Post-Goofy Reflections

It's hard to believe that it's already been two weeks since Goofy!  If you missed my race stories, you can click here and here.

I've been a bit slow to write a ton about Goofy.  I think mostly because I've been feeling really reflective about the whole experience.  I began racewalking about 4 years ago.  If we measure in MIT training sessions, that's 7 seasons ago (including this one).  As each season closed and goals were met, I would find myself saying things like "I'll never do a full."  "I'd never be trained enough to do Goofy."  And yet, here I sit.  A marathoner.  A Goofy Finisher.

I sacrificed additional cross training that helped me knock off over 40 pounds in the last 2 years to get Goofy done.  Did I miss it?  Yes, but the satisfaction of crossing that finish line made it all worth it.  Now I am picking back up where I left off pre-Goofy and strength training again.  I forgot how much I loved when a cough or sneeze hurts.

Was Goofy an ideal race for me as far as time?  No, but that's not what it is about.  I've read other blogger's posts about the events and wondered if I should have slowed down a bit more on day 1 to get some fun pictures.  Did I stop to enjoy everything I could?  Yup, these are the things going through my head.

What it comes down to is this:  I enjoyed Disney and I'd do a race there again.  What did I like about it?

• Well organized - there may have been crowds but you'd never know with the efficiency they shuffled us around.
• An awesome Expo - while it was person to person, this was by far the best Expo I've been to.
• Aid stations - on both days I found them to be well stocked, well manned and just out & out awesome.  Now who would complain about a chocolate station during a marathon?  Not this girl.
• Costumes - Disney encourages & supports their participants to wear costumes.  I almost regretted not doing something for day 2 as well.
• Volunteers - they were supportive, glad we were there and ready to help us if needed.
• Photo opportunities - I mean really, how many times do you have a race where the characters you grew up with are at every corner!?  And dreams do come true.
• Whether you were in Corral A or Corral H (I think it went that far), you had the same start - fireworks, celebrities, announcements.  It was awesome.
• Potential to use REAL bathrooms during the race.  Since it was through the park, you could use a flushable toilet if you wanted to stop for one!

But lets be real, there were a couple things I didn't like:

• The crowds - Disney was great at telling us that the "course narrows ahead" but participants doing the race together would crowd the very narrow street by linking arms 4 wide.  I think that's why Amanda & I saw a runner that did a face plant.
• The heat.  Okay, it was Florida and it was January, so expected but that doesn't mean I had to love it.  Maybe doing the Disney Wine & Dine would be better?
• The shirts!  While it was awesome to get 3, it would be nice to have a women's cut as well as a men's.  I had to drop from a M to a XS to get one that would fit right.  Pretty sure their pre-race info showed that the registrants favored women.
• The Disney store @ the Expo - it ran out of a lot of items quickly.  We were there fairly early Friday & the shelves were bare.  You'd think they'd have plenty, right?

Now that you've read my list of likes/dislikes, what's your vote?  Would I do the Goofy again?