Small Steps Lead To Big Changes

While preparing to write this post I decided to reread the profiles of my fellow team members. I quickly realized that sure we all love Disney and we share a desire to Run With Purpose but there is another common thread that binds us together. The majority of our members have reached a point in their lives when suddenly they realized that changes needed to be made. That’s exactly how my story begins too.

After a series of life events in the early and mid 2000s, I lost the active me and became sedentary. One day I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself. My sense of adventure was gone, I felt horrible, my joy for life was gone and you could see it in my eyes. It took quite a while for things to click into place in my brain but one day I finally decided I was tired of the way things were and I was going to make changes. In the fall of 2007 I started walking. The first time I walked up a short steep hill my heart was pounding, I was gasping for air, I had to stop and rest. I couldn’t believe how out of shape I was! I continued my walking stretching the distance each day.

By November I was walking 5 or 6 miles a day and I was starting to get bored. I wanted to do more to get into shape, I wanted to start working with a Personal Trainer. I had never been inside a gym in my life and it took some time for me to get the courage to walk into the gym that is near my house just to see how much it would cost to join. I joined the gym in January 2008 and began working with a Personal Trainer. I began weight lifting and found that I loved it (who knew?!). My Trainer and I worked hard all year but by October I was starting to feel restless again and my heart was telling me that it was time for a new challenge. This is when I came up with the really crazy idea that I was going to run the January 2010 Walt Disney World Half Marathon.

The thought of running 13.1 miles scared me to death. I’m not an athletic person. I’ve never played sports of any kind. I’d never run in my life. December 2008 I signed up for a special 3 week run class at the gym. I could survive 3 weeks, right? Day 1 of run class my new Coach put us on the treadmill and informed us that we would be running for 30 minutes. Run for 30 whole minutes!? I wanted to panic but this new Coach was a no nonsense type of person and I knew that she wasn’t going to put up with me saying, “I can’t.” So, I DID IT! I ran for 30 minutes on that first day and the huge sense of pride I felt had me hooked on running.

I knew that my first race would be special and I wanted it to be at Walt Disney World so I picked the March 2009 Royal Family 5k. I was nervous. Real runner people would be there and I was afraid that I would stick out as not a real runner. I wasn’t very sure of what to do or what to expect. Arriving to the race (at a crazy early time of the morning) I heard music and it sounded like a party. Looking around I saw people dressed in costumes and they looked like fun running people not intimidating at all. I roamed around the start area taking in all the sights and sounds and looking at all the people talking together. I wished that I knew someone there. Soon it was time to line up and then we were off and running. At first I was caught up with pacing myself and getting used to running with so many people around me. I had to remind myself to soak in the moment and remember the beauty of running through Epcot in the early morning.

October 2009 I ran my second race, The Race For The Taste 10k at Walt Disney World. This is where I met Holly and Dave from Team AllEars. I had heard about Team AllEars early in 2009 and I really wanted to join but the Team filled up quickly that year and I was too late to get my application in. I knew early on that if I was going to run half marathons and beyond I wanted to make those miles count for something bigger than me. When registration opened in 2010 I quickly contacted Michelle and became a proud member of Team AllEars.

I achieved my goal of running the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January 2010. It was an incredible uplifting experience. I worked hard for a year. I became a runner and discovered something new about myself. I love long distance running. Since then I’ve moved on to run my first marathon and my first Goofy Challenge. I’m no longer standing alone in the start area wishing that I had someone to talk to. I have my Team AllEars friends to keep me company. MaryJean was at my first marathon. She was running her first half marathon and we bonded over our mutual nervousness that morning. Holly and Jessica ran with me during my first Goofy Challenge and made the miles easy and fun.

I began with a very small change, a short walk down a neighborhood street. Now I run marathons and I’m preparing for bigger challenges. On that first day when I decided to do something different and take a walk I never could have imagined where those steps would lead me. On a daily basis I don’t think about how far I’ve come. Writing this post has forced me to take time to pause, reflect, and be amazed. I think I’ll be a bit easier on myself the next time I get frustrated because I feel that I’m not fast enough or strong enough. I’ll remember that at one time my heart pounded and I gasped for air when I walked up a short steep hill.

If you’re planning on running a Walt Disney World race in January 2012 and you’d like to join Team AllEars® in the fight against breast cancer, please email Michelle at [email protected].