above gives you all the feels of how the Disneyland Resort is dressed up for Pixar Fest.

Here’s all the information on the special food offerings for the festival. It’s making me hungry just watching.

Okay, one of the things I was super stoked about was the announcement that Redd Rocket’s Pizza Port in Tomorrowland was going to become Pizza Planet! I mean, just like the one in Toy Story! This video above has tempered that excitement. From the looks of it, this is the same Pizza Port with a few different items. Yes, they’ve added some Toy Story theming. But, this could have been way cooler. Whenever I get around to taking the boy (if we find the time) to Disneyland next, I’m’ sure we’ll end up here.

Disney has decided to swap two parades for the Fest. Disneyland has the Pixar Play Parade (it used to be at DCA) and DCA gets the Paint the Night Parade. It is kind of weird to see the Pixar Play Parade roaming down Main Street U.S.A. In addition to swapping parks, there are a couple additional floats that were not part of the DCA version. I love the Luxo Lamp float at the front of the parade!

The other part of the swap is one that I’m really excited about. I must make it over to DCA to see Paint the Night in its new location before Disney decides to pull the plug again on this glorious parade. I loved it when it was at Disneyland. I’m sure I’ll love it at DCA. From the looks of this video, it appears that they’ve removed the Frozen float from the parade. So, it’s a little shorter. As much as I love Frozen, it’s nice to see Disney moving on from this movie.

Back over at Disneyland, there’s a new fireworks show…Together Forever. This one is all Pixar. You won’t find Mickey Mouse and the gang in this fireworks show. I do need to post a few videos because, like the 60th Anniversary fireworks, there are multiple spots you can watch this show. This first video is from the VIP seats. It gives us some good views of the projections on Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.

Here’s a video of Together Forever from It’s A Small World. I like how they compensated for the lack of watching Buzz Lightyear flying at the start of the show. It almost feels like a different show from this view. Don’t you think?

Can’t get up close and personal on Main Street U.S.A.? Well, much like the 60th Anniversary Fireworks, there are projections all the way down Main Street U.S.A. to keep you satisfied!

For those wondering, there is a second phase opening in June when Paradise Pier becomes Pixar Pier and California Screamin’ becomes an Incredibles roller coaster. That’s all for this report. What do you guys think? Pixar Fest…yay! or nay?

Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon Announced!

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This week was supposed to be the 2018 Star Wars Light Side Half Marathon Weekend at the Disneyland Resort. As you all know, runDisney has put their Disneyland races on hiatus. So, there will be no half marathons, challenges, or any other races at Disneyland this year. If you’re a West Coaster, you’re probably going to have some withdraws to go through this year. Last week, runDisney made an announcement through the Disney Parks blog….

They are going to have a Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon. According to the runDisney event web site, “Race through the galaxy on a course of your choosing for the inaugural Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon! Whether you break up your 13.1 miles over multiple days or rack up the mileage all at once, runners will earn a one-of-a-kind, Star Wars-themed medal for their accomplishment. Don’t miss out on this Star Wars adventure like no other.”

If you complete the virtual half marathon, you get this pretty cool medal! Plus….

If you head off to Walt Disney World in April to run the Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon, you can earn the Kessel Run Challenge medal as well! So, if you thought you were missing out on getting the Kessel Run Challenge medal this year, runDisney has you covered.

So, how much does this cost???

Entry Fees

Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon – ONLY

  • $59

runDisney Kessel Run Challenge* – ONLY

  • $69

runDisney Kessel Run Challenge Bundles

  • $399 – Star Wars First Order Challenge PLUS runDisney Kessel Run Challenge
  • $254 – Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon PLUS runDisney Kessel Run Challenge

*In order to participate in the runDisney Kessel Run Challenge, runners must be registered for either the Star Wars First Order Challenge OR Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon PLUS the runDisney Kessel Run Challenge. The Star Wars First Order Challenge and Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon are subject to a separate registration fee, eligibility requirements and capacity limits.

So, what say you readers? Is this a good deal? I’m still wavering a bit. Why? Because I’m committed to my Couch to 5K plan. The event web site does say that the distance doesn’t have to be completed all at one time. So, I might choose to do this. If you want to do this virtual half marathon, you need to sign up before February 28th and finish the 13.1 miles before March 31st. So, this is totally doable. Plus…

As part of the registration process participants will have the opportunity to make a donation to Starlight Children’s Foundation on behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change. Starlight Children’s Foundation brings joy and comfort to hospitalized children and their families through programs at children’s hospitals around the world.

On behalf of Star Wars: Force for Change, runDisney is also thrilled to make an independent donation to Starlight Children’s Foundation in honor of the Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon.

So, it will be good to know your money is going towards charity.

I’m going to look into the finances this week to see if I can sign up. After all, I don’t have to do all 13.1 miles at one time. So, I could just add up those miles in my couch to 5K program and send them in when I get to 13.1. Hmmm.