This Princess and the frog...

Saturday March 6th I participated in my first 5K.
It was the Princess and the Frog Royal Family 5K at Disney World.

My adventure started Friday at the race expo when I picked up my race number and goody bag.
I felt VERY weird at the expo. Part of me just wanted to grab my number and head back out to my car but I MADE myself walk through the vendors and displays. JOAN kept saying "You don't belong here"  so I just kept walking.
There wasn't much there that I was interested in purchasing...most of the merchandise was geared toward the half marathon runners but I still peeked at every booth.

I DID find a cool decal that was rather validating in the sea of runners... but I couldn't bring myself to charge $2.00 so I'll just have to look for it locally in one of the sports shops.

When I got home I got focused and worked on my t-shirt. The front turned out even better than I thought it would...but when I went to add the 'tag line' to the back, I didn't separate the layers of the shirt and part of the front transfer wound up on the ironing board...sigh. It bummed me out for about 90 seconds. Then I decided I wasn't happy with the type of T-shirt I got anyway and would much rather have a ringer tee. So, now that I know the transfer will work the way I want it to...and the potential pit falls, I'll be ready to make it when I find the perfect shirt.

Race Day we awoke at 5am
Me, hubs and the two mini-est me's.
Due to the aforementioned t-shirt debacle, I wore the race shirt provided in my goody bag...it was all good anyway...my bib number would've covered up my custom shirt ~smile~
With my tiara resting nicely in between my pigtails, I was ready to go.
Breakfast of a larabar, banana, small cottage cheese and some water and we were on our way.

I was anxious the whole drive.
Really, if I'd have driven myself...I never would've made it there...I TOTALLY would've turned around and gone home.
The kids and hub were excited for me...I didn't know what I was
'feeling' was such a foreign concept so I totally moved on brain power...one foot in front of the other.

We got to the race location around 6:15am and made our way to the spectator area/start line. I felt tears well up more than once and had to bury my head in my hub's shoulders a couple of times to keep from leaking. If I hadn't, if I had just let the tears flow...I know there was a panic attack waiting to happen.
I wasn't scared
I just didn't 'feel' right.
I just didn't 'feel.

6:50am and it's time to line up. I made my way towards the back of the crowd near the sign clearly marked "WALKERS." There were a TON of people...easily at least 1000 in all. All shapes, sizes, ages and costumes...yes costumes. Lots of princesses, even a dad in a tutu running with his little snow white princess daughter. "You have the most beautiful tiara here!" someone next to me pointed out as she tugged her race buddy to see. "Thanks" (shy grin).

The pre-race music at least got me bouncing and got my mind off of my lack of feeling. We all hummed along to the national anthem and then...the countdown 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5....4...3...2...1!

It took a few more minutes for us to begin to move...the race had a series of starts according to speed so I finally crossed the start line on my way around 7:05am.

The first half mile consisted of lots of dodging...some folks walking slowly, some with strollers, others trying to jog around the cones...I even ran a bit here and there. The first water station was at the 1.5 mile mark and I was feeling good and starting to feel as though I'd finish in time...mostly because there were a BUNCH of people behind me.

Around the 2 mile mark I figured I was maintaining a pace around a 15-min mile and also realized I was running past some pretty cool architecture (the course took us through Epcot) and I made a mental (actually I think I said it out loud) note to pay attention to the things around me.

I alternated walking and jogging throughout the whole course without beating myself up too much...I'd give myself an end-point once I started to run and I kept my breathing even...taking note of how comfortable my hip felt and any twinge that might appear in my shins...not too shabby.

The second water station was at the 2.5 mile mark and I noticed I was smiling as I thought about the finish line. A fellow runner caught up with me to apologize for staring at my leg but she was just dying to see my leg sleeve and ask what it was and figured it better to just come ask rather than get distracted and take out a bunch of fellow racers if she tripped! That made me giggle and we chit chatted about tattoos, whether or not they hurt, how many I have ...yada yada...which took me to "Right around this building and you'll SEE the finish line."

It was time to run out the last leg of the race.
Once I rounded the corner I started to jog and it wasn't long before I saw the finish line...I wanted to cut back down to a walk but I was so close I just kept going and pushed it those last 50 yards. I was looking for my fam but the sun was positioned in just a way that the glare made that impossible.

I finished in 44 minutes.

I still didn't know how to feel.
I just finished...a smiling woman at the end of the track handed me my completion medal (it's a rubber design on the end of a lanyard) and I moved through the water/Gatorade lines returning to a normal breathing pattern and scanning the crowd for my family.

There they all were...smiling and proud
"How do you Feel?"
I really didn't know
"I don't feel anything yet"
"Aren't you Proud?!"
"Yeah, I'll get there...this is new for me"

My fam is so cool
they get it
they know

The physical part...wasn't hard for me...I actually really love running and want to do more of it
Every other part...was VERY hard for me
I still don't quite know I how I feel
I don't have any 'connection' to it
to my medal
or my t-shirt
or my number

But I'll get there.
I'm going to frame my number and medal.
My t-shirt will eventually wind up in my memory quilt.

For now I'm re-reading all the "I'm so proud of you" text messages I got
and letting them soak in.

I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure after race so now I have pretty toes :)

And today...I finally painted the shutters outside. I say finally because I bought the paint for them at LEAST a year ago more like two...it was a 'reward' probably for some weight loss or something weight related...but I never gave myself the reward. Today I did...and I LOVE the result :)

Thanks to everyone who sent me well wishes and shared their 'proud' with me.
xo

Babs