Dear Reader,

I was tempted to train for another half marathon. Both times I completed this distance, I said never again, but that was before Run Disney. 

If you want me to do something, dangle a rollercoaster in front of me. Half marathon? No way. Half marathon at Disney World? HMMM.

But Xandra, said in my inner Rollercoaster Enthusiast self, a theme park is a fitness challenge in itself. Do you want to feel achy from on your day at EPCOT? Ah good point. I’ll need peak performance to speed walk from Living with the Land to World Showcase.

This sparked a better fitness goal. My Rollercoaster Road Trip is coming up, and I want my walking feet to be READY. 

I did some research. Alton Towers guest step counts average 20k a day. So there’s my target.

Once a week in August, I got in my training steps. I’m upping it to twice a week in September, leading up to our big three-day theme park trip. 

Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

1. Physically, I have no trouble hitting this goal. Making the time to do it is more of a barrier. 
2. My feet wear out before my body does. While I already organised theme park shoes, I learned that socks are just as important. I swapped thin cotton socks for thick wool ones, and my feet thank me for it.

The most important lesson of all? 

Train with a purpose. I don’t get much glory out of a long distance run. But feeling firm of foot as I march from Oblivion to Nemesis? That’s a prize I care about deeply.

How do you set goals, fitness or otherwise? What factors do you consider? What’s a goal you’ve felt really good about completing? 

P.S. A new month in Everyday Wonderland has just begun! It’s not too late to join us for September’s mission: Reclaim Your Time.