This is our weekly link up for runners, Tuesdays on the Run.
We give you a topic and you share your experiences on it. If you don’t have anything to share specific to this topic, feel free to add any running post to the link up and visit a few other bloggers. They will visit you as well!
This week we want to know: If you could go back and run/train for a race differently, or revisit an epic one just for fun, what would you redo?
Tell us all about it and link up with Erika, Marcia and me!
What I’d Do Differently
Honestly, I don’t have just one race or one event I’d want to redo.
My first thought was my marathon since I threw that together kinda short notice. But then I realized: that marathon had to go down exactly as it did, or it wouldn’t have been my experience. I wouldn’t have learned the same lessons if it had gone any other way, so I’m cool with how it happened.
That’s how I feel about most things in life.
There’s a lesson tucked into most experiences, even the really sucky ones. And the marathon wasn’t all sucky at all for me. It was just sucky because, well, it was a really long day. Ha!
So maybe I wouldn’t change the marathon, but I’d be cool if I could go back to the same moment in time and relive a bit of it. I’d try to be more focused on some things.
Like the first 8 miles and getting into the corrals. I was in some weird panic induced fog that I don’t remember much of it other than being so happy the lights were on the castle, and then being so sad the Magic Kingdom miles were over.
There were also quite a few character pictures at the end that didn’t have any line at all- and I just kept moving past them.
It wasn’t going to keep me from finishing if I had stopped, but at the time I was in the rhythm of movement and didn’t want to interrupt it with a quick stop.
But I wish I had stopped more- that’s part of this amazing experience at Walt Disney World!

Once I was totally safe, I stopped. And also- GENIE!
Should I have trained differently? Absolutely.
Will I train differently next time (assuming there is one?) Yep. I sure will.
But for this experience, well, it was pretty great for me regardless. Minus those first few miles that I just simply struggled with every step. But when it was only 8 of 26.2, I guess that’s ok-ish.
And in case anyone is wondering, nope, not even considering do another one anytime soon! I have 3 half marathons left on my schedule and I think I’m tapping out on distances over 10K for a VERY long time. I have to get my ish together before I try to do anything long again.
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Patty Holliday has been running Disney since 2011. She knows just about every tip, trick, and hack there is to cover the runDisney Magical Miles at Disney World and Disneyland. She knows every mile isn’t *always* magical- but with training, tips, and a little bit of pixie dust, they can be a lot of fun! You can also find her at noguiltlife.com and noguiltfangirl.com
Teresa
Tuesday 25th of October 2016
I love your attitude! You are exactly right...our experiences, good or bad, shape us and make us who we are. We learn something from each one. So, to say we want a do-ever really takes away a piece of who we are. What we really want is just another experience, another memory to add a little something extra to who we are. :) Good luck on your halfs coming up!
LaChicaRuns
Tuesday 25th of October 2016
No more long races?! Eek. This, too, shall pass? (Jk)
It's so cool that you get to think of "just" eight miles not going well, but you still got out of the funk, had fun and finished strong. Great job!
Jessica S
Tuesday 25th of October 2016
That genie pic is awesome! 26 miles of characters like that is the only way to get through such a massive day. :) I'm the same - no regrets, just learn from it. Life's too precious for regrets!
Lacey@fairtalesandfitness
Tuesday 25th of October 2016
You are so right, Marathon at Disney is a very looong day!!!!! And they start so darn early, which doesn't help matters.
Sonia
Tuesday 25th of October 2016
That's a great attitude--no regrets...looks like you had a lot of fun!!