Running the Dark Side

Last weekend (April 15 - 17) was the Inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon - The Dark Side at Disney World. Besides the fact that I (once again) wasn't physically ready for it, I was excited to see what kind of characters this race brought out.

I wasn't disappointed.

My mom decided to sign up Lydia for the 5k, along with her normal Kids Races. Since that race was Friday, they spent Thursday night over at Disney to be ready for the 4:30am wake-up call. They basically walked the whole way, but they had fun. And, really, who expects a 7 year old to run 3 miles? Not us. They got some SUPER cute pictures along the way.

Apparently, toward the end, my mom told Lydia that she needed to run at least a little bit of it. At which point, Lydia bartered running for being able to use my mom's phone to record and take pictures. THAT was entertainment in itself.

They finished in about an hour. Again, pretty decent for walking. Lydia was so proud of herself and her new medal that she took this unprompted selfie..... which I think is the most adorable thing in the world......

That evening, I drove over and met up with them at Magic Kingdom. They'd been there for several hours (after resting up at the hotel) and were having a blast, though my mom's poor ankle was killing her. We hung out for a bit and decided to head back to the hotel to grab dinner.

Before we left, Lydia cashed in on my mom's promise to get her a balloon. It's funny.... we're at Disney so often that we rarely get souvenirs. Usually, it's a stuffed character to add to the collection - all the kids in our life actually do sleep with them and will carry them around to love on. About once a year, she will BEG for a balloon. This time she desperately wanted a "BB-A" balloon, despite the amount of times we tried to convince her that it's BB-8. Regardless, she got the balloon and was happy.

The next morning was the Kids Races. For the first time, Irelynn and Carter were participating. Seriously, the Kid Races are the cutest thing ever. Mom got them all little outfits and prizes.

Irelynn was convinced that she needed to "WIN THE RACE." We told her it was all about having fun and doing her best, but Little Miss Perfectionist was determined. She did, in fact, cross the finish line before anyone in her heat.

Carter just ran to have fun. He really didn't know what was going on, but he was having a blast.

After the races, I picked up my packet. The one thing I was disappointed in was the lack of shirts to swap out. We sign up for these races 6+ months in advance. And, for some reason, the sizing always ends up different. These shirts seemed a little tight, so while there were plenty of smalls to be found, you couldn't size up.

The rest of the day was spent resting and relaxing. Most of the halfs start at 5:30am, so that's what I assumed. However, I learned (thanks to a text from my friend Brianne) that this one was at 5am. That doesn't sound like a lot, but at 2:45am it feels like a lot. We had to be on the buses by 3:30am. Craziness.

When I woke up at the dreaded 2:45, my first thought was, "I really don't feel like doing this, today." I almost just rolled over and went back to sleep. However, it was the very first one, it was expensive, and I don't like the concept of not trying.

The bus took about 45 minutes to get there, so I got a nap in, which was wonderful and helped pep me up a little. I met up with Brianne, who made friends with this guy named Evan on her bus, and they got me a bit excited, too. We stood in line to take a picture with this guy........

By the time we were done (it was a long line), they were about to start the race and we needed to get to our corrals. I will say that they really made it special. Stormtroopers came out to deliver our mission....

We were still walking out when the first few corrals stepped off. The fireworks display was REALLY cool. Brianne and I were in different corrals, so we bid each other good luck and split up.

Again, the feel of this was different than other races. It really was fun. The played clips of the movies in between corrals. They played Star Wars music along with the fireworks. It was just neat.

My corral stepped off at about 5:40am. This was a totally different route than other races, so it was neat to have the change-up. There were a lot of hills. And, once you got on the Osceola Parkway (to and from Animal Kingdom), it was a long stretch of boring road. But, overall I liked it. The only thing I wasn't fond of was finishing at ESPN. It was just too cramped and congested. Plus, the entire way to ESPN and then through it you were facing the sun, which was rough.

I got a PR....... for the worst time I've ever done. It was bad. I wasn't prepared. I'm not in shape. And, I just wasn't in the mood to go anywhere on foot for 13+ miles. However, I did finish, so there's that. From what I understand, A LOT of people got swept, so at least I wasn't alone in being unprepared.

The rest of the day was spent showering, changing, packing, and then walking around Magic Kingdom. We ate at the new restaurant, Skipper's Jungle Canteen (or something like that). I *really* enjoyed it and would recommend it.

It's only been a week since the race and I'm already working harder to prepare for Wine and Dine in November. Not only do I want to do better in these races, I need to lose weight, get stronger, be healthier. Hopefully, this time next year, I'll be WAY better off and can take the Dark Side with no problem.

Show Us Your Life.... A Reintroduction Of Sorts

I haven't posted in SO long. I read several blogs, but have just been horrible about posting. I think it's because it's become so much easier to document life on other forms of social media?

Anyway, in trying to add something new to the ole blog, I thought I would link-up to Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" series. I remember doing this years ago when I first started blogging. Maybe this will get me back in the blogging spirit. Or, maybe it will just be a nice way to update myself.

If you've never read before.... Hi, I'm Jess :)

I'm a native Floridian.... Central Floridian to be exact. I really, truly love Florida and am proud to call it home.

I'm a fan of all things Disney and can often be found roaming the parks like my own personal playground. Over the past few years, I've gotten involved in the RunDisney races and have completed five half-marathons, two ten-milers, and one semi-half (the Wine & Dine Half got shortened due to weather). I'm not particularly good at running (I'd like to get better and really need to try), but I do enjoy participating in the races!

While I am single, most of my family lives here, so I have lots of love around me. And, while I'm not a mommy, I have several adorable children around me to love on and spoil :) I'm also the proud Auntie Kecka to the BEST NIECE IN THE WORLD. Seriously, she absolutely kills me.

I work in this crazy field called Radio and I love it. I'm a Promotions Director.... which is a fun, stressful, and varied job. I started as an intern over 10 1/2 years ago and recently celebrated 7 years in my current position. I don't know if it is what I will be doing forever, but it suits me, for now. Also, for all of the headache and stress, there are some pretty cool perks....

When I'm not working, spending time with family/friends, or enjoying Disney, I'm focused on my new love.... Junior League. For real. I joined last year because several of my friends convinced me and I am loving it more than I ever thought possible. I'm more involved than my original convincing friends are, at this point. The committee I'm on is AWESOME and I've made some great friends.

That's all for now!! Thanks for stopping by and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with Kelly's link-up enough to at least get back into the blogging groove!!

Disney Half Marathon..... A Lesson in Humility and Persistance

This past weekend was Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. Back in April (I think), I signed up for the half marathon which was Saturday (Jan 10th).

Once again, I didn't train properly. In fact, I barely trained at all.

I'm in a serious mental/physical funk. I'm trying to "flip the switch" but I am just not in the zone. Looking to this weekend, I was super nervous. I knew that I wasn't prepared, that I wouldn't do well, and that I may very well get picked up by the Sag Wag. I also thought really hard about whether or not I should even participate.

However, in case you didn't know, Disney races aren't cheap. I knew I at least needed to try. I went in knowing there would be pain and that my time would be horrendous. My main goal was to just get out there and do it. Just TRY to finish.

When 3:30am rolled around on Saturday, I rolled out of bed, got dressed, and headed for the bus. By the time we got there and I made it to my corral, the wheelchair group (very first group) was stepping off. While I was standing there (Corral K), I noticed two things....... it was COLD (42 degrees, according to my phone) and my toenails were bothering me. Oh, crap. I forgot to trim my toenails.

Rookie error, there. Had I been running even a little prior to this, I would have noticed that my toenails were getting too long and would have trimmed them.

So, I stood there waiting............

Finally, around 6:15am, my corral stepped off........

The first mile was fine. One of my toenails was digging into another toe and I really had to pee, but otherwise, I was ok. Breathing was good, stride was good, pace was good. I was good.

Then, I saw Porta Potties. Done.

By the time I stood in line and went, LAHP and her hubby B had caught up to me. They were a corral behind me. The fact that we even found each other was a miracle, but the fact that this is the third race that we've been able to randomly meet up without phones is a true miracle.

I stuck with them for the next five miles. It was a different experience for me. Usually, I run by myself, with music. So, it was different (but a good different) to have people to pace with and chat with.

And, take selfies with..........

We ran through Magic Kingdom, which was fun. Here's the view coming out of the castle......

Once we hit Mile 6, I hit a serious wall. My feet were KILLING me and my right quad was completely frozen up. They were jogging and I told them to go ahead without me.

From that point, I basically just walked the rest of the way. Every so often, I would try to jog, but would barely make it a minute before my feet would be screaming at me to stop. To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised it took 6 miles to get to that point.

I got into a state of just power walking as much as I could. For the next couple of miles, I sort of people watched. I didn't even put my headphones back in. It was a new way of going about it, that is for sure.

Around Mile 9.5, my legs were done. In fact, my whole body was just over it. I put my headphones back in and just zoned out. I honestly think I was in a trance.

Just move one foot in front of the other........ Do not stop moving until you either fall down, get swept, or cross the finish line.

Eventually, I did finish. My time was AWFUL. Just horrible. But, I finished. And, chip time-wise, there were people who finished behind me.

FINALLY, the Finish Line.

 

As poorly as I did, I was still proud of myself for completing the entire race.

As soon as I was done, we had to head over to Wide World of Sports for Lydia's races. Homegirl did great! She really did step it up! I was miserable. My muscles were in so much pain, I was freezing, and my feet were on fire.

Right after Lydia was done, I met up with my friend Holly and her husband for lunch at Downtown Disney. At this point, I was just walking so to keep moving. We had a nice visit and then I caught the bus back to the hotel.

When I got back (around 3pm), I was finally able to take off my shoes to survey the damage. Two of my toes were bleeding and three of them had blisters the size of the actual toe. My big toes are bruised under the nail from bumping up against my shoes. Gross and painful.

I basically bathed in BioFreeze and chilled the rest of the day/night. Mom and Lydia went to Magic Kingdom and had a blast. They were even able to score dinner in Be Our Guest WITHOUT reservations. I was so jealous. I would have loved to have gone, but I don't think my body would have stood for it. My mom was kind enough to pick up a candy apple for me and bring back her leftovers.

Yesterday, we packed up, ate breakfast, and headed home. Poor Lydia was super disappointed that we didn't go to one of the parks, but I could barely move. I did take her to a movie.

As we were leaving Disney property, we drove past the Marathon route. The people I saw had just passed Mile 20 (and it was 11:15am). I was so emotional for them. Just the journey they were currently undergoing. I do not know that I will ever do a full marathon, but I have such mad respect for those who do it.

Today, I'm slightly better. The worst of the blisters burst last night, so it is much better. My right calf muscle is still pretty locked up. I'm trying to gently stretch it and walk as much as I can. Random muscles are sore. I have a massage scheduled tomorrow, so hopefully that will fix me up.

A few takeaways from my 2nd Half Marathon..........

• For the love of all that is holy, TRAIN. Stop your madness and get out there to train!!!!!! I have the Princess coming up in six weeks. Obviously, there will not be any major improvements in my running in six weeks, but I can at least improve a few things. My leg muscles tone up pretty quickly, so that would help. 
• Your body is far more capable than you give credit. I really listened to my body. It was mainly cursing me. But, I pushed it further than I thought possible without jeopardizing my overall health/safety. In the back of my mind, I knew I needed to play it safe if I had any hope of doing the Princess. At the state I am in now, I think I will be able to do an easy round on the elliptical by tomorrow.
• Don't diss the walkers.......... I heard a LOT of grumbling on the course about walkers. More than I have with any other race. Maybe it was because it is Marathon weekend, so people were a little more serious about their running? I don't know, but it was frustrating. We are all on our own journey here. Making someone feel bad because they are walking is just rude.
• On the other side of the coin......... Be respectful and aware. There were a lot of walking AND running groups that were taking up the entire lane. When I was with L and B, I tried to make sure that I was either ahead or behind them, so were weren't walking/running three wide.
• For the most part, everyone is awesome. There is so much encouragement from everyone.... participants, spectators, volunteers, and even random park visitors who wish they'd picked a different day to try to enter EPCOT.

Overall, I am proud of myself. I know where I failed and where I succeeded. I learned and, hopefully, I will be motivated to do better. The main thing is that I did it. I tried. There are a lot of people out there that wouldn't.

Tower of Terror 10-Miler 2014

So last weekend (October 3-5) was the Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend at Disney. If you will recall, last year's was my first big race ever. Before I talk about my race, I have to brag on some others.

So, my mom had so much fun watching Megan and I last year that she got amped up and decided to participate. She and my stepdad signed up for the 5K during Princess Weekend. Then, she signed them up for it this weekend AND signed Lydia up for the kids' races. Mom and Jeff really can't run it, because of some former injuries, so they walk. They just like to participate.

This was Lydia's first race and she *can* run. The first race was her age group. Depending on the age group, the kids run either 100, 200, 300, or 400 meters. Lydia ran 200. The 100 group was hysterical to watch. They are all aged 1-3. Some of them LOVED it and others weren't having it at all.

The winner went to Baby Aladdin who got about twenty feet from the Finish Line and refused to go any further. His parents refused to pick him up to walk him across the finish (a lot of parents were carrying their kids, lol). Even the media people got into it.

 Eventually, Baby A won. The RunDisney people needed them off the track to let the next racers (age 4-6) start. Parent - 0, Kid - 1. I took a ton of pictures during the 15 minute sage (there were several heats), but managed to get an internet friendly one (ie, no faces of the kid).......

Lydia rocked her 200-meter dash and even convinced Jeff to join her. Next up was a timed 1-Mile race. For that one, she wanted me to run with her. I was wearing flip-flops, so that wasn't happening. I walked near the path for the first half, so that she could see me. At that point, she was comfortable running the rest of the way with the group. Disney security is really tight, especially for the kid races. They don't let anyone leave the race area without a tag that matches the child's bib, so I told her that I would meet her at the Finish Line.

In her words, the race was "HORRIBLE. It was a long and awful race!" But, she liked her medal, lol.

After their races were over (I was getting Lydia ready while Mom and Jeff were doing their race, so no pics of them), I headed back to the hotel to nap and rest up for mine later that night.

Here's where I get real.......... I have *REALLY* let myself go. Like, I weigh more than I have in 5 years. Not a fact I'm proud of, but it's the truth. Not only have I gained 20 lbs since last year's race, but I plain didn't train. I mean, I'd run a few miles a couple times a week, but that doesn't prepare you for something like this. So, I was nervous. I knew I'd finish, but I figured it would take me about 20-30 minutes longer than last year.

On top of that, Megan is preggers and due with the-best-niece-in-the-world on Oct 19th. Homegirl wasn't about to attempt 10 miles at 38 weeks pregnant. My other race buddies also weren't doing this one for various reasons. So, I was solo. SCARY.

We always run by ourselves, but we usually hang in the corrals and start together. You get in your corrals at 9:15/9:30. The race starts at 10pm and my corral started at 10:20pm. So, I was basically chilling by myself for an hour. Heidi came up to hang with me until corral time and to see me finish, but it was still a bit intimidating to just stand there in a crowd of 9500 people and not know a soul.

But, I did it. I tried and I completed it.

As I was trudging along and miserable, I would just try to pep myself up. Thankfully, the weather was gorgeous. Last year was hot and humid. This year, it was the first cool night we've had. 50's and little-to-no humidity. So, I tried to tell myself that at least I was getting to enjoy the weather. Also, when I was in the last three miles and could only jog about 1-2 minutes at a time before having to walk, I really had to give myself a chat.......... 

"Jess. You are trying. You've completed 7-8-9 miles and you are still trying to jog. THAT is an accomplishment."

It was not easy. In fact, it was REALLY hard. I wanted to quit. There were times when I told myself that I just didn't care what my time was, anymore. There were times when I felt really bad that Heidi was waiting for me and I was taking so long (turns out, she was having a blast with the other spectators). But, I kept going.

Eventually, I did finish! And, I was completely right...... 21 minutes behind my time from last year.

Heidi was super proud and supportive. I was really thankful to have someone at the end.

Ironically, I wasn't nearly as sore as I was last year. I mean, I was sore. But, it didn't last as long or as bad as last year.

As it stands, I have TWO half-marathons scheduled at the beginning of the year. One at the beginning of January and another in mid-February. Yep, I'm insane.

How am I going to keep myself from going down that nasty 'Wingin It' rabbit hole? Well, it does help that these races are close enough to have something to work for, but far enough that I can train reasonably. I'm doing a HIIT Running app three days a week (started Week 1, Day 1 today) and then one longer run (starting at 4 miles and working my way up). Plus, I'm throwing in T25 for strength, speed, and agility.

I *know* I can do this. With the exception of my longer runs, I shouldn't be working out more than 1 1/2 hours a day. Back in my glory days, I was working out double that some days.

I'm also trying not to stress about my weight, right now. Of course, I need to work on my diet (those french fries and sweets have snuck their way back into my habits) and I definitely want to lose weight, but I'm trying not to focus as much on that. Right now, my main concern needs to be getting fitter.... faster.... stronger... more endurance. I feel like if I'm mildly conscience of my eating during this time, some of the weight should come off. Once the holidays and these races are over, I can really focus on the weight.

That's the plan. To keep myself accountable, I'll be posting my workouts and progress toward my goals at least every two weeks.

Here goes................

Blog Everyday: Getting Uncomfortable

 

 July 3rd: Update on Getting Uncomfortable in 2014 - What have you done out of your comfort zone this year?

I'll go with two things.... one is physical/mental and the other is purely mental.

First off, I participated in and completed my first half marathon in February. There was some running involved, but I'll call a spade a spade and 'fess up that it certainly wasn't all running.

To me, it wasn't just a physical challenge, but a mental one, as well. Running has NEVER been my "thing." I was the fat kid. The slow kid. I only ran when forced. So, to get myself in the frame of mind that I WANTED to run 13.1 miles was a feat in itself.

People who have casually followed my running journey (on FB/IG/etc) will ask me, "So, you really like running, now?"

My answer, "Nope, I pretty much hate it." tends to confuse them. I always have to explain that I started running *because* it pushes me so far out of my comfort zone. It's a challenge. It's something NO ONE ever expected that I would do. To pay money to run with a bunch of people? I'm sure some think I've gone insane.

So, yeah, I'm still not a fan of running. I don't get runner's high. I very rarely feel good when I'm doing it. But, I always feel accomplished and that's probably better.


Second part of getting uncomfortable......

I tend to be a people pleaser. I always worry about how other people will perceive my actions..... that they will misinterpret my intentions or that I will accidentally upset them.

This year, I have been learning to let that go.

I still never want to intentionally hurt someone, but I've learned that I have done a lot of hurting myself because I wasn't being me in order to try not to hurt someone else.

So, my new goal is to stop worrying about how other people will perceive my choices and just do my best to live the best life I can. It's uncomfortable, at times, but it's worth it.

This Princess Wears Running Shoes...

So, this is a couple months late, but I figured now is as good a time as any, right?

One of the reasons I started running was because I decided that one of my Bucket List items was to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon. In fact, I made it one of my 101 in 1001.

I'll be honest, after I ran the ToT 10 miler, I started slacking. Majorly. I wasn't as prepared as I could/should have been. But, I decided to do my best and work to do better next time. I mean, you have to have a baseline, right?

On Saturday, Feb 22nd, we picked up our packets and got our official race bibs....

Disney really does know how to up the excitement for these races. It's a whole weekend event (with kids runs, 5k, 10k, and a fitness expo). We spent a good amount of time walking around after we officially checked in. My mom and Jeff ran the 5k on Friday, so they were up there. We went to dinner at Downtown Disney and called it an early night as we had to be on the bus by 4am.

When the alarm went off at 3:15am, I can't say we were too thrilled. But, we did make it on the bus by the appropriate time...... only to discover that we both left our room keys in the room.

3:50 am...... It seemed like a good idea back in July......

As early as it is, Disney also knows how to wake you up. Music, lights, etc. Plus, the people watching is stellar..........

There are over 25,000 people that run this race and everyone is split into corrals (A-P). So, imagine our delight when we found our friend Leigh-Anne and her hubby as soon as we made it to our corral (I, ftr).

Did I mention that LA is preggos? And, she'd run the 10k the day before?

Megan and I were shamed and declared that next year, it was a must.

Once the race actually started, we all crossed the start line together, but quickly separated. Usually, Megan is faster than me, but she was still recovering from knee surgery. LA and her husband already decided to take it slow. I went on by myself.

Again, Disney does know how to do these races. They always have some sort of entertainment along the way, picture stops, etc. Except for my one bathroom break around mile 2, I didn't stop.

Well, except to take this picture.......

There was something SO amazing about being able to take a picture in front of the big Magic Kingdom sign/parking booths. Typically, it's full of cars wanting to park. I'll admit, I got a little emotional when I reached that point.

Also, before we even got there, we saw the fastest runners coming back from MK. As in, we were just hitting mile 3 and they were on mile 8. It was pretty cool to cheer them on. They each had a bicyclist riding next to them to make sure they were safe (because they were basically running by themselves).

Another incredible moment...... so, as I was running, I was sort of staying in the same pack as this woman and her friends. The back of her shirt said, "This Princess Used To Be Paralyzed."

I thought to myself how wonderful it was.... Then, we got to Main Street. She stopped in her tracks, turned her back from the castle, and just burst into tears. Her friends surrounded her and they were all crying.

It was such a beautiful, inspirational moment. I am tearing up just typing about it. I, also crying, told her what a great job she was doing and kept running.

Generally, I don't stop for the picture spots on these races. The lines are long and it is for characters (which I can see whenever). However, when I got to the castle, I decided I DEFINITELY needed to get a picture. Somehow, my sister managed to catch up, so we were able to get a picture together......

Yes. I am using the Proofs. I'm not paying $30 for the one picture. Anywho.....

Keeping it real...... Miles 7-10 sucked. Like really, really bad. At one point, I could only tweet how bad it was....

One of the reasons I started this whole journey with running is because of how far it pushes me out of my comfort zone. It is a physical and mental challenge. It brings out so many of my old insecurities. It is something that no one (including me) ever though I could accomplish. The fact that I get up at 5:15am regularly to run (or run after work, if I don't quite make it out of bed) is proof of how much I've personally changed.

But, it is hard. Especially when you're in the middle of running 13.1 miles. 

When I hit the ten mile mark, my body got a boost of energy. Granted, my mind thought, "If I were doing the Tower of Terror, I would be done, right now."

One thing that kept me going was all the funny signs. One particularly awful incline had a group of several basically calling us all crazy for even attempting. It was funny, lol.

This was my personal favorite, right around Mile 12.......

When I got into EPCOT and was headed to the exit (you go in, run to the lake and then run back), I saw Megan was just entering. Sister power walked the whole thing. I ran back to her and we finished the race together!

My ending time was 3:08:29 and my place was 11672. It wasn't what I originally was hoping for (back in October before I started slacking), but I did better than I expected. And, I finished ahead of over half the people that participated!

And, I earned this beauty.............

Lesson #8 - You Can Do ANYTHING (including run 10 miles).... If You Work For It

*** This is both a lesson and a recap. While the recap part is mainly for my own memories, I promise there is a lesson at the end.

Let me tell you about myself about 9 years ago. I was in college, my stepfather had just passed away about 6 months earlier, and I was spiraling into a continual darkness. I was 100 lbs heavier than I am now. I still danced, but was not fit or healthy.

Eventually, I woke up and started working to a healthier existence. A couple years ago, I started the Couch 2 5K. I did it and then fell off the running. Then Summer 2012, I started again and actually did really well. I got to the point that I could run for 45 minutes. Then, I stopped.

Well, around March, I picked it back up again. And, I got the wild idea to sign up for a 10 Mile Run. I really don't know WHY I got that idea, but I did and I convinced my sister Megan to sign up, as well. Shortly after, she suggested we sign up for a 5K series during the summer. We trained and practiced and completed the series. Then, we kept training. Honestly, I didn't train as hard as I should have, but the Florida Summer got to me. Regardless, I did keep running and preparing for October 5th.

It came, alright.

Megan, my mom, and I headed to Orlando. We picked up our race packets and checked into the hotel.......

Then, we waited. It seemed like for-ev-er. I tried to nap, but that was a no go. I did manage to eat.

Finally, it was time to get ready and head toward the buses for the race!!!

"Does this tutu make my butt look big?"

I cannot explain the energy on that bus ride. Everyone was excited, nervous, and buzzing with energy.


Momma and I on the bus!......

If I thought the bus ride was exciting, getting OFF the bus and walking towards the pre-party and race start was multiplied. There were thousands of people in the parking lot of Hollywood Studios. A DJ, music blaring, light up balloons.... it was insane. The most entertaining part was all the runner costumes. Oh, the creativity......

Like this guy..... 

He was part of an entire ensemble of Star Wars characters.

I had a couple friends that were also running. We tried to meet up, but with so many people using cells, reception was non-existent. We spent a couple of hours just walking around and trying to stay calm. And, my mom took tons of pictures.....

Eventually, it was time for us to get into our corral. Since neither of us had proof of times, we were in the last two corrals.... I moved back to Megan's, so we could start together. Everyone had to line up at 9:15. The race started at 10pm. Our corral wasn't scheduled to start until 10:28.

In essence, I felt like I was going to throw up for over an hour.


Here is us faking being calm, cool, and collected.

FINALLY, it was our turn to start. Towards the Start Line, we were able to see my mom holding up signs for us and her phone. She had my cousin on Facetime, so she could see us, too!! Honestly, that is what calmed us down and got us really excited. The loud music, the lights, fog, DJ, and MC helped, too.

Something I loved is that Disney gives a grand start to each corral. With the scary "Twilight Zone" music and a firework start, we were off!! Our route looked like this.....

While Megan and I started together, we knew that we wold be running by ourselves. She has a faster pace than I do and we each run to music. Despite the official website claiming that they do not recommend earbuds, most racers do wear them. The warnings and announcements are LOUD. Even with my music going, I could hear the important stuff.

A couple notes about the course..... it is mostly on main roads. At first, it is kind of cool to realize that you are running where you normally drive at Disney World, but it gets a bit boring. They do have entertainment and characters along the way (I didn't stand in line for any of them), but mainly you are just running.

It was HOT and HUMID. Not as bad as what we dealt with in July and August, but still pretty nasty. I made sure to take all of my walk breaks and to drink plenty of fluids at each water station.

My least favorite part was the dirt path you take right before entering Wide World of Sports. While the character stations they had were really cool, the path was dark and narrow. You would have three or four people walking shoulder-to-shoulder (rude), so you'd have to go off the path to run around them. Plus, all the dirt being kicked up was irritating.

When we did get to Wide World of Sports, I thought I would never get out of there. It was like reliving my worst PE days, all over again, lol. We ran onto the soccer fields, went around the track, ran on sidewalks, and then went around the baseball field before heading out.

As you can see, as we exited the complex, we hit the Mile 7 Marker (btw, the mile markers were awesome.... a running clock with an elevator theme), that was when I started having true doubts about myself. This was the conversation I was having with myself, in my head.....

"Yay!!! Mile 7..... Almost there!!!!"

"Only 3 more miles! 3 miles is normal to you. You got this!"

"Holy cow, I have THREE miles to go...... It's after midnight and I still have three miles to go."

"It is so hot. I'm so tired."

"What if I just walk the rest of the way? That wouldn't be so bad, right?"

"Where is more water? I'm so thirsty."

"WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?!?!?! WHY DID YOU SIGN UP FOR THIS, JESSICA?!?!?!"

 "I don't think I can do this."

"Just keep running. Just keep running until you fall down."

"If I pass out, will I still get a medal?"

"WHERE is the water station?"

"Don't stop. Just keep running."

About the 7.5 mile mark, a cool breeze came. Out of nowhere. All around me, people were exclaiming over the cool breeze. I said out loud, "Thank you, Jesus. I needed this."

Now, I won't say that I didn't struggle the rest of the way, but it gave me a push that I desperately needed to keep going.

Eventually, we got back to Hollywood Studios. The last mile and a half was actually in the park. As awesome as it was, it was also a little bit of a mind game. See, I know that park like the back of my hand. I know exactly how to get from Lights, Motors, Action to Tower of Terror..... the best, most direct route. Yeah, they don't take you that way. You weave in and out, taking the most indirect way possible. When we rounded the Sorcerer's Hat, there was a big crowd cheering and a DJ congratulating us..... we only had a half a mile left.

That may have been the longest half mile EVER. The volunteers that were cheering us along were amazing, especially that last half mile. They knew we were hot, tired, and just ready to quit.

When I saw the finish line? I booked it as hard and as fast as I could. I totally crossed the finish line with both arms pumped over my head in victory. My mom was there to take a picture and cheer me on.

After you finish, you still have about another mile to walk to get the freebies, cool down, and get your bag before getting to meet up with your family.

This was my view when I finished..... A moment I will never forget......

The very first thing they hand you is cool towels. Then, you get in line to have one of the ten or so people handing out medals put one over your neck. Just like in the Olympics. When the lady told me, "Congratulations. You did it!" I almost cried.

I called my sister who I knew had already finished (we signed up for each other's updates, so my phone dinged when she hit the 5K, 10K, and Finish). She had just gotten my update and was able to tell me my time before I even knew it, lol. She was waiting past the bag claim with our friend BJ.

In that walk, they hand you a ton of freebies. My hands were full. I got my bag and happened to run into my friends.... we patted each other on the back and then I met up with my mom, Megan, and BJ.

 

My mom had these shirts made for us, while she was waiting. She was SOOOO proud of us....

 

They had an onsite engraver. It cost $20, but I felt is was well worth it.

I will keep this thing forever......

 

They had an after-party and we stayed until about 3:45am. It was exhausting, but the whole night was so exhilerating.

Two proud sisters......

 

11300 people registered..... 9474 actually came and finished.... My overall placement was 4233. Out of 6132 women, I finished 2349.

I ran ten miles in 2 hours and 8 minutes. 

Me.

My FB status the next morning read, "I did it!!!!! If you ever had PE with me, then you will know that ME running ten miles is basically a miracle."

People said (and still are) how proud they were.... how impressed.... how they could never do it.

I'm soooooo proud of myself and my accomplishment. And, I'm soooooo thankful for their compliments.

Here's the thing though.... They *can* do it. Again, I once weighed 100 lbs more than I do now. I've struggled my whole life with running. I was always last.... always the slowest.... always the awkward, clumsy kid that no one wanted on their team.

And, *I* placed ahead of over half of the 9474 people that participated.

If I can do it, anyone can. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow..... but eventually.

I've been running off and on for two years. I've been training (and not as seriously as I should have been) for 6 months. I worked for it and I did it.

You can, too.

Keep in mind, I still don't like running. I don't consider myself a runner. I do it because it is a challenge and because it pushes me completely out of my comfort zone.  

If running isn't your thing (trust me, it's not my thing, either) or you have no desire to do it, that's fine. But, don't say you can't. You can. You can do anything that you are willing to work hard enough for. If it is humanly possible, you can do it.

Will you do it as well as the next person? Maybe not, but you can still do it.

That is my lesson. It's something that I learned in a big way this past weekend. 

A couple of notes, if anyone is interested in running this race.........

• I would recommend staying on Disney property. It is a LATE night and not only is travel shorter when you are on property, but you don't have to worry about driving.
• Definitely jog to your own music, even though they say not to. There are boring stretches.... it's dark.... it's long...... unless you are planning to chat with a friend while walking briskly, music is needed.
• Warning.... you are going up and down a lot of ramps to get on the highway. So, not only are there hills (more than this native Floridian is used to), they are curving and slanted. Like a NASCAR race. Except you are trying to run it.
• It may be October, but chances are pretty high that it will still be hot and humid in Florida. I am used to this weather and I was feeling it. I would guess that the majority of the people I saw being carried away by medics at the end of the race were because of heat exhaustion/dehydration. My body/habits are able to adapt. I know what to do. However, I noticed so many people skipping right past the water stations. I would grab a cup of Powerade at the front of the station, walk, swig, and then grab a cup of water to do the same thing. Every. single. time. Yes, I felt a little yucky with that much liquid in my stomach a couple times. I did feel like I was going to get sick a couple of times. But, I just slowed down until I stopped feeling so water logged. When it was over, I drank both the bottle of Powerade and the bottle of water they handed us within the hour. Probably within 45 minutes. I kept drinking throughout the night. You have to do that when you are running 10 miles in Florida.
• It is an expensive race. It's Disney, after all. However, it is also worth every penny. 
• If you have any questions about this race, feel free to email me :)