You can fly! You can fly! You can fly!

It's hard to believe that a week ago I was in California getting ready to run the Tinkerbell Half Marathon. I was excited to be at Disneyland but I was also terrified of the task ahead. 

My mom and I arrived in California on Friday afternoon. It had been a first for my mom. She had never flown before or been farther west than Texas. We got settled into your hotel and grabbed some lunch in the hotel restaurant then we headed over to the expo. I had to pick up the packet for a friend of mine as well as my own. It took me a little while to figure out where I need to go but once I got downstairs there were very few people there and I was able to get everything taken care of quickly.  I was happy to see that I was in corral c.  I knew this gave me a little extra time. I was so worried about being swept and I wanted all the cushion I could get. I went back upstairs and found my mom so that we could checkout the vendors in the expo.  We went to see what the official merchandise was like and grab a few things. As I looked around I found the "I did it!" shirts and I couldn't decide if I should buy one or not. I was superstitious about buying the shirt that said i did it before I had actually completed the race.  Even though i was confident I knew that there was still a possibility that I would be swept so I put the shirt back and found another. I actually liked it better because it is much more understated. 

We decided to take it easy that night and grab dinner in Downtown Disney. We went and bought our park tickets, then headed up to bed to call it a night. We went to bed really early because we were still operating on eastern time but that meant we were able to get up early the next morning and go to the parks. Around lunch I met up with Melissa from 13 going on crazy in our hotel lobby to pick up the kt tape that I had won from her give away.  My mom and I decided to go to the expo one more time to pick up a few things I had forgotten. After lunch, we met up with Meghan and Andrew at the hotel. In a lot of ways, it is all Meghan's fault that I decided to do the Tink in the first place. She is the one that posted the picture of the t-shirt with a quote from John Bingham that started it all. She is the reason I signed up for the princess last year and found the determination and motivation to start running.  

We had reserved picnics for world of color that night so we met up in the park to grab food and find a spot to watch the show. It was truly awesome and a great way to get my mind off my nerves. After watching the fireworks from the balcony of the hotel we swapped cell numbers and set up runner tracking, then called it a night. I had to get up early. One of the best things about the race was how close  our hotel was to the start. That meant I didn't have to get up nearly as early as at the Princess.  I met Meghan at around 0430 to head over to the start. When they started letting people into the corrals Meghan went off to B and I headed to C. I  made sure I was as close to the front as I could be. I wanted to make sure I gave myself as much time as possible. Waiting around was brutal but I chatted with a few people near me. My main thing was trying to stay warm. Every now and then, the announcers would come on the video screen and try to keep us pepped up. It was cool finding out that Sean Astin(Samwise Gamgee in LOTR) was running with us.  Then they had someone sing the National Anthem while shooting off fireworks at appropriate times, successfully making me cry and miss my husband that much more. The elite runners left followed soon by Meghan and the rest of corral B. The race got off to a late start but finally it was our turn and off I went. 

The beginning is always chaos. Thousands of runners trying to get through and find their pace. The road we were on was just outside of the park and we headed to the back of Disneyland before entering it. I had picked up an interval timer at the expo and had a little trouble finding the best place to wear it so for my first miles or so I was a little slower. In reality that was a good thing because it kept me from starting too fast and burning out.  I wasn't expecting the hills in the first part of the course or how little entertainment there would be outside of the park.  I was glad once we entered Disneyland. It was pretty cool seeing the backlot area of the park. However, I was disappointed with how little there seemed to be along the course in the park.  All of the princesses that were out were all on one float and there were only 3 of them. I understand this was the Tinkerbell not the princess but Tinkerbell and her fairy friends were no where to be found. The course made it's way through the park and we headed towards Main Street. I was excited about this part because of the experience I had last year. It was not the same. At Disney World, the street is lined with cast members waving and cheering you on. Here, there was no one. We ran down around and back through the castle. 

I wasn't using my phone to track my run so I had no way of knowing my pace. As I passed each mile, I would check the clock and do the math. I was shocked that I was staying on pace even though I had a slow start. I felt good about the race but I was still really nervous. There was still a long way to go. We made our way out of the park and into Downtown Disney and that's where I knew I would have my first chance to see my mom. I knew she would be able to just walk downstairs and find a spot near the hotel to see me as I ran by. At first I wasn't sure she would be out there as I ran by the hotel and didn't see her. Then I finally saw her and made my way out of Downtown Disney. Next, I was on the streets of Anaheim and that's all there was for the next 7 and a half miles. There were no photographers, no characters, and very little entertainment. They had cheerleading squads and dance teams but most of them were simply standing and waving as we went by. 

That's when the race got really hard. There was nothing to distract me and I was left alone with my thoughts. I was paranoid and every time I passed a parked bus, my blood pressure went up. I felt like I was slowing down and running out of steam. Every time I ran up an incline or around a corner, I would try to look behind me to see how many people were there and if I could see a bus. In downtown Anaheim,  I was finally able to see the field behind me.  The course ran around a block and back. There was about 0.4 of a mile between me and the runners that were just starting the block. I was able to see that there were still LOTS of people behind me. That was probably the first time that I really felt like I was going to be able to finish. I got a little emotional when the realization hit me. I also knew that I was very quickly approaching the 8 mile mark and that was a big deal since 8 miles is where I was picked up last year. I'm not gonna lie I cried a little as I passed the mile marker. I had my camera with me and I took a video as I passed the marker and then shot behind me to show there were still people there. As much as that helped my mood, that area was probably the hardest  of the race. As we got deeper into Anaheim I begin to lose my motivation and feel defeated. I still had over 4 miles to go and I felt like I was losing steam I finally reached the 9 mile mark and soon after the nutrition station. I grabbed a gu and a cup of water and kept going. As i ran on I felt like I would never reach the park again. 

I knew if i could just reach California Adventures, I would be home free but I was beginning to feel like we would never get there.  I had my first experience with biofreeze around 11 miles. My right shoulder was cramping up and I figured it couldn't hurt to put some on my shins too. Unfortunately I put a little too much on my legs and then I was freezing. I pushed forward knowing we had to be close to the park. I did have one very annoying encounter. There was a woman that was being very obnoxious. She was running with a friend who is overweight and slower like me but she was skinny an obviously ran a lot. While she was beside her friend she was dancing around as she ran. Then she would sprint ahead and run back. Every time she ran by me I wanted to trip her. I really wanted to stop her and explain to her that what she was doing was not making her friend feel any better it was probably making it worse. Fortunately we were getting closer to the park again and I regained my focus. It was almost perfect timing because as we rounded the last corner before the park, someone was holding a sign that said, "Just keep swimming." It made me smile and gave me a little boost. 

Finally, I was running into the back of California Adventures. I was on the home stretch. I got a little emotional again as I was running through the streets of the park. It didn't take long run through the park and then back into the back lot area.  I was finally in the last mile. I was going to make it. My feet hurt and I was tired but the end was near. Even though I knew this, it didn't all hit me until we came out of the back lot area and I saw my mom, Meghan and Andrew. There was Meghan,  jumping up and down and her Tinkerbell outfit. I couldn't help it.  I was overcome with emotion and I ran over to her to get a big hug. That's when I broke down crying. I knew I was gonna make it. I knew I was going to finish this time. I was crying. Meghan was crying. And I was about to finish. 

Meghan sent me on my way and told me to get it done. I ran off down the street, turned the corner and saw the 13 mile sign. Then I was there. I could see the finish line. I composed myself to cross and then I was done. I did it.  I finished a half marathon. I went over to receive my medal and find my way to the reunion area. I waited for a phone call from my husband. I signed him up to receive emails from the runner tracking and he was suppose to call a soon as I was done. Of course, when my phone rang, I began to cry. He told me how proud he was of me and I told him how much I missed seeing him at the finish. 

Without him, none of this would have been possible. He didn't call me crazy when I said I was going to do a half marathon. He never told me I couldn't do it. He trained with me. Pushed me, let me cry when I was frustrated and was always there with a smile and a high five when I completed a workout. He walked 5ks with me and rode his bike as I ran when he had a stress fracture. He was there with me every step of the way, when he could be. When he couldn't, he always told me how proud he is of me. He tells me that I can do anything. And finally, I believe him. My life is changing and I am becoming a new person. And though I do it for me, I also do it for him.

As much as Mac is my strength and biggest supporter, it was someone else that got me into all of this mess. Meghan started it all by asking if there was anyone that wanted to do the Princess Half with her in 2011. I thought it would be fun but didn't have the guts to sign up until I saw the picture and the quote. "The miracle isn't that I finished, it is that I had the courage to start."-John Bingham. That gave me the courage to start and God gave me a wonderful friend in her. It's very weird to feel such a strong connection to a person that you've only seen twice in the flesh. The first time I ever met her in person was at last years princess and the second was last week in California. But that baffles me because I feel like I have known her forever and that if I ever needed anything, all I have to do is call. 

I spent the rest of my time there enjoying time with a dear friend, hanging out with my mom and soaking up the California sun. We kept trying to wear down Andrew so that he would let Meghan be my team mate at the Expedition Everest Challenge in May. Though we may not have gotten anywhere on that one, a reunion is in the works for the Wine and Dine half weekend. I am so excited about that possibility because if all goes well, my husband will be running it with me. 

So now I go forward and try to prepare for the Princess. I can't wrap my mind around the fact that after this month, I will have completed two half marathons and earned a coast to coast medal. Who knows, maybe I'm even confident enough now to buy the "I did it!" shirt at the Princess Expo. 

We'll see...

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You Can Fly!
From "Peter Pan"
Music and Lyrics by Sammy Fain and Sammy Cahn

Think of a wonderful thought
Any merry little thought
Think of Christmas, think of snow
Think of sleigh bells
Off you go like reindeer in the sky

You can fly! You can fly!
You can fly!

Think of the happiest things
It's the same as having wings
Take the path that moonbeams make
If the moon is still awake
You'll see him wink his eye
You can fly, you can fly!
You can fly!
Up you go with a heigh and ho
To the stars beyond the blue
There's a Never Land waiting for you
Where all your happy dreams come true
Every dream that you dream will come true

When there's a smile in your heart
There's no better time to start
Think of all the joy you'll find
When you leave the world behind
And bid your cares goodbye
You can fly, you can fly!
You can fly, you can fly!
You can fly!