Enchanted 10k
Princess 1/2 Marathon
Hanging out with Team Sparkle girls
Your Name: Laurie
Tell us about your past race/running experience: My runner’s journey began in the fall of 2012. After witnessing friends completing the Disneyland Half Marathon, I thought it was an accomplishment I wanted to experience myself. My first half marathon was Tinker Bell in January of 2013 and I received the coveted Coast-to-Coast Challenge medal the following month in Orlando when I completed the Princess Half Marathon. Since then, I have completed numerous races including the Osaka Challenge Run in Japan.
What race did you run? I participated in the Glass Slipper Challenge (February 22-23, 2014)
Why did you sign up for this race? I registered for this race because the Glass Slipper Challenge was inaugural and would feature a new pink and purple Coast-to-Coast medal. With all of the new bling, I found myself drawn to this race weekend and decided to battle the heat and humidity once again to collect all of the new hardware.
What is your best training tip? My best training tip is to experiment as much as you can. Experiment with shoes, clothing and running locations. The more you experience, the better prepared you will be because you will know what works best for you.
Water or Sports Drink? I prefer water for distances less than ten miles. Once I begin passing that mark, I find my body craves the sugar of drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade.
Tell us about the outcome of the race: I had the good fortune of meeting a girl named Jess with whom I shared several mutual friends. She was visiting Orlando from Seattle and would be running her first runDisney event. No one was more excited to run than her. Her love of Disney is off the charts. As the 10K began, we started together and along the way, her hip began to hurt. The pain became increasingly more painful. She encouraged me to leave her and run my own race, but my heart told me I should stay by her side. We completed the 10K and moved on to the next day.
Even before we reached the corrals to begin, she mentioned she was not 100%. As we ran the first couple of miles, I could see in her eyes she was more than a little worried. This broke my heart. I didn’t want her to not complete this race nor did I want her to give up on herself. I knew her sheer will alone would be enough to get her across the finish line. I just needed to remind her of that. Again, she encouraged me to leave her, but I wouldn’t hear of it. I knew we were brought together for a reason.
As the miles passed, the bond we shared through the experience began to grow. Several times, it looked as though maybe the race would defeat her, but she didn’t give up. As we made the last turn by the always present gospel choir, tears began to well in my eyes. I knew we had made it. She crossed the finish line at her first runDisney half marathon and I had just completed my tenth overall. She said to me after we collected our Glass Slipper Challenge medals that without me she wouldn’t have made it. I simply replied I hadn’t done anything. She crossed both finish lines all by herself.
The memories I have from this race weekend were some of the best I have ever had and I know Jess and I will be friends now for the rest of our lives.
Your favorite post-race indulgence? I don’t have one race indulgence in particular. Typically, I reach for something sweet. After this race, it was beignets. Sadly, the powdered sugar and my black compression pants were not a match made in heaven.
Favorite part of racing in a Team Sparkle skirt? My favorite part was finally having enough courage to put together a race costume. On Sunday, I pieced together a Cinderella costume to run the Princess Half Marathon. I really loved it and received positive reviews from everyone. Team Sparkle just makes everything better.
Twitter ID: @tanoshegirl
Link to race recap: http://tanoshegirl.com/2014/02/28/coast-to-coast-complete