The 5K met at 8:30 AM in Evolution - don't forget to bring your drivers license (like I did), or you'll have to run back up to the room to get it. The 5K has turned into a popular event because supposedly, you get off the ship first (by the time we actually got off, they had already announced that the ship was cleared and all passengers could disembark). So a lot of families may have one or two people running, but they'll all come and register for the 5K and then go and lay claim to some beach chairs while the 5K is happening. Also, there you can check your kids into the club on the island before the race (children must be 8 or older to participate in the 5K).
When you check in, you'll get a bib and safety pins to attach it to your shirt. This is a "fun run," meaning that there are no chips in the bibs and your results are not recorded. They do keep a timer running, but the accuracy depends on how close you were to the starting line. Since a lot of people are running, you could be pretty far back and delayed in your start time, so if you care about pace, I'd recommend bringing your own watch/fitbit/phone to track it.
That being said, this is not a fun run. The course involves running around a bike trail twice, and running up and down an airplane runway. "Castaway Cay 5K" might sound glamorous, like you're running alongside beautiful Caribbean waters, but it's not. It is hot, humid, and laced with mosquitos (put on the bug spray they offer you when you get off the ship, you'll be running through a paved swamp for the majority of the race).
Okay, so I might've forgotten to bring down my drivers license, and also to take two puffs of my inhaler, but what I didn't forget to bring - thanks to Rachel reading the old trip report and reminding me - was my phone so I could take pictures!! I'm glad that one of us has it together...
When you get off the ship, it's a good bit of a walk to the beginning of the 5K. Also, this walk is more scenic than the 5K itself, so take your time and enjoy the views. Castaway Cay is gorgeous!!!
The start of the 5K is right by the bike rentals and the shuttle to Serenity Bay. You run the Serenity Bay shuttle path to the airplane strip, then turn to run the bike trail, exit the bike trail to find a water station, run the airplane strip to the end, double back, drink more water, bike trail again, more water, then shuttle path back to the start/finish.
This is a race for all types of people. It's "free" so there's no pressure to perform great, and it's definitely not something you train for. Some of the runners are actual runners (our race appeared to have a cross country star), but also people just wanting to do a fun run, and people who walk the entire course. Also, there was a very sweet husband who didn't participate in the run, but would walk to points in that horrible bike trail to bring his wife water.
Rachel and I were not expecting to do particularly well. I mean, you're running in 100% humidity. For the first 2/3 of the race we were doing alright, very aware that we were not at the front, but we were keeping a decent pace and carrying on a conversation while doing it (I think this would be very miserable to run alone). But remember how I mentioned I forgot to puff my inhaler. Yeahhhhh.... at the very end, running the shuttle path back to the finish line, my breathing started to become difficult to control. Rachel kept asking me, "Do you need to stop?" But I kept telling her no because I just wanted to be done with the race! So she coached me through some deep breathing, "In through the nose..... now out through the mouth," and I was able to keep it together until the end.
Rachel wore her Fitbit during the race to keep pace, and it had us at 31:59 min.... and only 2.61 miles (which we were feeling especially ashamed about). A 5K is traditionally 3.1 miles, but I wouldn't be surprised if this fun run was a little shorter... half a mile shorter seems a little extreme, though. I will say that I'm not sure how accurate that distance is because Rachel said she noticed some inaccuracies in the Fitbit GPS tracking, and I've also read on some fitness blogs about how the Fitbit GPS is not as accurate as other GPS tracking devices, like your phone. So next time (yes, we're doing this "fun" race again, I'm sure!), we'll have to compare phone verses Fitbit GPS data.
I will say that of her Fitbit data, 23 minutes were spent in PEAK HEART ZONE!! 8 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of fat burn. So our time might have not been the best, but this was intense!!!
We crossed the finish line and got our medals (you kind of have to go and ask for them, they aren't going to be putting them around your neck), then took some time to cool down on the beach.
We crossed the finish line and got our medals (you kind of have to go and ask for them, they aren't going to be putting them around your neck), then took some time to cool down on the beach.
My eyes are closed in this...
We headed back to the ship and to eat some breakfast in Cabanas where we ran into Dad. The Disney Dream is a good size, but it's still small enough that you run into your family without scheduling it.
NEXT: [Day 2 | Part 2] Serenity Bay and Afternoon Rain
No comments:
Post a Comment