The Happiest Place on Earth: Part 3

Saturday after my race...and the night before B would run her marathon, we had the pleasure of eating at a character dinner at the Grand Floridian resort in Disney. The character dinner we chose was the Cinderella one and it was as much fun as it sounds. B had us shirts made with pictures of the step sisters on them that say "And We'll Never Be Royals". They were a huge hit!

On our way to the character dinner

Whoa Nelly! Just a few of the delicious desserts they had to offer! B and I both agreed that the cannoli and the chocolate mousse were our favorites.

After a delicious dinner full of amazing desserts and an all you can eat buffet style meal, we rode the monorail back to the main area where we would catch the bus back to the resort. We chose to eat fairly early so B would have plenty of time to sleep and so that I could rest up from my race. We were tired from flying in the day prior as well, so it was much needed. 

On Monday, we were up bright and early. The weather was really cool, which was very surprising so we found ourselves donning our hoodies and closed toed shoes to keep our feet warm. We spent our first day of park time in Magic Kingdom and we closed it down after seeing Wishes, which is an impressive firework display. The last time we had been in Disney, we had been standing behind the castle, so we missed a lot of the important parts. It was nice to have a good place to view it from. 

For me, B and I had a great day and we ate and rode rides and walked out our soreness. Overall it was an amazing day! The best part, in my opinion, was actually on the bus ride home when everyone busted out singing Bohemian Rhapsody. Can't go wrong with that song. 

Walking into Magic Kingdom early to go eat at Be Our Guest

 Had to get a picture in front of the castle in our "bling"

 One of our many bus rides of the day

Tea Cups! 

 Taking a Break!

 Showing off my new Mickey sunglasses

When B heard I'd never ridden in Dumbo, we remedied it immediately. And I got this super cute picture in the stationary Dumbo they had next to the ride. 

 The castle lighting during "Wishes"

 Another view of the castle during "Wishes"

On Tuesday we got up early again so we could hit up a character breakfast in Animal Kingdom. I was pretty excited, but also sad because I knew I was flying out that afternoon. And honestly, there is no sadder feeling than leaving the Disney bubble. We decided we would make the most of the day and we did! We even managed to squeeze in 2 rides on Expedition Everest...which was the best thing ever! 

Before I left our resort I had to take a picture in the giant 80' sign! I am an 80's baby afterall! :) 

 The Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom

 I was so excited to be at the character breakfast! 

Donald was so sweet! When he signed B's race bib he wrote that he was #1!

Mickey was pretty cool too. He gave me a big hug!

Goofy was sweet as they come!

Daisy is one character I had never met, so I was pretty excited when she came to our table.

And then she attack kissed me...which was hilarious!

Gearing up for ride #1 on Expedition Everest

We survived ride #1 and hit it again for ride #2!

At the end of our day in Animal Kingdom, around 1pm, we loaded the bus and headed back to the resort. My flight didn't leave until 7:30pm, but I had to catch the bus to the airport at 4:30pm. We got back to the resort and grabbed a quick bite before hitting the room for a quick nap. After my nap was over I gathered my belongings and walked to the front of the resort to catch the Disney Magical Express to the airport. 

B and I sitting at the bus stop waiting on the Disney Magical Express

When the bus arrived I hugged B goodbye and loaded up on the bus. I sadly waved goodbye to Mickey as we drove out of the Disney bubble and headed towards the airport. 2 flights later I arrived home around midnight, just in time to sleep for 5 hours before having to be at work. 

Needless to say, the trip was well worth being tired and it was nice to be happy for a little while. I need more moments like that and less feeling terrible. I know those days are coming. I just need to be patient. 

Always seeking more happy,

Jana

The Happiest Place on Earth: Part 2

After the whirlwind decision to attempt the Disney Half Marathon on Saturday, I woke up at 2:30AM on Sunday with Brittany in hopes of giving her some encouragement for her full marathon she was running that day. I was wide awake and we just had some small talk. I knew she was nervous and I didn't want to add on any fear. I snapped a quick pic of her and sent her on her way. She was going to load the bus and take the same trek I had. She was in corral M, so she was in the corral directly in front of where I had been the previous day.

I had signed up for tracking so I could track her run and know where she was as she got to each major area. I laid down after she left knowing that her race would't start for a few hours. I woke up at 6:10AM to a text telling me she had begun. I decided I could nap for a few more minutes and went back to sleep.

When I woke up again it was to the first message telling me she was at mile 5! She had already run 5 miles! That was insane. I checked her pace and it was obvious she was making good time! I yelled a cheer and proceeded to get up and moving for the day. The remainder of my day continued in the same manner. A random text message making me jump and excitement of seeing where she was in conjunction to her pace.

I was so nervous that I was cleaning the room and trying to keep myself busy. I got the text that she was at mile 20 and I knew she was only a 10K away from finishing this goal she had set for herself. I knew at that point that no matter what, she would finish. As the text telling me she finished came through, I received the following picture:

Brittany holding her finishers medal for the full marathon!

I was so excited and I actually started crying because I was so proud of her. I text her back and told her to hurry back and her lunch was on me. She came back, showered, and we enjoyed some meatball subs and a cupcake. We then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening just relaxing in the room and recovering. We had planned a fun-filled day in Disney the next day and soreness be damned we were going to do it. 

B relaxing in bed after finishing her marathon. (She had one major runners high!)

My friend Marianne also popped in for a visit while we were there! It was so good to see her again! 

That night neither of us had trouble sleeping. We were both full of happiness from the day and there was no greater feeling than the feeling that everything that happened, happened for a reason. 

Happiness is the best,

Jana

The Happiest Place on Earth

So...I did a thing...

A thing I didn't tell anyone about until after I was already there to do the thing...

The thing that had been planned for over a year and I didn't mention it to anyone in hopes they wouldn't remember in case I failed yet again...

The thing that made me one of the happiest girls in the world because regardless of my failure of said thing...I still accomplished a great deal more than I ever thought I could or would. 

Hopefully by this time I have your attention enough to tell you what "thing" I'm talking about. I'm talking about running in the Disney Half Marathon in Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL.

Last year in February I attempted the Princess Half Marathon in Disney. I trained for it and on race day I wasn't able to make it much further than 12K before I got swept off the course by the elusive "Balloon Ladies" I was sad and devastated to say the least, and having a boyfriend who made me feel bad about myself for not finishing only added to the devastation. I lost all confidence in myself that day and it really took a toll on my running after that point. I couldn't motivate myself anymore. I let myself go. All the work I had put in over the last 8 months had been for nothing. I was nothing. I was a failure. 

The decision to get up and run that morning had not come very easily. I had a lot of encouragement from my friend Brittany who was there to run the full marathon. She told me I didn't have to run, but she didn't want me to regret not doing it later. She left the decision up to me. So at 2:30AM, I was up getting dressed and ready to catch the bus to the race. 

Dressed as "Wendy" to Brittany's "Peter Pan"

I rode to the starting line by myself. I sat alone on the bus and I just let my thoughts run wild. "What happens if I don't finish again?" "Could I finish with almost no training?" "Why am I so scared?" I didn't have the answers, but I knew I was supposed to be at that race regardless. 

Fast forward to the present and I was struggling to breathe as I walked to corral N for my race. I followed the familiar path to the same corral I had been in the year before. I felt the same twinge of fear as I had when I hadn't finished the year before. I could feel those same feelings creeping up and I forced myself to swallow them down so they wouldn't consume me. 

When I got to my corral I immediately moved as far to the front as I could. I had learned from my previous race you wanted to be as close to the front of your corral as possible so that you could get a good start. The further back in the corral, the less time you would have on the course. I found a spot almost next to the starting line of the corral and sat down. That's where I met Kaitlyn. She was 22 and it was her very first half marathon. Her boyfriend was in Corral E and he had lost over 200lbs through diet and exercise. She herself had lost 75 with his encouragement and she had trained with him for the race. We struck up a conversation and I filled her in on everything I knew about the race, including the balloon ladies. 

We started running around 6:15AM and around mile 4 I could tell she wasn't feeling it. I slowed down my pace to offer some encouragement. I told her at mile 6 we would be running into Magic Kingdom and she HAD to make it there. As we passed mile 5, her boyfriend passed us running towards the finish! She was so excited to see him that she picked up her speed. She and I were going to do this! By this point I was dealing with severe blisters on the balls of my feet. I continued to push through the pain because I knew I could do it if I could get back up to speed. 

The rest of my race was a back and forth between "Ouch my foot hurts" and "Keep going, we got this" Kaitlyn thanked me repeatedly for sticking with her and at almost the 15K mark, we were finally unable to maintain the pace anymore and were swept from the course. For me, being swept wasn't a huge deal. I had done it before. I knew you still got your medal and I knew that no matter what I had beaten my previous distance by almost 2 miles. The first time I got swept and got my medal I was ashamed to wear it because I didn't feel I had deserved it, but this time I felt completely different. I was up at 2:30AM to do something most people wouldn't even try...and I ALMOST finished! I wore that medal with pride and a smile. 

When we got back to the starting area (they bus you back) we received our medals and a box of snacks. I wasn't feeling really well by the time we got back and prayed the entire time back to the resort I wasn't going to be sick. (I did end up getting sick later on in the day, but I think I pushed myself too hard and didn't hydrate enough.)

Brittany was such an amazing encourager and she made sure I felt good about myself and about what I had accomplished. I did more this time than I did last time AND I didn't train. I rewarded myself with a shower and a nap while B went to the expo to get her race packet. We spent the rest of the day relaxing, eating, and letting me recover. 

I can't explain how happy I felt at the moment that I got my medal. I was overcome with emotion. Not because I didn't finish, but because I had the courage to try. I didn't give up and I didn't let "me" get in my head. It was a feeling of healing and a feeling of power. It's a feeling I hope to feel again when I finally do accomplish my very first half marathon. 

Off to find some more happy...

Jana