Disney 1/2 Marathon

Let me tell you about one of the most amazing experiences of my life. On January 12th of this year, I, along with two of my closest friends Lacy and Kira, ran the Walt Disney World half marathon. It was 13.1 miles of arduous commitment and overwhelming emotion.

Last year in March, Lacy proposed the idea and I pretty much laughed at her. Me? Run a marathon. Ha! I hated running. Well, I didn't actually hate running. I would run and lift weights to stay in shape, but 3 miles was my max. The idea of running 13.1 was just insane. But after much persuasion and that spit of competition that runs through my veins (I couldn't have two of my friends do it with me just watching from the sidelines), I agreed. So, at the end of the summer, the training began, which consisted of short runs during the week and long runs on Saturdays, with some weight training and cross training in between. The first weeks would include running 2 miles for the short runs and about 5 on Saturday. It would slowly increase until I was running 5 miles as short runs and 10 on Saturdays.

It was SO HARD! Throughout the training, throwing up, side stitches, popped blisters, frustration, tears, self-condemnation and self evalutations for sanity, and an occasional profanity or two were common! You can ask Walmir. He got a front row seat to the show. But, I refused to back out. My goal was to run the entire marathon without stopping once. But i'll admit, a few days before the big day and I wasn't really sure if I would achieve that.

The night before the marathon, Kira, Justin (he was running the full marathon on Sunday - 26.2 miles), Walmir and I made our way down to Sandra's house in Deltona to spend the night. Beforehand, we stopped at the Expo to pick up our trackers, shirts and numbers. I was filled with straight up 100% anxiety and dread for the following morning. There was a shirt I really wanted to buy that said This seemed like a good idea a few months ago! That was exactly how I felt. Actually, scratch that. I NEVER thought it was a good idea. Anyway, at Sandra's house, Regina (Wally's mom) cooked us an amazing pasta dinner and by 10:30, Kira and I were trying to get some sleep. We had to be at the race at 4:30 a.m. for the race start at 6. Needless to say, we couldn't sleep at all and probably got about 2 hours of sleep max.

The morning of the race, we got up, ate breakfast, drank a ton of gatorade and made our way to the wonderful world of Disney. We met up with Lacy and as we were waiting for the race to begin, I felt like something was twisting my insides (kind of like how a kid feels when he's being dragged by his parents onto a roller coaster ride for the first time). Anyway, before I knew it, fireworks began, the race started and Mickey, Donald and Goofy were waving us off. There were 12,000 runners that day and I was overwhelmed by the mass amount of people. The beginning of the race consisted of a lot of maneuvering around them.

So, miles 1-5, I feel great. People are cheering me on and my body is feeling good. Miles 5-8, still doing good. Just ran through Magic Kingdom, saw tons of Disney characters, and ran through the castle with Prince Eric and Princess Ariel waving me on. Mile 9, I'm starting to get tired and need a little motivation. Time to turn on my ipod. Mile 10. Ok, I think I can make it. I haven't walked yet, and only three miles to go! My lower back is starting to tighten a bit and my feet are feeling the pressure. Mile 11. You've got to be kidding me! I have to run up and over two highway overpasses?!? Mile 12. ONE MORE! I CAN SO DO THIS! Epcot's golf ball is in sight and I can feel the end. I'm now running through Epcot; only a few yards to go, thousands of spectators are cheering and there is the finish line! Hallelujah! (There really was a hallelujah chorus singing at the end of the race!)

I have never felt more awesome about myself than when I crossed that finish line! My time was 2 hours and 30 minutes, which is pretty dang awesome for my first one. And no, I did NOT walk once! I hit my goal and with a better time than I anticipated! With exhiliration, exhaustion, an amazing sense of self accomplishment and a full-sized smile on my face, I meet up with Kira, Justin and Walmir. We wait for Lacy and Joe. We take pictures with Mickey and Minnie and talk about how amazing we all are. Seriously guys, I have never felt more amazing in my life! It was one of the most astounding experiences ever and I will remember it always! Needless to say, I really enjoy running now and still run throughout the week with a 9 mile-er on Saturday alongside Walmir, Justin and Kira. We're like a little running posse now.

Props to my ladies Kira and Lacy for finishing too. And to Justin and Semra, who ran the full marathon the next day. I kneel before you!

My amazing friends Lindsey and Shawn are working on a video of the day too. They came down to cheer me on and I love them for it. As soon as their video is finished, i'll post it here.

So, the moral of this story is that everyone should run a marathon once in their life. There is no feeling equal to it! :0) I am now officially a rock star!

My awesome friends Lindsey and Shawn.

Kira and I along with Mickey and Minnie. Aren't their jogging suits great?