RunDisney Frozen Summer Virtual Series

This afternoon, I registered for the RunDisney Frozen Summer Virtual Series!  

RunDisney made the announcement about the races Monday, March 28th.  (They had teased the theme for this summer's Frozen races a few days prior.)  Registration opened today at 10 am, so I signed up as soon as I got back from my sewing class!

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Eliot and I have signed up for the summer 5K virtual races the past few years.  We've come up with a system that works for us.  One of us registers for the event, then both of us do the mileage together and we share the medals!

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Eliot and I still haven't actually done our mileage from last year, so we've also got those miles to walk this summer!  During the summer of 2021, Disney did a Lion King theme with the medals being themed to the original animated film, the Broadway adaptation and the live action remake.  It appears that they liked that general medal idea... 

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This year, the first medal is themed to the original film, Frozen.  The second medal is themed to the sequel, Frozen 2.  The third medal is themed to the Broadway show.  If you sign up to complete all three of those 5K events, you also get the Virtual Challenge medal which is of Olaf this year.  (You have to sign up for the challenge in order to get the Olaf medal.  It ends up costing you $15 more for all four medals.)  Of course, I'm obsessed with Frozen so Eliot and I had to sign up for the challenge.   

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Plus, signing up also made a lot of sense.  I haven't said anything about it on here yet, but over the past few weeks, Eliot has decided to do the Dopey Challenge next year along with his sister Sara.  These 5K virtual races will be stepping stones on his quest to train for the 48.6 miles he'll be undertaking next January!

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Unfortunately, the medals appear to be a little plain... but they are all snow globes so I'm hoping that they'll look a lot cooler in person.  I tend to like the medals that are different shapes more than generic round ones, but hopefully these will surprise me!  I know they will look good displayed alongside all of our other RunDisney medals!

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As of right now, I'm not sure if they'll be doing shirts for this event.  The event page mentioned a virtual race expo closer to the event.  I'm hopeful that there might be some fun Frozen themed running shirts.  Some of my favorite things at the in person race expos are the generic running shirts!  I'd love to get an Elsa, Olaf or Anna shirt!

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In the meantime, Eliot and I will be making plans to complete our Frozen and our Lion King virtual 5K races this summer.  We probably won't get the Frozen medals in the mail until sometime in August, so we've got plenty of time to go log miles of magic!  °o°

We're All In!

Hey Everyone!  

This has been another busy week!  Lately, that seems to be the new normal around here. But I'm not complaining; I like to be busy.  It's a lot better than being bored. Nevertheless, I can't believe that it's already Friday!

My parents and brother came to visit over the weekend.  We had a great Easter Sunday. As I mentioned the other day, it was also my Mom's birthday on Sunday.  Usually she and Dad are away on their post tax season vacation over her birthday.  But this year, they decided to go away a little later than usual so Dad could do more work before his April 30th deadline.  Therefore, this was the first time in years that we were all together to celebrate Easter and Mom's birthday!

Mom didn't really want to do anything in particular.  Her only request was that we go somewhere new and enjoy the spring weather.  We ended up having brunch at IHOP before going over to the local beach.  Eliot and I had never been there, and we can get special parking passes since we live here.  It sounded like a good plan so off we went!

We enjoyed the sun, surf and relaxation.  We were some of the only people on the entire beach!  It was far too windy to play ball so we left the toys in the car.  However, we all got to blow bubbles.  Well, the wind blew the bubbles for us anyways!  Since we had large bubble wands, the bubbles were huge!  Each dip into the solution could easily yield 20+ bubbles when the wind blew.  It was a lot of fun.

Next, we decided to go exploring some more and we all went to find a campground we were interested in going to this summer.  It's still early in the season, so there wasn't much to see, but it was nice to know where it was.  After locating our destination, Mom requested that we have some ice cream at Dairy Queen.  It wasn't birthday cake, but it sure was yummy!

It was nice to see my parents and brother.  (I don't think we've all been in the same place at the same time since we went to Disney World!)  While we were together, we talked about the 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.  Eliot and I had been planning to participate in it again. We assumed my family would be joining us, but we'd never actually talked about it.  I took the opportunity to ask everyone what their thoughts were...

Tuesday a few minutes before noon, Eliot and I sat at our computers ready to register. Eliot was registering himself, while I had the daunting task of registering 4 people.  I had a plan in place, and I was poised and ready to go.  After probably a hundred refreshes, (enough to crash on the site multiple times anyways) we were finally able to register.

Photo Source: RunDisney Website

Thankfully, my pre-planning worked.  I successfully got my mother and myself registered before I less frantically registered my brother and father.  And Eliot was registered before I finished.  A few hours later, some of the races were already filling up and selling out!

Here are the results of our registration for WDW Marathon Weekend 2015:

Melissa- Minnie 10K (6.2 miles)
Mom- Minnie 10K (6.2 miles)
Jeremy- Donald Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
Dad- Donald Half Marathon (13.1 miles)
Eliot- Goofy Challenge (Donald Half Marathon + Mickey Full Marathon= 39.3 miles)

My Mom and I both signed up to do the 10K that we originally planned on doing this year (2014) before it sold out.  I'm happy with this choice since I didn't finish the half this year. I'm confident that Mom and I can do the 6 miles together.  It will be a fun mother/daughter activity.  I'm focusing on finishing this race before eventually working towards doing the Princess and Tinker Bell half marathons.

Jeremy and Dad both decided that if they could do the half marathon this year, they could probably do it again next year.  I actually thought they might do the 10K with Mom and I so they could get a different medal.  But I'm excited that we can watch them and cheer them on when they cross the finish line!  (And the guys will be able to see us cross the finish line of the 10K!)  Plus, Eliot will also be doing the half on his quest to complete the Goofy Challenge.  Since all three of them are in the half marathon, Mom and I might even do the ChEar Squad so we can get a good view of the finish line!

Photo Source: RunDisney Facebook Page

Finally, my husband was seduced by the shiny 10 year anniversary Goofy medal.  To be fair, he's been waffling back and forth between the full marathon and doing Goofy ever since we got back from Florida.  He was leaning towards the full marathon, and then runDisney released the photo of the anniversary medal on their Facebook page.  Yep, that was all he needed.  I am very proud of him for challenging himself.  I just hope that it all goes well for him!  That's a lot of running over 2 days!

I'm definitely looking forward to going to Walt Disney World again with my family!  Plus, experiencing the races together is an added bonus!  Hopefully we'll all have shiny medals to show off by the end of the trip!  I'm also thinking about designing different t-shirts to coordinate with each of our races.  It would make for some fun photos!  I'm excited!

We're officially "all in" for Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend 2015!!!  °o°

DIY Project: Mickey Mouse Medals

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been in the Olympic spirit the past few weeks.  I wanted to make something crafty to celebrate, especially since I had absolutely no ideas for a Valentine's Day craft.  I thought about making party decorations, but not everyone throws an Olympics party.  (Eliot and I didn't.  But maybe I'll plan ahead for the summer games in Rio!)  Eventually, I decided on making Mickey Medals!

Mickey Medals are Olympic related, but you could make them for all sorts of occasions. If your kids are athletic, then you can make them as prizes.  They could also be favors at a birthday party.  Or you could even make them for the winner of family game night! Here's how I made mine:

Materials:
Air Dry Clay (or Fimo/Sculpy polymer clay, homemade salt dough, etc.)
Straw
Cookie Cutters, Jar Lids, Cups, etc (to cookie cut medals)
Things to Decorate medals (bottle caps, toothpicks, etc.)
Ribbon
Scissors
Acrylic Paint or Spray Paint (in Gold, Silver and/or Bronze)
Sealant (optional)

Steps to Make Mickey Mouse Medals:

1.) Prepare Clay
Take the air dry clay out of the package and knead it.  I used the generic Creatology brand from Michael's but Crayola also makes air dry clay.  I found that the longer I played with it and rolled it around, the smoother it became.  Roll your clay into a ball and flatten it with the palm of your hand or a rolling pin.  (I used the palm of my hand so my medals are a little uneven in thickness.)  I would recommend making them at least 1/8" to 1/4" thick. My medals got a little thin in some places.  If you're planning on using them regularly, like for a weekly family game night, definitely make them thicker so they'll be sturdier!

2.) Cut out medals
Use something to help "cut" out your design like a cookie cutter.  (I used a Mickey egg ring for mine.)  You can use jar lids, cups, or anything that will make the shape you want. Most people choose something circular, but you could always make your medal another shape!  Don't fret if you don't have something Mickey Mouse shaped to use to cut the medal out.  You can always add a Mickey shape in the decorations! 
  
3.) Decorate Medals
This is the fun part!  You can do anything with the decorations!  On my first medal, I used a bottle cap to make circular shapes on it.  I left the second one blank.  The third medal I used a toothpick to create hash marks on the ears and I wrote 2014 on the center with the toothpick.  The final medal, I used a straw to make circles everywhere, then I added more marks with the toothpick.  I had some extra clay that was prepared, so I decided to make some swirls by rolling a thin strip of clay and making "snakes" with it.  I lightly pressed them onto the medal.  I also went back and added a cursive "M" to the first medal since I didn't like how it looked.  (It's still pretty bumpy since I didn't work the clay enough when I made it.)

4.) Make Hole for Ribbon

Before you're done, make sure to make a hole to put your ribbon through!  I wanted to keep the large medals Mickey shaped, so I decided to make a hole using a straw.  Press the straw into the clay and wiggle it so it's all the way through.  When you pull it back up, the clay should come right out in the straw.  Then, pinch the straw to get the clay out and keep doing this for each medal.  The best part is that you can cut the end off the straw and then use it again for another craft project!  If you're making smaller medals for a furry friend or doll, you can also use the toothpick to make a hole in the clay.

(A variation of this project is to skip this step and glue the ribbon to the back of the medals at the end instead.  It's up to you!)

5.) Let Dry Overnight
Follow the directions on your clay package.  Mine said that it would take 72 hours to "fully" harden, but that it would be ok to move around after setting it out overnight.  (If you use another type of clay like Fimo or homemade salt dough, you can speed this process up by baking the clay.)  

I found that the waxed paper I used to line my cookie sheet folded up overnight so the medals were a little bit bent.  (See photo above.)  The back was also still "bendy" and not dried since it hadn't been able to dry in the air.  I took away the waxed paper and flipped them over for a few hours so the backs would also harden up.  (See photo below.)

6.) Paint Medals
Once your medals are dry, they are ready to paint!  I used acrylic paint, but spray paint would also work.  (Make sure you are in a well ventilated area if using spray paint!)  It will probably take a few coats of paint for them to be covered completely.  If you weren't able to make Mickey shaped medals, you can paint a Mickey shape on them at this step!  You can also paint your name, the year or anything else.  Don't forget that you can also customize the back of the medal!  Once you're done painting, let medals dry throughly.

7.) Measure and Cut Ribbon
Measure your ribbons so you'll know how long they need to be.  They should fall somewhere between your chest and belly button.  I used myself as a model for the large medals.  Then, I measured the ribbon sizes for Duffy and Eeyore.  I added a little bit extra length so I'd have room to tie it in a knot.  Here's how the sizes for my medals turned out:

• Me/Adult Medal- 46 inch long ribbon
• Eeyore Medal- 22 inch long ribbon
• Mini Duffy Medal- 9 inch long ribbon

You can use any color or width of ribbon for the medals.  I wanted to use red, white and blue to represent the USA.  The width of ribbon also depends on who, or what, you're making your medal for.  You might want different sized ribbons if you're making a medal for your child and a matching one for their toys.  (For example, the ribbon width that fits your child will not correctly and proportionally fit Barbie.)

Here's how I figured out the sizes for mine:

• Before going to Michael's, I found 1/8" ribbon that I already had.  It was the perfect size for mini Duffy.  It would also be the right width for Barbie sized dolls.

• I got 5/8" ribbon for Eeyore; and that size would also work for most plush, Build-A-Bears, and full size Duffy bears.

• Finally, I grabbed the last roll of 1 and 1/2" red, white and blue ribbon at Michael's to make a full size medal.  (It seems like I'm not the only one working on Olympics crafts!)

8.) Seal Medals (optional)
Seal your medals if you'd like to use an acrylic sealant so your medals will last.  If you plan on getting them wet, this is a good idea.  (Acrylic paint runs if it gets wet.)  Again, make sure that you're in a well ventilated area when using spray sealant.

9.) Attach Ribbon
String your ribbon through the hole you made with the straw, and then tie a knot at the end of it.  If you really want to get fancy, you can also sew up the ends of it!  If you'd like to hide the knot, you can tuck it behind your medal.

10.) Enjoy your new Mickey Mouse Medals!
Now that you're done with this project, enjoy your accomplishment!  Wear that medal and be proud!  If you want, play the Mickey Mouse Club March and raise a Mickey flag while you stand on a podium!  Or pretend your walking into the closing ceremonies.  Don't forget to "hold your banner high" while you march around the living room!  ;-)

I hope you have fun making your own Mickey Medals!  °o°

2014 Winter Olympics

I absolutely love the Olympics.  I've had so much fun watching all of the winter sports over the past few weeks!  I love athletes overcoming adversity and watching them shine.

And when else would I watch curling, luge, skiing, snowboarding and all of the other events?  The only Olympic winter sports I usually keep track of on non-Olympic years are hockey and sometimes women's figure skating.

Photo Credit: Oh My Disney

I've held of on typing this post because I've been enjoying the Olympics so much that I kept putting it off.  But, with the 2014 Winter Olympics coming to an end this weekend, I thought it was time to sit down and write it!

Photo Credit: Oh My Disney

Now, I know there has been a lot of controversy leading up to (and during) these games. A lot of people have boycotted watching them; but I'm not one of those people.  No, I'm not jazzed about the poor construction conditions in Sochi, or the killing of all of the stray dogs, or the resettlement of so many people to build the venues.  As for Russia's anti-gay policy, I'm not one to push my thoughts, opinions or ideas on others, and this is not the place to do so.  But can't we all agree that this world filled with enough hatred and could use a little more love?  Besides, the Olympics are supposed to be a way of bringing the world together, not trying to tear it apart more.

Photo Credit: Oh My Disney

Anyways... I love what the Olympics should stand for: amazing athletes that come together from all over the world to celebrate the human spirit.  I support our athletes who have trained so hard to achieve their dreams.  After my half marathon experience, I understand now more than ever the dedication that they have to have to make it to the Olympic stage.  Plus, in true Disney spirit, I'm all for peoples' dreams coming true!

Photo Credit: Oh My Disney

This year, Disney even got in on the Olympic fun and they featured some fun pictures of the characters from Frozen competing in winter Olympic sports.  They featured a post with them on their Oh My Disney blog.  (I've included some of those photos on this post.)

Photo Credit: Pinterest (Original Pin)

Another fun way that Disney has been incorporated into these winter games, are the figure skating costumes.  It wasn't on purpose, but there are a few similarities.  I stumbled across both of these pictures while browsing on Pinterest.  I was always a huge "Disney On Ice" fan growing up, so I thought these were fun!

Photo Credit: Bustle

In the spirit of the games, I created a fun design to celebrate featuring the Fab 5.  I thought it was fitting that the Olympic rings all had similar colors: blue/Donald, black/Mickey, red/Minnie, yellow/Pluto and green/Goofy's hat.  I've actually had the design on my laptop for a while now.  I should have shared it sooner so we could use it to cheer the Olympians on!  But, better late then never!

Here are the files if you'd like to use them for a project or scrapbook:

Disney Olympics
Disney Olympics- Go USA

Finally, I also decided to make some Olympic medals.  Eliot and I thought about buying a Build-A-Bear medal to put on Eeyore.  (He's been wearing his blue Patriots jersey and silver pants the entire Olympics and Duffy has a red scarf- red, white and blue.)  Instead, I decided to make some medals for them.  But the same technique can be used to make medals for kids, Build-A-Bears, other plush, or dolls.

Photo Credit: Oh My Disney

Check back tomorrow for a tutorial so you can make your own medals just in time for the closing ceremonies Sunday night!  °o°

Race Reflections

I've had a little over a week to reflect on my first race and half marathon adventure.

Looking back from the moment we decided to sign up, to right now, this whole race experience was a great one. It was organized, friendly (for the most part) and a lot of fun.  I'd love to do many more runDisney events and definitely plan to in the future!

I told you all about the race day itself in my trip recap. But after all of the thinking I've done, I wanted to post a little bit more about it. I didn't get too much into my personal thoughts. I feel like I shared the experience, but not the entire backstory. After considering it, I've decided to share my thoughts.

My Reflections

I'll spare you guys the long story of the race all over again. (If you would like to read it, you can click the link above.) The short story is that I got behind pace when I made two stops. Then, I didn't realize the pacers had passed me. When I found out, I hauled major butt trying to catch up. But I couldn't do it before I started to seriously overheat.  

Not finishing the race was a disappointment. I'm not going to lie. But, I'm also not going to pretend that I definitely thought I would finish. There's definitely a "power of positive thinking" element, but I didn't train for this race half as much as I should have.  My head got the better of me, and I was afraid. My biggest fear was, and always will be, my knee. This requires a little bit of a backstory...  

I had knee surgery when I was a freshman in college. I tore my MCL my senior year in high school without realizing it. By the time I finished it off playing volleyball in college, there was only so much that could be done. I went through the MRI's, tests, doctors, and finally had knee surgery on it. The doctor couldn't repair it. Over 6 months of damage had shredded the tissue, so he took it out. I was left with 30% of my meniscus.

Getting back on my feet after knee surgery was a lot more difficult than any of us expected. It was supposed to be a routine procedure. I'd be walking within 2-3 days. When there was no way to repair it, I ended up unable to walk for about 6-8 weeks. I spent the first week or two in a wheelchair. Then, I relied on the crutches for weeks and eventually forced myself to wean off of them.

Of course, I had to go to a trainer for physical therapy. Since it happened during volleyball season, I could still go to my college's trainer. 5 days a week I went down to the gym during volleyball practice hours and sat in the other room doing strengthening exercises for my knee and icing it. Eventually, I had to do the exercises in my dorm room because he needed to focus on the winter athletes. I didn't do the exercises as often as I should have. (A mistake that I am still paying for 10 years later.)

So, my right knee is damaged goods. My doctor had told me that by the time I was 30, I could very well have full blown arthritis in my knee. Well, I'm currently 29 and this November marks the big 3-0. Not exactly what I wanted to count down for my 30th birthday. The good news, is that my knee isn't any worse off than it was 10 years ago. I can still feel when it's going to rain or snow. It still goes out from underneath me occasionally and I'll sometimes get a stabbing pain on the inside here and there. But that's the "new normal" for my knee.

The reason that I'm going on this tangent, is that running is the last thing I should be doing. My doctor didn't forbid it. He just cautioned me since I basically have no padding in my right knee. There's not much there to protect my bones from scraping each other. And I've always hated running. I only did cross country in middle school to get in shape for basketball. Other than that, running and I haven't been close.

You can imagine my initial thoughts when Eliot told me he wanted to run a half marathon. He's crazy. Then, he asked me if I'd like to do it with him. Ok, now I know you're crazy.

But, after a lot of thinking about it, I decided to at least consider it. After Eliot told me about the 16 minute pace, I was starting to feel a little better about trying it. He assured me that plenty of people run/walk the race. Jeff Galloway who worked with Disney even taught runners to train that way. It slowly started to seem more feasible. When we told my parents about it, they wanted to join us. Then we all convinced my brother to do it. And at that point, I was like, why not? I might as well try it!

So, I agreed to sign up for my first race. I had big ambitions to do the half marathon, but when I found out that there was going to be a 10K, I was sold. After all, I'd walked/jogged over 6 miles one random day at our old apartment complex. I wasn't training then at all. I just went to the gym one night and went over 6 miles while watching Once Upon a Time and Revenge. (And, even better, I wasn't sore the next day at all!) If I could do that, I probably could do the 10K at Disney.

Unfortunately, my dreams of doing the 10K were dashed as soon as runDisney opened their 2014 marathon weekend registration. Mom and Dad were on hold forever and when they got off the phone, it had already sold out. I didn't even the chance to try to register for it. So, after a few weeks of re-thinking our plan, we set out to do the half.

Throughout the summer, Eliot and I "trained" on and off. He definitely put in more work than I did. He often ran during his lunch break at work. Eliot and I walked on the local trail a lot. And I even went out a few times by myself to attempt some interval training. When it got too cold to train outside, we got gym memberships to Planet Fitness. Looking back now, neither of us went as much as we should have. Eliot usually went about 2-3 times a week. I only went a few times in the months leading up to the race.
The closer we got to the race, the more I started to panic about my knee giving out. I started to question why the heck I was even doing this to begin with.  Ironically, it never was my knee that bothered me after working out. I got the usual shin splints, but it was the pain going through my lower back, hip, butt and leg that really bothered me.  
I came to the conclusion that something was wrong with my right side. I'd hurt it back in January of last year when we were moving from Massachusetts to Maine. At the time, I just thought that I'd over done it and that was causing the muscle spasms. But when we went to the gym, I'd occasionally get a tight muscular spasm in my butt and thigh.

It eventually got to the point where I was afraid of doing more damage at the gym. So in the weeks leading up to the race, I stopped going. Was this the wisest decision? No. Will I make the same decision while preparing for another race? Hell no!
I didn't feel completely unprepared going into the race. When I had been working out regularly, I could easily walk an 18 minute mile without even trying to jog. And I knew that we walk an average of 6-7 miles a day while we're at Disney parks. I was hoping that if I could keep a steady walking pace and add some light jogging in, that I'd make it. It also wouldn't over-do it as much on my knee.
And my plan actually worked for the most part. I went 5 miles into the race alternating between walking and jogging. Would I have made it the entire 13.1 miles? Probably not. But I wasn't really expecting to either. Before the race, I reminded myself that I originally wanted to do the 10K. Even if I only made it 6.2 miles into the half marathon, I'd have accomplished what I originally intended to. Plus, the 6.2 miles would have at least gotten me to Cinderella Castle, which is what I was hoping to achieve.

2014 WDW Half Marathon Map Photo Credit: RunDisney

In the end, I made it to mile 5 before I was forced to end my race. I fell behind pace after making two pit stops.  (I spent 10 minutes waiting for the restroom. Then, I spent another 5-7 minutes getting Vaseline for my chaffed arm and then washing it off because it was all over me.) If I got back the 16 minutes I lost, I'd have gained another mile. You live and you learn. Next time I'll bring some medical tape, tissues and Vaseline with me. And if I have to pee, I'll wait for some restrooms where there isn't a mile long line!

I know deep down that if I hadn't lost all of that time, I would have made it to Cinderella Castle. I was hell bent on making it that far. And I would have. After that, I guess I would have seen where I was at. I'm pretty sure that with the heat and humidity, I wouldn't have made it the full 13 miles. But who knows!

In the end, I'm really happy it wasn't my feet, knee, hips, legs, butt or back that caused me to drop out. I had a lot of things working against me, but none of them flared up during the race. I pictured a million other scenarios: mostly nightmares about my knee giving out and having to have another surgery. Maybe my knee is actually in better shape than I thought. This experience certainly made me feel more confident in body and it's abilities.

The other thing that I'm incredibly proud of is my mental determination and strength. I spent the entire first mile thinking: what the hell am I doing? Why did I sign up to do this? I'll never make it to the first mile marker with these shin splints. What possessed me to sign up to do a half marathon! I'm not a runner! I hate running! What made me think that I could do this?

Then, I went 5 miles. And I could have gone more.

Somehow, I shifted my mental thoughts to positive ones. I concentrated on the race, on the people around me, on the landmarks ahead of me and on all of the things I'd already passed. I'm here doing a race at Disney! Ooh, look at that cute outfit. I can't wait to come up with new outfits for my future Disney races. Maybe I can convince Eliot to dress up with me? There's another mile marker! Another one down! There's the Magic Kingdom parking entrance! Only a little bit farther and I'll be near the race track!

What amazes me is how quickly I went from the worst thoughts possible, to being incredibly optimistic. I didn't even listen to my iPod since I didn't want to stop long enough to take it out of my bag.  I had been counting on the upbeat music to keep me focused on moving ahead. Instead, I was left alone with my own thoughts and determination. I'm really proud of myself.  

Now that I've had time to soak it all in, I'm even more proud that I signed up for this darn thing to begin with! I remember hating running during warm ups in high school volleyball. (And we didn't go anywhere near running a mile!) And now, here I am, voluntarily signing myself up to do a half marathon! And I didn't back out of it either; I tried to do it!

I'm still not a huge fan of running. I don't hate it like I did before. However, I wouldn't say that I love it either. I'm somewhere in between. I think I'm going to grow to like it more as I do more training, get in better shape, and do more runDisney events. I do know one thing: doing a race at Disney is the only thing that would have ever gotten me to try it.

I'm not a runner! I hate running! What made me think that I could do this? And maybe I need to re-evaluate my thinking. No, I'm not a professional runner. I never will be. I'm not as good as some of my Facebook friends. I'm not as good as Eliot is right now, or my brother- who didn't train at all and still finished with the same time as Eliot. But, I am trying. That's better than the alternative of being a couch potato and not trying at all right?  

And maybe I am a runner. I'm never going to be the fastest or the best. But if this experience has taught me anything, it's to never doubt myself. I had a lot of doubts about this- before, during and after the race. In the end, I tried it. I went 5 miles. And I actually liked it. I actually liked running. Maybe I really am a runner.

Looking back, this whole experience was a great one, even if I didn't finish the race. I put myself out there and tried something I never thought I would do. I overcame both physical and mental obstacles. I tried my best. So even though I didn't finish the race, I know I earned my medal. I don't feel like a farce wearing it anymore. I'm really proud of what I did accomplish.

This won't be my last runDisney event. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the community feeling. I hope to do a lot of the RunDisney races. And if you're waffling back and forth about doing a runDisney event, I highly recommend them! They're a lot of fun!!! Take it from the girl who "hated" running!

Looking Ahead

Eliot and I had a great time at the 2014 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and we plan to do many more runDisney events in the future. There are so many options to choose from: 5K, 10K, Half, Full, the challenges and even kids races! We've even talked about going someday when we have kids so they can participate in the kids races. They really are a great experience for runners at all experience levels. Disney keeps adding more events and more options. They seem to be gaining popularity as each race fills up faster than the last!

If I do another half marathon in the future, I think I'm going to focus on be the Tinker Bell and the Princess races.  Someday, I'd like to earn a Coast to Coast medal, so I'll have to do a half marathon at Disney World and Disneyland during the same year to achieve that. And obviously I'm drawn to the Princess, Tink and Pink Coast to Coast medals. (Shiny and glittery and girly, oh my!) I love my Donald medal and had a great experience, but I think I'd prefer the princess or Tinker Bell races. I also like how the races are geared more towards women. And hello awesome running costume opportunities! These two races really sound like my cup of tea.

Originally, Eliot and I were hoping to attend WDW Marathon Weekend, the Tinker Bell Half Marathon and the Princess Half Marathon in 2015. Those were plans that we made a while ago, before I spent all of 2013 not working. I'm not complaining; I had a great year. But if we're going to try to attend a few race weekends, we'll have to make sure we work extra hard this year! (Challenge accepted!)

My Mom has decided she wants to do the Minnie 10K next year. (That's the race that she, Dad, Jeremy and I were all trying to sign up for this year. We only pushed ahead with the half marathon because the 10K sold out so fast!) I think the Minnie 10K would be the perfect opportunity. It's a good distance, but not quite as intense as the half marathon. Dad and Jeremy both finished the half marathon, but they haven't decided what they'll do for next year's races if they choose to participate. We're really hoping that we'll be able to attend WDW marathon weekend next year. So if we can pull it off, I'll do the Minnie 10K with my Mom in 2015. (Time to revive my Minnie costume!!!)

I'm still hopeful that we'll be able to pull off the Princess weekend too.  But it's a little bit of a long-shot. Ok, it's a big long-shot, but a girl can dream right? There's the 10K and half marathon that weekend. If you do both of those, you get a Glass Slipper Challenge medal. (It's 19.3 miles in 2 days.) I'm so envious of the medals this year, especially after seeing them at the runDisney Expo on our trip!  I'm determined to earn them all someday! Obviously, I'll really have to bust my butt to train for it! But I know that it's possible as long as I actually follow my training plan the next time around!

Eliot's already hoping to do either the 10K and half marathon or the Goofy Challenge (which is the half and full or 39.3 miles in 2 days) for 2015! Someday, his ultimate goal is to do the Dopey which had it's inaugural year this year. It's a 5K, 10K, half and Full in 4 days... or 48.6 miles!!! Whoa! I don't think that he cares as much about the princess medals. But I know he really likes his Donald medal. (Donald and Eliot actually share a birthday so that means more to him.)

We're also hoping to have more friends and family join us in the future!  Eliot's trying to convince his Dad to do a race with him.  And I'm really working on trying to get his sister, who loves Tinker Bell, to do the Tinker Bell 10K with me someday.

All in all, the whole race experience was a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to many more runDisney events and experiences. This is definitely only the beginning!  °o°