Princess Half Marathon Weekend Ahead!

Princess Half Marathon Weekend!!! This will be my 4th Princess Half Marathon. I have run this race every year since the inaugural event. So thats what we call "A Perfect Princess" Looking forward to Medal #4. Flying out tomorrow to meet all my Running Princesses!! Short weekend But I am sure it will be packed full of Disney Fun!! I can't wait!!

First Year Inaugural Princess 2009

Second Year Princess 2010

3rd Year Princess 2011

Guilty Pleasure

I run so I can eat my favorite "Fritos Scoops"

Marathon Maniacs! 26.2

If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon." - Emil Zatopek

October this past year my friend Kim told me about the Marathon Maniacs and Half Fanatics. Don't know how I had never heard of them. She had a friend trying to qualify. I asked "what do you need to do to qualify?" well come to find out. I actually qualified for a Half Fanatic in 2009. So I sent in my information and became a Half Fanatic. Im number #1445


Since becoming a Half Fanatic I have met so many new friends who are runners and fellow Half Fanatics and Marathon Maniacs. Some of which belong to both clubs. So now..........I WANT TO BE A MARATHON MANIAC!!!
Did I just say that? Did I just put that in writing for all the world to see?? OMG!! Yes I did!!

Step One: I researched the criteria for the Marathon Maniacs and found that all I need to do is finish 3 Marathons in 90 days.

Step Two: find the races. Since I had planed on running the Disney World Full for 2013 because it will be the 20th Anniversary for the race. Already committed to the Goofy Challenge. (step one to all my friends thinking I am crazy)  

2013 Goofy Challenge
2013 Marathon Weekend - January 10-13, 2013

So ...December is the St Jude Marathon in Memphis TN. I have always wanted to run that race. I would love to support St Jude and Memphis is my hometown so I would have the family support. 



Then February "26.2 with Donna" this is a Marathon to raise money for to fight Breast Cancer. It is also has Jeff Galloway run/walk pace groups which I think is awesome.

February 17, 2013

So... I know what I need to do and now have my three races to get it done. 

Next step is to train train train train train. 

I told my son what I wanted to do but told him I was afraid. His response to me was.."I don't know what kind of God you serve but with the God I serve I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." And he is so correct!!

I have only completed one Full 26.2 Marathon in my lifetime and it took me 7 hours and 16 min. A whole entire workday. Which is something the fast runners can't even comprehend running for that long.  Funny I get tired driving 26.2 miles and don't know how in the world I continued run/walking for 7 hours and 16 min b/c I can hardly believe it myself. It was alot of prayer that got me to that finish line. And the thought in my head that I had bought that 26.2 sticker and I was going to finish no matter what. (pure stubbornness)

 Im pretty sure I could have trained more. Not to mention it was pouring down rain the entire race so I was soaking wet with no ipod or anyone to talk to and I was bored and ready for the race to be over. Got to work on the mental part. I did a lot of praying that day. Hopefully the next one I will have music, podcast , people to talk to and no soaking wet feet. I plan to train better and be ready. I just worry about being slow. I have arthritis in my hip, I have scoliosis which is a crooked spine so with my back not straight it throws everything else off being misaligned .  I may be slow but Im a finisher. I hope that by losing weight and training more I will do much better the next time around. :-)

My feet shriveled up and full of blisters for being wet for 7 hours!
3 of my toenails turned black.

2012 Mercedes Half Marathon

Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham AL 

5 Years of Mercedes!!! 

First time Finishers!

My Son & I. His 2nd Half and My First!

 This was my very first Half Marathon EVER!! 2007 after watching several of my friends complete a half marathon and several strangers. I thought to myself...."I can do that!!" "Look at that girl....she has a medal and I don't have one.....I want a medal" "I want to run a half marathon"  So Feb 2008 I signed up and became a Half Marathon Finisher. 

 We ran a little walked a little and made it 13.1 when prior to this day I had never gone farther than 6 miles. 






2009 I signed up to run it again. I didn't want to miss out. 

2nd Mercedes and 2nd Half Marathon

My son Austin and Me!
My son beat me by an hour and 45 min

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2010 Year #3 Valentines Day!!!


Each year I have brought at least one friend with me to conquer their first Half Marathon. To achieve something they never dreamed of or thought possible. Mercedes is always a week or two before Disney's Princess Half Marathon so I don't run Mercedes for time b/c I don't want to risk an injury before Girls Princess Weekend at Disney. So Mercedes to me is for sticking with my friends who are first timers and getting them to the finish line!! 


2011 Year #4 

This guy was a real UPS driver who actually ran the full 26.2 with his package.  How about that? Pretty Cool. He finished the full in the time I finished the Half. LOL

2012  #5 Mercedes Half for Me!!

Maury never had gone over 4 miles before this day!!
31.1 Finisher!!!

Scotty, Nicole, Joyce & Cindy.
Just a few first time13.1 finishers!!
So Proud of Them!!

My 4th Half in 36 days!!

Now I have moved from
 One Moon Neptune

 Level to Three Moon Saturn Level 

of the Half Fanatics!!! YEA!!!

Half Fanatic #1445

A Weekend Of First For Me!!

Tinkerbell Half Marathon Weekend!!!

My first visit to LAX & on to Disneyland (another first for me)

My Tinkerbell Peeps!!! minus Dellaine who was in the medial tent.

We started with a group of 8 girls from Alabama. We met up with "That Girl" from Arizona (formerly of AL) once we got to LAX. So now we are a group of 9.

We arrive at the Disneyland! Yea!!

First trip to downtown Disney CA

First trip to Disneyland

First trip to California Adventure

First Coast to Coast Medal

First Run at Disney Land

First Tinkerbell Half Marathon (It was the Inaugural!)

Everywhere I went and everything I did was a first!!

First time to run with Jeff Galloway and in an empty theme park.

Run Disney Tink Meet Up Run with Jeff Galloway!

First and probably my only visit to the Disney Dream Suite! .....love!!!

I loved every minute of it!! The sights, smells, laughter, memories, friends old & new!! Very Very Fun, Enjoyable & Memorable Trip!!

January 2012 - Recap

Starting this year off right!! I got lots of bling. Earned my very first Coast to Coast Medal. AND......logged over 100 miles.
Which means  "IF" I can keep it up I will be able to qualify for the 1200 mile club. It will be hard b/c I know there are times when its hard for me to stay motivated and active. Especially when those hot summer months get here. But if I break it down thats just 3.33 miles a day or 25 miles a week.
Last year I didn't even make it into the mile a day club b/c I had logged less than 365 miles.
However....Last year I didn't hit the 100 mile mark until April so Im already off to a good start!!

2012 Disney World Half Marathon
2012 Inaugural Gulf Shores Gulf Coast Half Marathon
2012 Inaugural Tinkerbell Half Marathon

Proud to say even with walking and running and bathroom stops and photo stops and leg injuries. I still finished all three under the 3:30 time limit!! YEA!!!

Dropped 17lbs since the beginning of December and hope to drop a few more!!!

God Answers Prayer!

Where to start.....Jan of this year I ran/walked the Disney World Half Marathon. This was to qualify for my coast to coast medal. Coast to Coast Challenge is where you complete a half marathon 13.1 or a Full Marathon 26.2 in Disney World Orlando FL and then complete a Half Marathon in Disney Land CA. in a full calendar year. I was a little nervous b/c I haven't been back training long. That weekend I completed the 5K, Toured All 4 Parks , Downtown Disney and completed the Half Marathon. Apparently it was too many miles too soon. My IT band started hurting. It started in my calf about mile 10 went around my knee and up my leg. I stopped for ibuprofen, and biofreeze. Said a prayer and kept on going. I hobbled around with some leg pain. I finished and under 3:30 which qualified me for my coast to coast medal. YEA!!!

Disney World Half Marathon 2012

When I got home I just road the bike at the gym and tried to stay off of my leg for a while. Well I got to looking online at the qualifications of the Half Fanatics. I had signed up to run Tinkerbell Half Marathon the end of January, Mercedes Half Marathon, and Princess in February. My friend was trying to talk me into running the Gulf Shores Half the week before Tinkerbell. I was on the fence about signing up. My leg was hurting and I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize my Coast to Coast medal. When I found out that if I did the Gulf Coast Half that would be 4 halfs in 36 days qualifying me to move up two levels in Half Fanatics. It was a 4 hour time limit so I just thought to myself. I could sign up and walk it. That way I wouldn't risk injury. So Stupidly I signed up for the Gulf Coast Half against the advice of some of my friends. It was a 500 person limit so I knew if I was gonna walk it...Odds are I was gonna be last and I was gonna be okay with that. I made friends with a girl named Stephanie out on the course. It was her first Half Marathon so I stayed with her most of the race. Her friends were all very fast runners and she was nervous being her first half and was happy to have a talker with her. LOL

YIKES!!! fire truck staying on our tail.

Well as predicted the fire truck got behind me and getting on my very LAST nerve. I didn't want to breathe his fumes and I was way ahead of the 4 hour time limit. As you know if you are a licensed driver its very hard to drive at 4 miles an hour so every couple of minutes you would hear his engine rev up. Making me feel pressured to run. Which I knew very well that I should not be doing b/c my leg was already hurting and every time I tried to run it was worse. There were two other girls in the back of the pack with me. I told them to go ahead b/c I could not run with my leg pain. When we got to the water station my new friend Stephanie asked the guys at the water stop to tell the fire truck to "BACK OFF" and they did. YEA!!  I passed a man around mile 10 and wasn't last anymore and didn't have to stress over a veh on my tail. I just kept going. Put my ipod in and listened to my praise and worship music.  I love this one song from "The Gospel Soundtrack"  He Reigns / Awesome God....because in the because in the beginning of the song when the music starts before the song starts you hear them say " This song right here its dedicated to all my people that felt like giving up and you didn't think you were going to make it."Then the song starts!  Its just a happy praise & worship song that really gets me going.

13.1 finisher!!!

With that ....I made it to the finish line and under 3:30 so I actually had 30 minutes to spare. And...I wasn't last.

Because I was pressured to run from the fire truck. My leg was was in terrible pain. I could not even bend it to get in the car. I wanted to cry. I put ice on it all the way home. Lots of biofreeze, & ibuprofen.
This is when I went into panic mode!! I knew I shouldn't have done the half marathon. Some of my friends told me it was crazy & not a wise idea. But Im stubborn, I wanted to see if I could do it. Not to mention I love a half marathon medal!! At this point I have three days to have my leg healed b/c I am flying to California for my very first visit to Disneyland!! I won the Tinkerbell Half Meet Up run with Jeff Galloway & runDisney, I have registered for the Half and 5K!!! At this point Im praying for a miracle. The last time I had leg pain that wasn't even near the pain I was feeling. It took me 3 months of therapy to heal. I knew that the only thing I could do at this point was to pray and have all my friends pray. I went to the chiropractor who let me borrow her personal inserts for her shoes, told me to buy some "fever few with willow bark" from the herb store, I used "the stick" and biofreeze too. She worked on me for 3 days and then I was off to Disneyland.

Neverland 5K! We are ready to Run!!

Got to Run in the Empty Parks!! Thanks runDisney!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle!

Coast To Coast Finisher!!!

I finished the 5K, Ran the Run/Walk with runDisney & Jeff Galloway, and finished the Half Marathon!! I got my COAST TO COAST MEDAL!!! All was right in the world.

I believe in the Power of Prayer!! Its the only way I could have accomplished 3 half marathons and 100 miles logged this January!!