Doing The Disney

Morning comes early on this day of truth and challenge. The amateur racer wakes to the alarm, but stays in bed a few more minutes, pondering what lies ahead. This day has been a long time coming, beginning several years and many pounds ago. The starting hour of the marathon nears. Fear and self doubt have been replaced with the courage that accompanies determination. Where does one go to celebrate such accomplishments, Disney World of course.

A bagel filled with sliced chicken awaits in the hotel room's fridge. The calories will be needed for up to seven hours on the road. Clothes are laid out on the bed, so nothing will be forgotten. The race number is already pinned to the front of the T-Shirt. Now a hot shower to wake the rest of the way up and smooth out any lingering soreness from those many days and miles training. This kind of preparation is vital for a good race. These next few hours, before the start, should be stress free.

Many thousands of amateur athletes come to the House of Mouse every January to challenge the distance and to enjoy the warm Florida winter weather. Buses bring all the competitors to a staging area by 4am. The racers then walk about a mile to the actual race start. Once arriving at the start, everyone goes to their prearranged corrals, assigned by predicted finishing time. The fastest runners will be in corrals A and B, while the slower walkers are all the way back in G or H. At 6:15am, fireworks announce the start. Wheelchair athletes will begin first, followed fifteen minutes later by corral A. The rest of the corrals will start at five minute intervals.

The first leg of the course begins at Epcot and follows the road to the Magic Kingdom. The racers make a complete tour of the Kingdom, even getting to go through the world famous castle before exiting out onto the road to Animal Kingdom. Before the race is over, they will travel through all the parks and the Wide World of Sports Complex. A special treat is the race car track lined with vintage muscle cars. The final stage is at Epcot with a lap around the World Showcase. Just as the finish line comes into view, there is a choir of ladies singing gospel.

Disney has themed races throughout the year, ranging from a Princess race for ladies, to a Star Wars, dark Side, challenge. They are a wonderful way to celebrate hard earned fitness, and a nice family vacation as well. The January marathon is also a great break from the more northern winter weather and my favorite time to go.

It's not just a step, it's a start.

Dave

Hobby Health

People spend a good portion of their time and money on hobbies. Many don't realize that perusing health and fitness is also a hobby, one which can reward us with a greatly improved quality of life. Not only is increasing strength and endurance an interesting past time, but it can be an inexpensive one as well. One of the things which originally drew me to a life long pursuit of fitness was the level playing field. I would really enjoy collecting antique cars or traveling the world searching for amazing works of art, but my finances won't allow it. Almost everyone has the potential to increase their fitness level. Something as simple as regularly taking an evening walk around the block is relaxing, inexpensive and will make us more physically fit. However, just like any other passion, it can become more costly by purchasing exercise equipment and specialty clothing.

Hobbies are one of the best ways of coping with the stress of modern living. Work is a fact of life, usually topping our list of anxiety producing activities. Even the commute back and forth can be stressful, since it takes even more of our precious time. A bad day at work can follow us home and feel like a weight that must be carried until we can find a way to put it down. Moderately intense exercise, after a hard day, is an effective way to lighten that load. Leave that baggage at the curb and go for a brisk walk. The stress will seem more manageable, or be gone completely after a good walk. We usually can't play a round of golf or go fishing after a rough day, but we can get moving and let the therapy of motion do it's job.,

Those who pursue a hobby of healthy living have their own opportunities for collecting goodies. Normally distance events like a 5K or the marathon have participation medals. Each of those awards will have memories which go along with them. A distance medal is a badge of honor, showing we conquered our fears and finished the event. Some people carry a small camera when training or racing and take pictures unique to that particular day. A person who spends time surrounded by nature's beauty is going to see some amazing things. Every exercise session is different. There will be days when the wind is brisk, the sun blazing or the cold is biting, but each has both challenges and memories. Other days are going be so pleasant we will not want our walks to end.

Discover the benefits of living healthy and the relaxing power of being in motion. Time spent burning calories out in the clean, fresh air is addicting. It is a hobby we can live with.

It's not just a step, it's a start.

Dave