It is January 7th and I am, once again, embarking on a journey of running and nutrition and endurance to prepare myself for another half marathon. I think this is number 21?

When I first started 7 years ago, I truly never imagined that I would do this multiple times a year! I don’t even think I knew anyone who did that. Maybe because it does seem a little crazy.

But having a race on the calendar begets consistency, and clearly I am not disciplined enough to run regularly if I don’t have a training plan. So, here we go AGAIN!

The Race: The Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon at Walt Disney World – you can read my report from last year to see how awesome it was and why I’m doing it again

The Plan: Galloway all the way this time. The long run mileage is very high, taking me to a final long run of 14 miles, but the run/walk method (currently I’m doing 2:1 intervals) has proven to be the healthiest and fastest for me and the miles don’t SEEM so long. There is also far less mileage during the week with the plan I’m using so I may up that slightly, increasing to 3 runs mid week instead of 2.

The Trip: What we have waiting for us as our prize? The race, of course, and a fun girl’s weekend at my favorite place! We will be at Disney’s Old Key West resort and eating at The Boathouse, Le Cellier (my first time!) and California Grill proving, once again, that these trips are just an excuse to hang out with great friends and eat great food. And for the those of you who don’t travel to WDW frequently, yes, you do make your dining reservations months in advance!

So are you training for Star Wars Half The Dark Side? Did you start your training plan yet? Would love to hear from you! We can encourage each other to get those miles in!

And to all who wanted to run the Walt Disney World Half today and couldn’t because of legitimate weather concerns, I’m sorry because I know you’re disappointed. But the training you’ve put in is NOT lost and your body is better because of it! I hope you can enjoy a fun day at Disney!