Thoughts from the throne...

Well...I did it!   It wasn't fast, or graceful,  but it was mine.   I finished the Disney World Princess Half Marathon on Sunday February 27, at approximately 9:30 in the morning.  I limped across the finish line with my foot KILLING me and very very tired, but I did it and I finished under the time frame that the race allotted.  

I have so many feelings about the experience that I don't know quite what to say.   I set out on this leg of my journey a year ago, and honestly there were many times when I questioned whether or not I would be writing this entry.   I broke my foot AND my toe.   I had bronchitis and the flu.   I had questions of loyalty. Questions of will.   Questions of determination, and questions of ability.   But guess what folks.   I DID IT!

I crossed the finish line with a re-injured foot, and a very tired spirit, but when it was over I was completely overwhelmed with the emotion of the experience.   This has never really happened to me quite like it did then....I cried, I shook, and literally couldn't breathe.   It didn't last long, but the power of that moment was so strong that I still get a little shaky when I think of it today.  

Nothing about it went like I had planned, from the snowstorm before making the kids miss school to the fact that I spent my last night in FL quietly in my hotel room with my foot on ice.   I expected to want to celebrate in a grand fashion letting the entire world know what I had done, when in reality, I am having a hard time reconciling my feelings of accomplishment.   I'm proud, I'm happy, and in a strange way, I'm sad.  

A lot of people have asked me if I would do this again.   The short answer is I don't know.   I have no intention of quitting training for something, but I can't say that this is my thing.  I have my eye on a few things, but this race has also reminded me of some things that I need to revisit with myself as well.  I have every intention of continuing the work, continuing the challenge, and continuing to push myself, but I also know that there is more to being this princess than running a race.   It's about maintaining my momentum, continuing to live a healthier life, and to continue to give myself the things I need to keep myself healthy.   

I love that I did this.   I love that I was able to be strong enough to complete it both physically and mentally.   I love that my kids saw me accomplish this goal.   I love that I proved to myself (and all the negative voices) that I CAN do this, because I DID!  

I'm hoping with time that I will have more clarity and that I will be able to share a little more insight about what this means to me.   It's big, it's good, and I'm so glad I did it, but for now I am ready to take a little break and give myself some time to just enjoy my new found sense of royalty.