I Did It!

I finished the WDW Half Marathon, and I am very proud of myself.

I’m mostly proud that I stuck with a goal for an entire year. I worked through ups and downs, and suffered through workouts and training runs, and also had moments of joy during the year.
But I absolutely, no way hosea, not in a million years could have accomplished this goal without Team Voice!

At MouseFest 2008, I met Jonathan and Bryan, and Rae and Kate for the first time. In just a matter of days, we were friends. (That happens at MF.)

All it took was for me to say to Rae and Kate that I had always wanted to run a WDW race, and they immediately started convincing me that I should go for it.

I – with a deep breath – said okay, I’ll join Team Voice and will start training. I came back to the gym and told Rob, my trainer, that he needed to get me ready for a half marathon, and his eyes GOT REALLY BIG. But he took a deep breath, and said okay.

When I later told my husband Dwain, he quietly said okay (but silently wondered if I was going to have a heart attack and if he should order some more life insurance)! And then when I told my family, they were a little shocked, but did what families do – supported me and encouraged me.

So January came and training began, and the Team Voice forums started heating up.

One thing that amazed me right off the bat, was the support that we gave each other despite VAST differences in our running abilities. The guys who could run at Mike-speed and were focused on improving their times were just as happy when I met goals like running 3 miles for the first time, or a 14-minute mile for the first time.

We also came from different parts of the country, were different ages, had different home and work situations – but what we had in common was a big goal and a true belief in each other.

It was amazing!!

I could not have finished this year of training and the race without all the support I got from Bryan, Chris, Heath, Jeff W, Lisa, Matt and Mike Fess – you’ll never know what a difference it made! All the “you can do its” sunk in and helped me believe in myself.

My trainer Rob had the knowledge to get me strong while saving my knees! He also knew I’d need to be mentally stronger to get through the long runs, and did a great job at toughening me up – I think I only reached the point of tears twice this year!

And my husband Dwain just stood by and kept his mouth shut, despite the doubt he had after seeing me have a lot of great ideas over the years and not get around to finishing much. But when I hit milestones throughout the year, he was the right there with congratulations.

My family was way more excited for me than I expected, and my parents even decided to come and see the race. I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to get them to WDW, but this did it! And my brother David was super enthusiastic, and 110% sure that I could do this – it was cool to go through this experience with him.

I also have a BIIIIGGGG hug and thank you for Jonathan – you were truly an inspiration to me. You experienced ups and downs like all of us, AND you were willing to put them out there on your blog. And then every time, you bounced back with an amazing positive attitude that was a beacon of inspiration to all of us!

And lastly, the two who got me into this mess – Rae and Kate!! You gave me the most wonderful gifts I’ve received in a long time – the gift of finishing something instead of giving up when it got hard – the gift of a new belief in myself that I really can accomplish important goals – and the most magical gift of support and friendship from the most amazing people!

I think I’ll do it again in 2010. See you there!