runDisney Virtual Summer Shorts Race Recap

Back in June, I did a full recap of the first race in this series, the Captain Marvel 5k so be sure to check out that race recap to see my thoughts on that race but I still had two virtual 5ks to run over the summer!

One nice thing about these being 5ks is that it's pretty easy to fit them into an existing running plan. You don't have to set aside a lot of time or miles to get in your virtual race. My issue was that my midweek runs were a bit over 2 miles and my short long runs were 4 miles so nothing fit perfectly. I ended up just running the 5k in lieu of one of my 4 mile long runs.

I ran the Iron Man July 5k on July 7th in my Captain America top because I'm team Cap all the way. At this point, my medals still hadn't arrived so it was a hot, sweaty underwhelming run.

About a week later, my medals finally arrived and I was able to hang up the two I had earned so far. Like all runDisney medals, they are stunning but I do wish I could have had them earlier!

The last race of the series was Black Panther themed for August. I ran this race on August 17th and by this point in time, I was deep in sports bra only running season so I didn't dress up for this one. Again, it was hot and sweaty as you can tell by our shiny faces! lol

I really liked the bullet journal spread I did for this race series. The Iron Man doodle came out a bit funky but Captain Marvel and Black Panther came out really well. I definitely didn't have any amazing times or experiences running this race series but running in the summer in Florida is always death.

And now that I've earned them all, the race medals do really look nice on my wall. Overall though, I don't think I'm much of a virtual race person. I'm pretty self motivated so I don't feel like I needed them to get me out the door and onto running. I don't like the 5k distance and that's once race distance I don't have a problem finding locally. Plus, it was a huge let down to not be able to wear the bib and not have a medal immediately afterwards. I much preferred the Star Wars virtual half as part of the Kessel Run Challenge.

So I think I'll probably skip the virtual series next summer and save my money for an in person race instead. Do you like virtual races? Are there other nonDisney virtuals I should try before writing them off for good?

Further, Higher, Faster

Growing up, I was never into comic books and the only super hero cartoon I watched was Sailor Moon but have have enjoyed all of the Marvel films that have grown into the MCU. One thing that has been lacking from this great movie universe was strong women. We have Black Widow who is awesome but she still hasn't gotten her own film and, to be honest, the sexy, undercover assassin stereotype always seemed to fit more of what a guy would want out of a female superhero that what I would like. Black Panther gave us so many great strong women, and all women of color! We got the warrior, the social justice champion, the genius and the wise queen all in one film! I especially loved Shuri and I would 100% be behind her getting a stand alone film or TV series. But the heroine I've fallen head over heals for is Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel.

I'll be the first to admit that the movie is not perfect and that I definitely wouldn't say it's the best Marvel film from a film critique perspective but I love the story that it tells and the message that it sends to young girls. One of these is how we should respond to sexism and discrimination against women (though these lessons could be applied to any sort of discrimination). Every time she gets shot down, Carol gets back up and says "You don't get to define my limits."

There's a very vocal section of the Marvel fandom that is upset about this film and thinks that it is just about some sort of extreme feminist agenda. The fact of the matter is that while things have improved, racism and sexism are still alive and well today and that is not ok. Comics are not just for boys. Sports are not just for boys. Being strong is not just for boys. Fashion is not just for girls. Expressing your emotions in public is not just for girls. Being a stay at home parent is not just for girls. These are all activities for humans and we're all human.

Sadly, these upset fans are proving the exact point they are arguing against. 

One thing that I didn't like about the film the first time I saw it was Carol's extreme power up towards the end of the film after talking to the Supreme Intelligence. I still think it was a bit of a stretch and I like to see my heroes work for their powers but on my second viewing, I realized the picture the film was trying to paint here. This is what happens when a woman wakes up and realizes that she is strong! And it is amazing!

It is only when Carol frees herself from the arbitrary rules created to keep her down and that she realizes that she has nothing to prove to the world that she reaches her full potential. I think too often that as women, we allow ourselves to be limited, consciously or unconsciously, by "rules" set by society, tradition or even ourselves. I hope that this film helps women turn their I can't into an I can. I'm realizing that I can be more than I ever though I could be. I am strong and I have so much to give to the world!

Another thing I love about Carol is that she has a strong drive to do the right thing which I think is common in many women. She joined the military not to prove she was better than a man but so that she had a shot at doing something that would save lives! We can see that in her decision to pilot Dr. Lawson's plane during it's fateful last mission. Dr. Lawson wanted to go alone but Carol knew that if wars and lives were at stake, she couldn't sit idly by. Even when she was living with the Kree, she still tried to do her bit for the Kree Skrull war. And when she found out that the war was not what she thought it was, her first instinct was to brave dangers to try and make things right. And isn't that what a super hero is supposed to do?

When we take a look at our beloved male heros, many of them do not have this attitude from the beginning. Tony Stark is far from a hero when we meet him and he's still got his share of character flaws. Thor is so bad that his dad grounds him from his power and kicks him out of the house. Hulk has his own set of issues that cause Bruce Banner to go into hiding. Probably the Avenger who is most like Carol in this respect is Steve Rodgers. He also had a strong desire to stand against evil even when everyone around him told him that he had nothing to give.

Hopefully, this next phase of the MCU will give us more strong female superheroes. Until then, we're the ones who have to show the world that we can go further, higher, faster.