Extreme RunDisney: An Epic 40th Birthday Challenge

zanzibar138

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Introductions:

This is me.



My name is Lana, and I have a fairly tumultuous history with running, which I will get into a bit more in another post.

I was fairly active on these boards a couple of years ago, in the lead up to my Disneyland 10k in 2014 (above), and then the Disneyland Half Marathon in 2015. I have taken a bit of a break from running due to injury and to focus on walking challenges, but I have come back with a rather ridiculous challenge for myself!


The Concept:

Late last year, I had a fairly major shake-up in my life, and wanted to do something just for me. Something that I could focus on, that I could get excited about, and that would help to get me back into shape. I remembered that there seem to be a few Disney running events in and around September, and thought for a major milestone birthday, it might be fun to aim to do each and every run on offer. My 35th birthday was far too close to allow enough time for the saving and training required for this trip, so I decided to aim for my 40th, which will be September 2023.

I know this seems extreme, and many of you probably think this will fall by the wayside over the next few months/years. However, I don't have any problems with long term goals/planning, and am well known for my tenacity. I believe that this is achievable for me. As usual, my parents jumped straight on board with their support as soon as I mentioned it to them. By putting it up there on the DisBoards, it will help to make it seem real, to keep up my enthusiasm about it, and to have some more accountability about reaching my goals.

I understand that 6 years is a long time to expect anyone to follow a training journal/PTR, so I don't necessarily expect people to stick around for the whole journey. This is more a place where I can plan, scheme, and celebrate the more minor accomplishments along the way. I did consider starting a blog instead, but I have always found the DisBoards very supportive and so I thought I'd start here.
 
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Running and Me - A Brief History

My First 10k
It was late 2012 when I first decided that I wanted to Run Disney. I had never been that keen on attempting a full half marathon, but I realised that there was a 10 miler that I could aim for, and so I began aiming. Fortunately I had a full 18 months to train and save some money! Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck with my training. And then Disney pulled the 10 miler, but then added a 10k to the Disneyland Half Marathon event for the first time. I figured, given the issues that I was having with training, that would be enough of a challenge for me, and vowed to do it no matter what.

To cut a very long story short(er), I ended up being diagnosed with compartment syndrome, and decided to go ahead with the surgery to give me a chance of being able to run. My parents decided to join us, and we all registered for both the 5k and 10k events at the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend in 2014. I had the surgery in March, having not been able to do much training prior to that. I was completely out of action for 2 weeks following the surgery, and spent the next 6 weeks or so building up to being able to start an interval program again.



In the second week of my interval training, on a trip to Sydney to see the Lion King of all things, my gall bladder gave way! I spent two nights in hospital in Sydney stabilising me enough for the trip back to Melbourne, and as soon as I got back to Melbourne I organised for it to come out. I had the surgery mid-May. Luckily I was only out of action for a week that time, but my running training had been set back enormously.

I did what training I could, and at the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend that year, we completed the 5k in a bit under 50 minutes.



And the next day completed the 10k pretty close to the 100 minute time limit (although we didn't start from the last corral, so were never in any danger of being swept).




My First Half Marathon
We came back from that first RunDisney trip talking about doing the half marathon the following year, and before I knew it, we'd already booked our flights and were making serious plans to do it! My parents were in again too! In the meantime, I did a few more local 10k runs, and got my time down to about 1:15.







I managed to get through my half marathon training program all the way up to the second last week, when I felt what turned out to be a stress fracture in my foot. I took it easy for the final week of training, not wanting to do any further damage. At the 2015 Disneyland Half Marathon weekend, despite the stress fracture, we managed to complete the 5k in under 40 minutes.



And two days later we completed the half marathon in about 2:45.




An Ultra Walk
It had been in the back of my mind for a few years to register for the 100k Oxfam Trailwalker event, and I decided to take some time off running in order to do that next. Unfortunately, it took some time for my stress fracture to heal, and I wasn't able to do as much serious training as I had wanted to. Still, I did some lovely training walks in beautiful parts of the country.







And in May 2016, my team and I completed the arduous 100k walk in just under 27 hours.



Amazingly, my stress fracture never came back to haunt me, although I did come out of the walk with bursitis, which took many months to heal (ended up having cortisone injections to speed up the healing process).


After that came the shake up I referred to before, and I really haven't done anything of note since the Oxfam walk.
 
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LANA!!!! This excites me SO MUCH!!

Meeting you during my first RunDisney events was one of my happiest memories, so I can't wait to follow along and see what races I can run with you on your Extreme Challenge!!!
 


LANA!!!! This excites me SO MUCH!!

Meeting you during my first RunDisney events was one of my happiest memories, so I can't wait to follow along and see what races I can run with you on your Extreme Challenge!!!

Aww that's so sweet of you! I have fond memories of it too :goodvibes You and I seem pretty similar with our constant need to take on new challenges!

When the time comes, I will certainly be on the lookout for people to meet up with at each event, so I'll make sure I keep you in the loop :thumbsup2
 
Training Program and Events Schedule

I had started out putting together a basic plan to cover my entire training program for the next 6 years. However, I've since realised that I'm going to have to be far more flexible and just take it one step at a time. My broad plan is to gradually make my way through the Galloway training programs from beginner 10k right up to Dopey, through all the levels.

Training & Race Recaps
Couch 2 5k Overview

Run the Rock 5k (Hanging Rock) - Race Recap

Training Update - Shin Splints
Training Update - Head Cold
Training Update - A Nothing Week
Training Update
Training Update
Training Update
Training Update - 1st Virtual Race Complete!

RunDisney Virtual 5k June - Race Recap

Training Update
Training Update - The Long Walks Begin Again
Training Update - Downed by Another Cold

Upcoming Events
RunDisney Running Shorts Virtual Running Series:
* 5k July
* 5k August
Oxfam Trailwalker 50k, Sydney NSW

Other fitness activities:
* Dancing classes (salsa and bachata) and social dancing 2-3 times per week for 3-4 hours at a time
 
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Couch to 5k Overview

I have pretty much already finished this program, so I'll just add a couple of my thoughts on it.

As it is based on times instead of distances, this program doesn't really work for me, as it designed for faster runners. The final run (the 5k) is supposed to be 30 minutes. However, it takes me closer to 40 minutes to run a 5k. The most I have run so far is 28 minutes, so I'm feeling slightly underprepared. There are probably versions of it available with the distance specified instead of the time, but as I was just using the app on my phone, it was easiest to just stick with the timings for now. It is a good program to start the ball rolling, and because I'm planning to go straight into the next programs, I'm not too concerned about potentially struggling with my final 5k run. I know that the Galloway programs will continue to gradually build my base as I go.

I have been doing well with the running though, loving getting back into it, and no sign of any injuries so far :thumbsup2
 


Race Recap: Run the Rock 5k
Hanging Rock, Melbourne VIC




On Saturday my Couch 2 5k program culminated in a run around the base of Hanging Rock. Hanging Rock is a famous landmark in Victoria, the location of a book (and subsequent movie) based on the story of a girl who mysteriously went missing when out on a school picnic. It was said that the book was based on a true story, but apparently that has recently been questioned.

Anyway, history lesson aside. Now it's time for the geography lesson lol! Hanging Rock is located in the Macedon Ranges, about an hour's drive north west of Melbourne. From my apartment, it was a very easy drive straight along the freeway, and only took me about 50 minutes. The 5k run didn't start until 10:15am, and I seemed to be within the last dozen or so cars to arrive. Luckily, parking was no issue, but it was about a 1km walk to the little start and finish precinct on the racecourse.



The start and finish line were both in the shadow of Hanging Rock, which was pretty cool. I arrived just as the kids races were finishing so I went to check out the finish line first.



Soon the warm up for the 5k had started, so I wandered back to that area and joined in on the last couple of minutes. Although it had turned into a beautiful sunny morning, there was a bit of a chill in the air, and I did need the warm up! When that was done, we were advised to head to the starting line. I was in no hurry as I am a slow runner so tend to start towards the back anyway.



And with no further ado, we were off and running!

The first kilometre or so of the run was along the racecourse. This was actually really heavy going, with very uneven ground, the still damp grass causing dampness in my shoes and socks, and numerous potholes from horse hooves. As we went on, the ground towards the outside of the track started to get a bit better - must have been where the horses stick to the rail a bit more.



Upon exiting the racecourse, we came out on this little trail that led to one of the local roads.



Along the roads, we had some lovely rural scenery with occasional views of the rock.







Kilometre 3 saw us head onto the base trail around the rock. All views of the rock were heavily obscured by bush in this area, but it was beautiful running.





We finished off with a small hill through the main amenities area of the park, where the bulk of the picnicking facilities and a little café were located.



The went around a sharp bend to return to the racecourse for the final sprint to the finish! And I even had enough energy left to do some sprinting (and by that I mean pick up my pace very slightly from a very slow jog to just a slow jog lol!).



The finishing chute was lined with chairs and milk crates on one side for removal of our timing chips. It was a little bit congested with people milling around in the area after finishing. I just removed my timing chip, took a quick finish line selfie and moved along.



Back in the little race precinct area, there were water bottles and free samples of yoghurt and electrolytes sachets. There had also been protein bars, but even as I was lining up and seeing the last of them go, people were still taking more than one. The person in front of me took the last one :mad:

For those who may be wondering, there was no finisher's medal for this event. Unfortunately for those of us who run for the bling, there are very few events in Australia that actually offer a finisher's medal.

I was pretty pleased with my performance for this run. It had been my goal just to run the entire thing with no walk breaks. I'm pleased to say that I managed to achieve that, with the exception of one quick water 'grab and go', and two momentary photo opportunities. That little hill towards the end was a bit of a killer, but I still struggled all the way up (and felt very smug passing everyone who had stopped to walk lol!). I have yet to look up my official time, but my Garmin had me finishing in just over 37 minutes, which I'm very happy with :goodvibes
 
RunDisney Goals
Obviously this is all hypotheticals at the moment. However, based on previous years, I can expect to run the following races.

Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend - first weekend in September
* 5k run
* 10k run
* Half Marathon
* Double Dare Challenge
* Coast 2 Coast Challenge (assuming I have done my WDW half marathon)

Hong Kong Disneyland Running Event - mid-September
* 3k run
* 5k run
* 10k run

This isn't an official RunDisney event, but has just been announced for the second year in a row, so seems to be an ongoing thing. Not sure that it's possible to do each distance, but I'll aim to do whatever I can.

Disneyland Paris Half Marathon Weekend - 4th weekend in September
* 5k run
* 10k run
* Half Marathon
* 10k/Half Challenge
* Castle 2 Chateau Challenge

Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend - 1st weekend in November
Now, I can't very well do all that running and not come out of it with a Coast 2 Coast medal too. So I plan to hang around in the US long enough to do this race!

* 5k run
* 10k run
* Half Marathon
* Lumiere's 2 Course Challenge

Avengers Half Marathon Weekend - 2nd weekend in November
And of course, I'll be going back through LA on the way home, so why not throw in one last race weekend!

* 5k run
* 10k run
* Half Marathon
* Infinity Gauntlet Challenge


I had been planning to do the Dopey Challenge, and I'm still not ruling it out. If I do that, I would also plan to stop off in LA for Star Wars Light Side on the way home, and it would of course be instead of Wine & Dine and Avengers.

I can't decide whether I'm better off doing 2 trips and paying for 2 lots of airfares, or just taking extended leave from work and blowing out my original birthday trip! Lots of time yet to decide.
 
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Disney Goals
As expected, my plans have already started changing, and I think I was being overly optimistic about my Disney goals.

My goals now are:
  • Visit every Disney park by the end of 2023 - this means that during my running I will need to fit in a visit to every park I have not yet been to.
  • Stay in Disney hotels at every park, with the possible exception of Tokyo Disney, which are just absolutely crazily ridiculously expensive, and notoriously difficult to book as well.
  • Experience all aspects of the RunDisney events, including any pre/post race parties etc.
 
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Logistics and Travel Plans

So based on the amount of points I'm going to need with AAdvantage (see link below), I think visiting all Disney parks will be out of the question on this trip. Unless I decide to just fly economy between Asian parks and cover that in cash (which isn't out of the question).

So far my basic plan is:
* Fly to LA the last week of August, in time for the first day of the expo. Spend the following week in the parks.
* Fly to Hong Kong the following weekend, so I will have about a week in Hong Kong before the running event. I may decide to incorporate a trip to Shanghai in here somewhere, otherwise I may take the opportunity to do some further exploration of Hong Kong city.
* Have the Monday after the run in Hong Kong to recuperate, then fly to Paris so I'm there in time for the first day of their expo. Spend the week following the race in the parks.
* I'll have about a month here to spend some time in Europe and/or east coast US. At some point during that time I will fly into east coast US, to be at WDW in time for Halloween. I will aim to have my park time at WDW prior to race weekend.
* Have the Monday and possibly Tuesday after the run in Orlando to recuperate, then fly to LA for one last hurrah at Avengers weekend.
* Fly home via somewhere warm and relaxing for a week of R&R before returning to reality.


My Plans for Flights - using frequent flyer points
 
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Training Update - Shin Splints

So, not entirely unexpectedly, I have found myself nursing yet another injury. After finishing up my 5k running program, I started focusing on my walking, planning to just keep up my 5k fitness. I did a few hikes, working my way up to 22k the weekend before last, but unfortunately after that and 3 big nights of dancing in quick succession, I've ended up with a shin splint.

The physio says that it's just a bit of soft tissue damage and inflammation around my tendon, and is helping me to keep going with my training. I'm not allowed to do any walking until further notice, but he has had me cycling and using the elliptical trainer, and he is happy for me to keep dancing. I have decided that it's probably worthwhile joining the gym (there is one very conveniently located right next door to me!) so that I can continue to train through any injuries I might get (as I'm sure this won't be the last!).

The plan going forward is to increase my strength and balance through my core and hips to help take some of the load away from my legs during my hikes. The physio has given me some exercises - planks, hip extensions, squats, step ups and single leg balancing to start with - that he thinks will help with this. I also plan to try out some of the strength/balance focused classes when I join the gym, perhaps some yoga, Body Balance, or maybe even barre (I might actually be enthusiastic about attending that one since I enjoy dancing!).
 
Training Update - Head Cold

Gah! Can't catch a break at the moment!

Came down with a cold over the weekend, so I haven't been doing any training - haven't even used my new gym membership yet. I was supposed to see my PT again today, but I stayed home sick from work so I had to cancel. Feeling a bit better after a restful day so hopefully I'll be able to go dancing tomorrow night and keep going with my training from there! Maybe I'll be able to start walking over the weekend.

Hoping to get to yoga on Thursday night, will have to go a bit early and do half an hour on the elliptical.
 
Training Update - A Nothing Week

This won't be a long update, because I really haven't done anything! That cold that I came down with last week proved to be quite a nasty one, and lingered on for a while. I've still got a nasty cough, but I will be getting started on doing something again this week. I have another physio appointment tomorrow, so I'll be guided by him on what the best way forward is to stop any recurrence of the shin splints.
 
Training Update
Currently in training for:
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - June 2017
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - July 2017
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - August 2017
* Oxfam Trailwalker 50k - Friday 25th August 2017


Monday
Rest

Tuesday
Rest

Wednesday
Cardio:

* Approx 3 hrs salsa dancing lessons

Thursday
Cardio:

* 15 mins stationary bike
* 5 mins treadmill intervals (50:10)

Strength:

* 2 x 5 squats
* 2 x 5 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 10 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 10 alternating lateral step ups
* 1 hr yoga class

Friday
Strength:

* 2 x 5 squats
* 2 x 5 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 10 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 10 lateral step ups (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec plank
* 2 x 5 single leg hip extensions (each side)

Saturday
Cardio:

* 20 mins stationary bike
* 10 mins treadmill intervals (50:10)

Strength:

* 2 x 5 squats
* 2 x 5 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 10 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 10 lateral step ups (each side)

Sunday
Cardio:

* Approx 3.5 hrs social salsa dancing

Strength:

* 2 x 5 squats
* 2 x 5 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 1 x 10 step ups (each side) - I got interrupted!
* 2 x 15 sec plank
* 2 x 5 single leg hip extensions (each side)


Feeling pretty good now I've been able to get back into some serious training. The yoga class on Thursday was HARD! But I could tell that it will be really good for me if I keep at it, so I'll put up with it on a regular basis and hopefully it will get more enjoyable as I improve. My shins are feeling good, just listening to my body so far (the reason why my first intervals session was only 5 minutes). I'm not stressing too much about doing ALL the physio exercises EVERY day, but he was pretty keen for me to prioritise the squats and lunges, so I have been making sure I do those without fail. I'll give myself another week at this level I think before starting to up the ante.
 
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Training Update
Currently in training for:
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - June 2017
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - July 2017
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - August 2017
* Oxfam Trailwalker 50k - Friday 25th August 2017

Monday
Cardio:
* 18 mins stationary bike
* 12 mins treadmill intervals (50:10)

Strength:
* 2 x 5 squats
* 2 x 5 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 10 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 10 lateral step ups (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec plank
* 2 x 5 single leg hip extensions (each side)

Tuesday
Strength:
* 2 x 5 squats
* 2 x 5 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 10 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 10 lateral step ups (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec plank
* 2 x 5 single leg hip extensions (each side)

Wednesday
Cardio:
* 5 flights of stairs 2 at a time
* Approx 3 hrs salsa dancing lessons

Strength:
* 2 x 5 squats
* 2 x 5 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 10 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 10 lateral step ups (each side)

Thursday
Strength:
* 2 x 5 squats
* 2 x 5 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 10 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 10 lateral step ups (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec plank
* 2 x 5 single leg hip extensions (each side)

Friday
Rest

Saturday
Cardio:
* 30 mins intervals on footpath (50:10)

Strength:
* 2 x 5 squats
* 2 x 5 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 10 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 10 lateral step ups (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec plank
* 2 x 5 single leg hip extensions

Sunday
Cardio:
* Approx 30 mins dance practice at home

Strength:
* 2 x 5 squats
* 2 x 5 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 15 sec single leg balance (each side)


So far so good with the legs!
 
Training Update
Currently in training for:
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - June 2017
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - July 2017
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - August 2017
* Oxfam Trailwalker 50k - Friday 25th August 2017

Monday
Cardio:
* 40 mins treadmill intervals (50:10

Strength:
* 2 x 6 squats
* 2 x 6 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 20 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 12 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 12 lateral step ups (each side)
* 2 x 20 sec plank
* 2 x 6 single leg hip extensions (each side)

Tuesday
Strength:
* 2 x 6 squats
* 2 x 6 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 20 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 12 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 12 lateral step ups (each side)
* 2 x 20 sec plank
* 2 x 6 single leg hip extensions (each side)

Wednesday
Cardio:
* Approx 3 hrs salsa dancing lessons

Thursday
Cardio:
* 6 flights of stairs 2 at a time

Strength:
* 2 x 6 squats
* 2 x 6 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 20 sec single leg balance (each side)

Friday
Rest

Saturday
Cardio:
* 4k walk on trail


Strength:

* 2 x 6 squats
* 2 x 6 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 20 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 12 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 12 lateral step ups (each side)
* 2 x 20 sec plank
* 2 x 6 single leg hip extensions (each side)

Sunday
Cardio:
* Approx 3.5 hrs salsa dancing lessons and social


It's been a bit of a weird week... Felt like I may have overdone it on Monday night with 40 minutes of intervals, so I took it a bit easy the rest of the week. Had a big week at work which threw out my stair climbing and meant that I didn't get my second 'walk' in for the week (I have been told not to do stairs and walking in the same day). Still, feel like I finished off the week ok with the 4k walk over the weekend.

This week I hope to start building up my weekday workouts to 45 minutes, and hopefully I'll be ok to do a 5k walk on the weekend. I really need to start building up that distance in preparation for my 50k, which is coming up scarily fast!
 
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Training Update
Currently in training for:
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - June 2017
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - July 2017
* RunDisney Virtual 5k - August 2017
* Oxfam Trailwalker 50k - Friday 25th August 2017

Monday
Cardio:
* 20 mins stationary bike
* 20 mins elliptical trainer

Strength:
* 2 x 7 squats
* 2 x 7 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 25 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 12 step ups (each side)
* 2 x 12 lateral step ups (each side)
* 2 x 25 sec plank
* 2 x 7 single leg hip extension (each side)

Tuesday
Cardio:
* Approx 3hrs bachata dancing lessons

Wednesday
Cardio:
* Approx 3hrs salsa dancing lessons

Thursday
Strength:
* 2 x 7 squats
* 2 x 7 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 25 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 25 sec plank
* 2 x 7 single leg hip extensions (each side)

Friday
Rest

Saturday
Cardio:
* RunDisney Virtual 5k (June) - see race recap

Sunday
Strength:
* 2 x 7 squats
* 2 x 7 lunges (each side)
* 2 x 25 sec single leg balance (each side)
* 2 x 25 sec plank
* 2 x 7 single leg hip extensions (each side)


Feeling pretty good. No sign of recurring injury in my legs, and my feet are holding up well too. I think I may finally be safe to start building up some mileage in preparation for my big walk.
 

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