Planning Your Racecation

Let's talk dollars and cents. We did not renew our Disneyland Magic Keys because I wanted to spend the equivalent amount of money on race registration fees instead.

• http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/03/farewell-magic-key.html

I've written about the races so far in 2024

• Jan Disneyland 5k http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/01/rundisney-debrief.html
• Mar LA Big 5k http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/03/la-big-5k-2024-race-report.html
• May OC http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/05/bike-month-and-month-of-mama.html
• Jun CdM 5k http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/06/cdm-scenic-5k-2024-race-report.html
• Sept SMC 5k http://bitchonabike.blogspot.com/2024/09/santa-monica-classic-race-report.html

Cost of each racecation:

• $1466 Disneyland (with two park days)
• $284 LA Big 5k (no hotel)
• $522 OC Marathon (without running the race)
• $640 CdM Scenic 5k
• $1063 SMC Classic 10k/5k (with no hotel)
• $3975 for the year, which is only half over

Why were these races so expensive if the registration fee was only $377 for the whole year? Well, that's because I included things like gas, parking, hotel, costumes, shoes, sports bras, and food. I got a little carried away preparing for the Santa Monica Classic, but it was my birthday month and I bought a whole bunch of sparkle stuff. It is a balancing act to allocate funding to:

1. Consumables (food, shoes, sports bras) which are temporary investments and need replacing 
2. Experiences (travel costs including hotel, gas, parking, race registration) ephemeral
3. Permanent items (race photos, clothing) could be useful, reusable or simply memorabilia
4. Memberships (squad and run club) which provide information and a sense of belonging

As we always say, everyone has hobbies. Some hobbies are more expensive than others. The two races I want to register for next are:

• Citrus Heritage Run (January 5, 2025) Half-marathon $97.68
• Palm Desert Half (February 16, 2025) Half-marathon $69.90

Maybe my reason for these two races is stupid. But there is a special challenge medal for doing three races in Riverside county and I'm already registered for one of them, which is in less than two weeks. Of course, since these events are so far away (distance-wise) we would need hotels along with them. The Citrus Heritage Run is cute because it's where we got married. And the Palm Desert run is of interest to me because I think Palm Springs in February will be delightful. I want to take my son to the Palm Springs Tram and go up the mountain to hike in the cable car. I think he'll get a kick out of it.

There is a concept in the running community of a "catered training run" that you're not just out there running 18 miles, but you're using one event as a training run for another event. And you don't have to do those miles alone, and you don't have to do those miles unsupported. I don't know if it's a formal term, but it does seem to permeate the runDisney community, ostensibly because while training for Dopey you need to run/walk a lot of miles, which gets boring.

In debriefing our previous racecations, we have done a reverse packing list, where I wrote out everything I brought and added items I should have brought. With the idea that we will eventually optimize the items that best support the racecation.

What we learned is that we should just always bring swimwear even if we think we won't use it. Bringing some kind of comfort item like a nightlight makes early bedtimes a breeze. We have to remember to bring vitamins, medications (prescription and over-the-counter), and electrolytes. A box of toys was a big hit for kiddo. I would love to write more but I have to get ready for class. So grateful it is nearly the halfway point in the semester. I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel already.