I can't say enough about this man!!! He is my rock, my cheerleader, my support, the person who challenges me to reach out and make those BIG scary goals! He's my life long partner and I am so thankful that God put him in my life 18 years ago! I mean, how many men do you know that would train with their wives and run in a "Princess" half marathon??? I didn't see many! So thankful for this amazing man in my life!
We arrive late Thursday night after delays in our flight. On Friday, we head to the Expo! So much fun running gear and adorable clothes! I could have spent a fortune but thankfully I had Mr. Frugal with me to keep me in check! ;)
After the Expo we headed over to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure! We are BIG Disney fans and weren't sure if my kids would be old enough for Universal or IOA so we wanted to check it out on our own while we were by ourselves! We rode the Dragon Challenge in the Harry Potter IOA area and Tim was green after we came off! After a few more motion sickness type of rides we decided to call it a day and head back to the home we had rented. Here are a few pics of our day on Friday!
Nerves began to build as we were about to embark on our first challenge, a 10K! I had an overwhelming feeling of self doubt. Doubt that I was ready, doubt that I would finish, and doubt that I had trained hard enough!
I woke up at 3:00am and did some 21 Day Fix Extreme Yoga with Autumn Calabrese! Those nerves began to subside and I was starting to feel better about the race. We left the house at 4:15am and headed over to Epcot.
Passing through the Disney World sign NEVER gets old!!! Call me a sap but I get chills and tears EVERY TIME we enter Disney World Resort! Without fail!!!
Parking was easy, we got there in plenty of time! Got to use the porta potties that were "fit for a princess" several times before heading to our corral. Corral A!!! WHAT?!?! Completely humbled by our placement in the race!
We were required to be in our corral at 5:00am so there was plenty of time to get nervous all over again!!! Tim joked and made fun of me, passing the time as we waited for our walk up to the start line!
Our race began in the parking lot of Epcot and took us out into the highway, through the World Showcase in Epcot, and to the boardwalk! I remember coming around the turn into the World Showcase, it was beautiful!!! Music was playing, people chEARing us on, and lights everywhere! It still gives me chills to think about it! Tim looked at me and we shared a wink! AMAZING feeling!!! Our splits were much better than anticipated! We really hustled! As I approached the finish line a princess who had been with us throughout the race looked back at me and said, "Let's DO THIS!!!" I reached for her hand and we crossed the finish line together! Hand in hand with a complete stranger! That was awesome!!!
We finished at 55:30 and I placed 380 out of 10,989! Not my best but not too bad! We needed to save some gas in the tank for our big run the next day!
We showered and got ready to spend the day in Epcot! Tim's idea! He wanted to just "lay low!" LOL!
I definitely sported this outfit all around Epcot that day! Yep! It was tacky and borderline hideous but it was fun and you can only get away with stuff like this at Disney!!!
We rode Soarin', one of our favorite rides at Disney World, with an elderly couple! It was their first time experiencing the ride and it was so nice to experience it through their eyes!!! The oooo's and ahhh's were contagious! Such a sweet couple! Their bond was evident!
After walking another 7 miles, we decided that it was a good idea to head back to the house! The weather was finally perfect to put the top down on our convertible rental! Good times!!! Isn't he HOT?!?!
We went to bed early, 8:00pm, because we had to be up really early the next morning to ensure we got to the race in time! There were 15,000 more runners running the half and the corrals were at least a 20 minute walk from the parking lot!
I woke up at 2:30am, couldn't sleep! Got up and got dressed, made our E&E, and waited for Prince Charming to stir!
We left the house at 3:40am and made good time in order to park and head to our corrals! There were 16 corrals in all, ranging from letter A-P. We were placed in corral B based on our time in the Paducah Iron Mom Half Marathon. Our goal was to finish the race in less than 2 hours and to beat our time of 1:57 at our last half!
Running is a mind game for me! I can either have an awesome race or a not-so-good one depending on my mindset! When our corral arrived at the start line my music was not working! Ugh! I had forgotten to turn the wifi off and it was messing with my Hal Higdon app and music. It took me quite a while to get my music to begin! I began the race frustrated and already off on the wrong foot! My app wasn't working and therefore I didn't know my pace. Every five minutes Tim would look at me and tell me our splits. Each mile he looked more disappointed than the last. I was feeling defeated, feelings of self doubt were creeping in! Our pace was faster than we had trained for and I kept doubting that I could keep up with the pace that we were currently running. I reminded myself throughout the race where I was and how fortunate I was to not only be here but to be physically able to run this race! I kept telling myself to be thankful!
Then there was Main Street! At about mile 5 we came around the corner and entered the one and only Main Street! Crowds EVERYWHERE, thousands of people chEARing!!! We turn the corner and we see the CASTLE glowing a beautiful color of blue! Chills, tears, an overwhelming feeling of gratitude to be here IN THIS MOMENT!!! Tim looks back at me, tears are filling his eyes as well! That's magic, baby!!! We head to the front of the castle and over to Tommorowland and back towards the carousel. It's lit up and going around!!! So beautiful! We then enter the castle, more tears!!! What did I do to deserve this??? This was my dream come true!!! We agreed that we would stop for a potty break at mile 6 so we did and we stretched!
We head out of Magic Kingdom and the self doubt began to creep in again! Tim still telling me our pace and looking kind of disappointed that we weren't meeting his expectations. I began the negative self talk and went back and forth between I can't do this to YES YOU CAN!!! At mile 9 when my legs felt completely numb, the song "Oceans" began to play!
"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"
You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand
And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now
So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
[6x]
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
Oh, Jesus, you're my God!
I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand
And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now
So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
[6x]
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
Oh, Jesus, you're my God!
I will call upon Your name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine
I began to worship the God who made this all possible! Hands raised high! The numbness subsided, the sun began to shine bright! There was a shift in my attitude and a belief that I COULD do this!!! At mile 11 1/2 I came to the realization that we would finish!!! I finally believed that I could finish! 1 mile later, Tim looks at me and says, "We are going to do this!!!" We came around into Epcot, Sofia is there (you know Sofia the First), I couldn't help but think of my little Lola and how much she adores her! More encouragement to keep on going! We have a half mile left! While approaching the finish line we hear, "Mr. Tim and Mrs. Trudy Lonesky from Somerset, KY representing the Bluegrass!!!" That felt good! Hand in hand I cross the finish line with my prince!!! AMAZING!!! That feeling of accomplishment!!! We DID it!!!
We finished in 2:02:58 and I placed 868 out of 26,000 people!
Our flight was to leave Orlando/Sanford airport at 12:00pm and we needed to be out of our rental home by 10:00am so we quickly headed back to the house, showered, packed up, and headed to the airport! Riding in a car and in an airplane after running a half marathon was not fun! Soreness set in REAL quick! Live and learn right! However, we wanted to get home to our children!!!
Little Lola Cakes was over the moon excited to sport mommy's medals and her ears! She was so proud!
I woke up the next morning to this little dude and his snuggles!!! The best! I soooo missed my babies!
We didn't reach our goal and I spent all day Monday wallowing! That negative self talk was happening all over again! "You should have trained harder, you should have eaten better, you could have pushed harder!" I was down, emotional, tired, and drained! Tuesday came and I felt better! Instead of drowning in self pity I decided that next year I WILL train harder, I WILL push harder, and I WILL eat better because I KNOW I can!!!
Until next year, Disney Glass Slipper Challenge!!!
No comments :
Post a Comment