Hi Friends! Believe it or not, we’re less than ONE MONTH AWAY from the 2018 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend – 25th Anniversary – Presented by Cigna. I am so excited! The bulk of our training is winding down- I have just one more “scary” run until my taper, but otherwise I am feeling great! I just really hope this strength is with me on race day. For now, here’s what my training week looked like:

Monday: Treadmill class + strength: Back on track with my favorite Power Stryde class! The North End is particularly nice this time of year. Walking to class is that much harder looking at the patrons eating their bowls of pasta and drinking their wine. But it’s so worth it.

A North End Christmas Tree

  Faneuil Hall Christmas Tree- the lights go to music!

Tuesday: 5 miles. Gotta get those miles in before work! I was half asleep but was glad to get the run over with before my day really started. My friend invited Tommy and me to her restaurant anniversary party at Koy Restaurant in Boston. I had been looking forward to this for a while! Drinks, delicious appetizers like the bibimbap rice balls, and a buffet dinner! YUM.

The bibimbap rice balls are amazing!

Wednesday: Treadmill Speedwork. Throughout the day I noticed my right knee has been clicking more, but it doesn’t hurt. Apparently this is a thing. Rest is the best recovery but since that isn’t happening until after the marathon, I’ll need to keep an eye on it. While I was running at my class it was fine! It is literally just the stairs. After three nights back to back in the North End, I had a great class and headed home for my own bowl of pasta!

Thursday: Rest. I had a work event/meeting after work so the rest came at a great time. An added bonus this week was the release of the official WDW Marathon Event Guide PDF! This made me so happy, excited, and totally nervous. It’s becoming more real by the day!

Friday: Barre Express (45 min.) After my whirlwind week, it felt great to stretch out and enjoy my barre class. I consider this the beginning of my weekend! I just have to get through one more day of work, then I can relax, go to bed early, and get ready for my long run. Snow was in the forecast so I made sure to prepare my outfit accordingly.

The dreaded Pretzel!

Saturday: 19 miles!! The snow started around mile 7 for me so I considered altering my route. Instead, I saw a group of college aged students running a 10K alongside me and was inspired to forge on! I took my time, bought gatorade at a CVS along the way (nectar of the gods at mile 14) and focused on completing my 19 miles. By the time I finished, the snow was picking up and starting to stick on the ground. Perfect timing!

19 proud miles followed by…

Our first snowfall of the season was lovely to watch. We put on all of our Christmas lights and enjoyed staying in for the night. We ordered pizza and watched Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. I just love this time of year!
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Next weekend I’m taking a quick trip down to Walt Disney World to see the Candlelight Processional and enjoy some Christmas magic. This means I’ll be taking a Saturday long run off (Sacre bleu!) But I have my 20 miler on 12/23 to make up for it.

I hope everyone is feeling confident about their training. We’re so close but still have plenty of time to WORK and get plenty more miles in. Good luck this week, everyone, and don’t forget to stop and enjoy the Christmas magic from time to time!

Keep Calm, and Will Run for Disney!