What can we say? The Disney Princess Half Marathon was a couple weeks ago but we STILL got that good ol’ runners high! And we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give you the behind the scenes:
The secret is learning how to lose
Kay: If any of you have listened to the recap of our 10k back in October, you would know that run was a bit of a defeat for me personally. But, guess what? Learning to lose in that helped me to learn how to WIN in the half marathon!
Picking up after a crushing defeat
Did we forget to mention Disney does kid races?! And we ALL know that every single little that crossed the finish line of that 100 meter dash (up into doing the mile run) was bright eyed with that smiling win grin on their faces! (Shoutout to our kiddos that ran and inspired us so much!)
Shi: But, that didn’t mean even the littlest of little’s didn’t face some bumps along the way! And we just HAVE TO tell the story about Kay’s 2 year old daughter Violet….
Violet got to participate in the 100 meter dash, and she was SO determined to finish (she totally skipped Mini Mouse on the high five because her eyes were on the prize). And – she’s going – going – going – she’s right before the finish line – and she TRIPS and smashes right on her belly – JUST BEFORE the finish line. And she looks right up at us, and you wanna know what she does next? She gets herself back up, starts clapping for herself, and then runs across that finish line (in the sweetest and most innocent way EVER). And – while she may not have really understood fully what was happening – we were so proud of her for not allowing that to ruin her day, her run, or her ability to choose to cross that finish line!
(But…) Winning is still GREAT
Basically, everything about running Disney was MAGICAL!…besides mile 11 and 12 that is. There was NO MAGIC for mile 11 and 12…our joints were screaming – our sides were splitting – the elation of the run had run off and been replaced by sweat – and what can we say? We were HURTIN’! But…we kept pushing – and you know what? It felt so dang good to get it through that FINISH line! We were without a DOUBT feelin’ like some winner-winner-chicken-dinners then (‘cept hold the chicken ‘cause we’re veggie girls)!
You will be a champion.
In getting to run Disney, it really was amazing to see the diversity and variety of life throughout the race – from champion runners to differently abled people being assisted by others to become champions of that finish line themselves.
We even got to see RezRuns – our favorite YouTuber out there, who is actually legally m blind and runs with assistance most of the time! RezRuns has a Youtube channel – and we like to do the Disney virtual runs that he puts out every year! Which…is one of the reasons we we’re doing the run in the first place! So getting to see Rez on the track was really a peak experience for us – and in MAGIC KINGDOM no less!
Overall, it was so incredible and inspiring to see the way that Disney is so inclusive – for the kids – for the family – for every type of person from all walks of life! They really make it possible for every person, at any fitness level, to take part in the achievement of the run, (no matter what losses, hardships, disadvantages or defeats they may have faced or be currently facing) and THAT is what becoming a CHAMPION is all about!
Thank you Disney for letting us be a part of this magical experience, and thank YOU Questers for letting us gush about it 🙂
Want even MORE details from our Disney run? Listen to today’s episode right here!
