10 Commitments, 100 Discoveries: #7 – Run Disney

Hi, I’m a self proclaimed commitment-phobe. But, I’m also one that is working very hard to change. Honestly, it’s one of my toughest struggles. But, I am proud to say it is one that I am chipping away at slowly but surely. One day, when I tell my kids of my fear of commitment they will just laugh and say, “No way, not you!”

With the commitment, 1 Year, 10 Projects, 100 Discoveries, I’m working to show myself that commitments are like trains; it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on. Discoveries “#60-69″ are about commitments and plans. This post is part of that project. You can see all 10 commitments here and the entire project here. Focus on the plans, I sure am!

In the midst of Boot Camp and completing my first 5k in a long time, I was pumped. In fact, I was so pumped that when I stumbled on a magazine ad for Disney’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon, I thought, you can’t beat this race as a first half marathon memory. Running through two Disney theme parks, characters along the race course and ending at Epcot’s Wine & Dine festival? Nope, it doesn’t get much better of a combination.

I took the plunge and signed up. Then, I convinced my best friend to do the same.

Signed up is such an easy phrase to write. But, I must explain. I signed up in April… for an October race. AKA a race that was SEVEN months away. Big deal you say? Not for me. Before this project, I would have never signed up for something that far in advance. “What if my training went awry?” “What if I wasn’t in Las Vegas then and had to rebook airline tickets?” “What if I had a new job and I couldn’t get the time off?” “What if, what if, what if” were always the thoughts running through my head. I took a (really) deep breath, and pushed away all those thoughts. I even got a little crazy and invited my new boyfriend (at the time) to come along (yep, I had to lay down when I heard what I did too). I told myself, if he wanted to come, great, let him buy the plane ticket. And, if we weren’t together by October, well, the plane ticket was his to deal with.

As things always go, those seven months didn’t quite go as planned. Life happened. I got sick. I traveled, A LOT. I forgot how hot Las Vegas summers were and how hard it was to motivate yourself to run in the unbearable heat. By the time October 1 (half marathon day) came around, the longest run I had ever done was 5 miles… four months ago.

For this race, you had to keep a 16 minute pace or they would “sweep” you off the course. I kept telling myself even if I walked the whole thing, I could still finish. But honestly, I wasn’t sure. In all my practices, Nike+ said my run/walk average was 17 minutes. Nevertheless, the boyfriend and I boarded a plane for a fun-filled three days in Disney.

The race results? Well, that’s a story for another post