#Florida – Rooting to Rise

I have so much to share from my 2015 Princess Marathon Weekend. It was more than four princesses running three races. It became a time of enlightenment, new beginnings, many firsts, and new friendships.

In the upcoming articles I will talk about my journey as well as the journey of my fellow princess teammates. Our love and joy for not only runDisney, tiaras, and tutus but for new seasons in life, new achievements and new goals we made after this amazing and successful trip.

The anticipated runDisney weekend quickly became captioned, “Our Race-cation” and would be the primary focus for the coming months ahead. I was clueless to what awaited me, the phrase “Girl Power” comes to mind but does not quite encompass the sentiment wholly.

Fast forward from July 2014 registration to February 2015 – I left for this anticipated weekend at 5am on a frigid New York morning with excitement, a little nervousness, and a luminous spirit.

Packed in one suitcase were the usual essentials for a Disney vacation, but in my carry on were things I have never brought to Disney or anywhere for that matter. A huge red tutu, a hairband embellished with little birds, Jaq – Cinderella’s mouse friend, and a pair of running sneakers that have become a significant part of my life.

Nicole and two of her friends that I had never met were meeting me at the Orlando airport. As I walked off the plane and made my way to baggage claim, I felt as if I should pinch myself. I was really here, in my beloved Florida, going to my Happy Place – Walt Disney World, meeting my dearest friend for a runDisney event. Life has certainly changed since last July when I stepped out of my door for my very first run – a new season of life for me.

With luggage in hand I headed for the passenger pick-up area. The doors opened and I stepped out into the lovely warm Florida sunshine – WAIT! Where was the warm Florida sunshine? Nicole warned me about it being chilly, but come on, I’m a New Yorker! I know what cold is, I have been living in it for the last five months. Sadly she was right, it was chilly and my jacket remained on for much of the race-cation. Little did I realize I would have a frozen tutu the next morning.

My teammates arrived and there was no guessing where this vehicle was heading! It was decorated with phrases that I had become accustomed to reading on social media for months. The girls jumped out and greeted me with hugs (I tear up now as I remember our initial greeting). Nicole introduced me to her best friend Julia and Julia’s sister Christy and from that moment on any lingering nerves I had …. disappeared. Off to the Expo!

I could not wait to get to the Expo! I remember seeing Nicole’s photos from her first Expo experience and I was pumped! Here is where I would receive my 5K and 10K race bibs and see my new favorite vendors and run wear. We parked the car and jumped out to get prepared. This was our runDisney Princess Weekend so we must all dress accordingly. Nicole had made us matching T-shirts and surprised us with embroidered draw string bags. Last but not least, on went the tiaras.

This was actually my first visit to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and this may sound funny, but I was a bit starry eyed as we approached the WWOS globe. The red carpet was rolled out to “welcome all who have come to this happy place” and helped to make our tiaras sit just a bit taller atop our heads.

As we approached the Expo doors at the Jostens Center, I was tickled princess pink to be greeted by Cinderella’s very own footmen, might there be a pumpkin carriage just ahead?

WOW it was a runDisney dream! There was so much to take in for a newcomer like me; I was so glad to have Nicole leading the way. The energy was electric and I felt an immediate pull drawing me down those stairs and into the mix.

We made a beeline toward the back because Nicole and Julia were running the half marathon and were in search of particular items. We moseyed around the expo checking out what was new, what was cool, and what we thought we couldn’t live without. I even got a glimpse of Jeff Galloway! I was too shy to take a picture with him, but next time I won’t pass up that opportunity!

My purchases of the day were a green sparkle skirt from Sparkle Athletics, some really cute sneaker charms from BeeCause Charms, and a buddy pouch from Running Buddy.

It was time to get those running bibs! Packet pick up was held in the HP Field House, so we crossed over the walkway……. to finally become official. Each small step starting with registration day to actually running this race felt as if they were milestones, and picking up my runDisney race packet was no exception. We found our appropriate booth by alphabetic order of last name and signed away.

Along with our race bibs we were handed a clear drawstring bag that would hold the contents of a race shirt, 2 Luna Bars, a 2015 Princess ½ Marathon guide and any purchased merchandise along the way. This bag was for Gear Check at the race if any additional items were to be brought in.

After Nicole and Julia received their half marathon packets they were instructed to get their photos taken so there would not be an issue of mistaken/stolen identity with their half marathon bib# and it’s owner.

Hunger and fatigue was beginning to settle in from the early morning wake-up and all the days excitement. We all decided it was time to end our expo excursion, but not before capturing a few more photos!

I loved the expo! It was vibrant, not just in color but in energy. It was filled with ladies (and some gentlemen) of all ages, and all stages of their run journeys . As I passed fellow runDisney princesses, I wondered if this was their first or fifth Princess Marathon Weekend, how long they’ve been running and why they continued on their journey. Yes, journey – best described in a quote I recently read,

“So often we can get caught up in the rankings, times, personal bests, and competitions that we forget about the true joy and life changing experiences that our sport provides. Running is about a journey, a journey that engages an entire community and culture, yet inwardly transforms the mind, spirit, and body.” found on flotrack.org

It was time to move on and check into our resort …….. which one you ask? Port Orleans Riverside, the Princess Room of course! We were on our way to our next royal experience!

Do you have dreams of entering in a runDisney event but are afraid running will injure your body? Everyone can experience the awesome thrill of this sport with Jeff’s principles and methods. Read below and start your run journey today!

Most injuries experienced by my runners are due to:

1) pacing long runs too fast,

2) increasing the weekly mileage too quickly,

3)lengthening stride and

4) stretching.

The principle in staying injury free is to balance gentle stress with the right recovery periods-allowing for rebuilding. (for more information, see my book RUNNING INJURIES)

Finding the right Run Walk Run strategy from the beginning of a run has been the best way I’ve found to stay injury free, come back from an injury and in some cases, continue to run while the injury heals. (See my book RUN WALK RUN)

As long as you stay below the threshold of irritation you can often continue to run while the injury heals.

Are you concerned that running will damage joints, and other body parts ? I was told this regularly, from my first week of running over 50 years ago but the research shows the opposite result: Runners have healthier joints, etc. than non runners as the decades go by.
While researching for my book RUNNING UNTIL YOU’RE 100, I reviewed dozens of studies and could not find one showing that running harms legs, feet, joints, etc.It may surprise you to know that many studies show that runners have fewer orthopedic issues compared with non-runners as the years go by.
It may surprise you to know that many studies show that runners have fewer orthopedic issues compared with non-runners as the years go by.
A respected and large population study out of Stanford following thousands of runners over 50 who had run for more than 20 years concluded that runners had less than 25% of orthopedic issues compared with non runners of the same age.

As this year quickly came to an end, I began to feel slightly anxious about what I was going to focus on during the upcoming year. There are so many facets within my life that I would like to improve upon and enhance, where do I start?

Traditionally a New Year’s resolution would be the starting point, but New Year’s resolutions were never something I really cared to commit to. It seems rather intimidating, announcing to the world my “promise” to make a permanent change in my life. This is not how I visualize a great start to a new year. What if those visions changed, what if they didn’t work out the way I intended, what if I just down right failed at this attempt of a permanent change? So each year as I ring in the New Year amongst family and friends I choose to start the next day just as the one before it, no resolutions.

This year I felt the need for a more focused start but I have so many ventures tucked in the back of my head I don’t know where to start!

Focus, Simplify and Grow ~

I found these three words on Lou Mongello’s facebook page New Year’s Day. When I read these words I breathed a sigh of relief, (thank you Lou). I tend to make complex strategies in my pursuit of “life”. I get lost in an overload of details that I create for each pursuit, causing my focus to blur. I need to learn when to use the wide angle lens and when and how to focus on the subject to simplify the picture of each endeavor. This will enable growth not only in each venture but also in my overall character.

Staying on Track- Resolution or Goal ~ how do I focus, simplify and grow?

Though I have never committed to a New Year’s resolution, I have committed to goals. This got me thinking about what the difference between a resolution and a goal is; I simply looked up the definitions.

Resolution: A firm determination to do something, a course of action determined or decided on.

A resolution is a long term change you intend to keep, it is not something you complete, and it is permanent. Resolutions tend to be vague, such as eat healthier or exercise more.

Goal: The object toward which an endeavor is directed; an end. Looking to achieve a result, a target to reach, an end point after a chosen period of time.

A goal can be short term or long term and is something you have a conclusion to, not necessarily a permanent change. Goals are more specific such as, choosing to run a marathon and working toward the completion of it.

The key contrast between the two is they differ in terms of duration.

Goals seem less intimidating to me. Having a start point and end point will allow me to focus, simplify and meet my objectives. A resolution seems so wide open; I would lose direction without set time frames to complete those objectives.

But maybe I can make a New Year’s Resolution ~using them together ~

How can I make that New Year’s resolution less intrusive? Maybe starting with a goal would help maintain a resolution, meeting each goal to work toward that life changing resolution.

Setting goals and achieving them is empowering, making a resolution that never comes to pass would take the wind out of my sails. So if I start out with realistic goals that I can meet within reasonable time periods, I can work my way up to that life changing resolution. Who knows along the way I may find new gifts and talents I never knew I possessed!

What are your thoughts on Goals vs. Resolutions? Tell us if you have set any for 2015!