When a Kenyan gives you running advice, listen.

Since I never really posted a race recap for Tower of Terror, there is one awesome thing that happened that weekend that I have never had a chance to talk about. It's crazy how you run into random people on Disney trips and it can be a huge blessing. I love that while you are at WDW you can talk to people from all over the world. It's amazing being able to ask about different cultures and countries and get answers from young people that live there. It is one of the awesome things about the exchange program that Disney has for college age employees. They get a chance to learn about and live in the American culture and we get to learn from them about their homes if you take the time to just ask. Sometimes though, the encounters happen organically and a random act becomes so much more.

After the ToT expo, we went to the food court upstairs to grab some lunch. We had to wait for my food order to be corrected in the system because these poor kids had very little experience with the dining plan since they usually just feed hungry school kids that are there for competitions. While we were waiting off to the side, one of the cast members that was helping direct expo traffic noticed Diane's birthday button and decided to sing to her. Moments like that make wearing the celebration pins so much fun. Great cast members go out of their way to make you smile. Diane found herself being serenaded by a young man named Elvis. As soon as he was done, she cracked up and said, "Now I can say Elvis sang me Happy Birthday!" He began to laugh because his name had never occurred to him when he decided to sing to her. When she pointed out his name, I looked at his name tag and saw that he was from Kenya. As we were all standing around talking, he asked if any of us were running the race. When he found out I was, he asked if I wanted some advice and pointed to his name tag saying, "You see where I am from, right?"

In my head I was screaming DUH! but I simply laughed and said of course. I was not born yesterday. There is a reason you can buy so many running things that say "In my dreams, I'm a Kenyan."  They get it, they understand how to run and how to do it right. World class runners who want to be better, go to Kenya and train with them because they just get it. So of course I was eager to hear anything he had to say. He kept it short and sweet but he made two very good points. One I already practiced, even though people think I am crazy, I know it works(and I finally had some back up) and the other is something I have heard but so many runners have a hard time doing it.

His first piece of advice:

Do not drink during a race.

This is something that has always been natural to me. Most people think I am crazy and many think you will die if you don't drink while you run, but that is simply not true. If you are probably hydrated BEFORE the race, you typically do not need to drink during. I always increase my fluid intake the week leading up and make sure I add some electrolytes the day or two before the race. Then morning of I will drink very little water before the start and that's about it. You shouldn't have to have a pit stop during a race. If you do, you are over hydrated and drinking at every water stop will only make that worse and slow you down. If I drink anything, it is only a sip and then I dump the rest or use it to swish out my mouth. Most of the time your mouth is just dry, you are not actually thirsty, so I swish some water around and then move over to the side and spit it out. I can feel it if I drink too much at a water stop and it sucks.

His second tip:

Run every mile faster than your last. 

This is the hard one for so many runners, including myself. It is such a mental struggle for many to start out slower but starting too fast will catch up to you quickly. It's a problem that I have always had and one of the things that was so great about the start of Tink. It was too crowded for me to be too fast. It forced me to slow down the first mile or two and so by the time I was out of the parks, I could run each mile a few seconds faster than the last and still feel good. It is something that I am going to try my best to remember as the Princess half begins. It took me a few months to be able to follow his second tip but once I did, I had an amazing race. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled to see if Elvis is still working there when I return this week. If he is, I will have to let him know that it took a while but I finally figured it out and he was right. I knew he was right when he said it  but it took some practice to be able to follow it.

It was so cool being able to chat with someone that has such an awesome knowledge of running that is just natural to him. I have always looked at and tried to follow how Kenyans do it. It is one of the reasons I love my Vibram Five Fingers and wear more minimalist shoes. If they can run marathons barefoot or in shoes that are barely there, why can't I. It feels natural to me and is the only way that doesn't make my feet hurt. I am a Georgia Peach and was raised in the South. That means my feet are shaped naturally because I ran around barefoot all the time and still do. I hate shoes because they try to force me feet into a shape that it isn't. It was nice talking with someone that understood that and so much more about running. It also reminded me about one of the things that makes WDW such a great place to visit.

Next time you are at Disney, pay attention to the workers around you. They have so much to offer us if you take the time to look for it. Check their name tags because everyone loves being called by name and you can find out where they are from. You never know what they may be able to share with you if you don't take the time to notice. And if you are celebrating anything, a birthday, anniversary, first trip or any other thing you can think of, grab a button, because you will find so many people that will go out of their way to acknowledge your celebration and you might get something bigger out of it.  Diane was serenaded numerous times that weekend(because when you are at Disney you can celebrate all week)by ushers, waiters, cashiers and even a custodian that was emptying the trash cans near our bus stop. Elvis sang to her and gave her free ice cream and we had a blast soaking it all in with her. I always wonder how many people miss out on the fun things like that because when a cast member calls out to them, they just keep walking. Appreciate the people around you no matter how "small" their job might seem.

But above all else remember when a Kenyan gives you running advice, listen.