19.3 miles. Two days. I have no idea how I did it.
This Labor Day Weekend I completed the Disney Dumbo Double Dare Challenge for Disneyland’s Half Marathon Weekend. It required a 10k, half marathon, early mornings, extreme stamina and a lot of mental strength, but I am so happy I did it.
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This was my first half marathon and for those of you that have never ran one before, it is a grueling endeavor. It requires lots of time and effort, not to mention how much you need to have a good mental game. Like many say, it really is mind over body, and it couldn’t be more true. There are a lot of feelings you experience, and one is never necessarily better than the other, but they’re all completely relatable and usually follow a process. Here are 10 states of emotions that you will most definitely experience if you decide to run a half marathon.
Excited
The day before the race is when you let your excitement build and you get prepared to run (hopefully) the best race of your life.
Gluttonous
Carbs, carbs, carbs, need I say more?
Relaxed
It’s the night before the race and you need to wind down, so you may pick up your favorite book or watch your favorite show the night leading up to your more-likely-than-not early morning.
Sleep-deprived
In my case, I had to wake up around four in the morning in order to get to my race on time—talk about tired.
Anxious
Your race is about to start and you’re extremely nervous about how your race is going to go. Will everything run smoothly? Are you wearing the right socks? Did you drink enough water? Did you have enough potassium?
Committed
Your race has started and everything is going smoothly so far, you’re dedicated and want to finish your race strong.
Bored
Several miles have passed and now you’ve resorted to depending on your music to give you something to do. When you’re running many miles, it can sometimes get boring—let’s just be honest.
Regretful
Around mile eight or nine is when you really begin to question why you signed up for this mild form of torture. You just have to remind yourself that it will all be worth it in the end.
Accomplished
You crossed the finish line and you can’t believe you just ran 13.1 miles and you miraculously didn’t break anything, but now it’s time to celebrate.
Gluttonous (again)
It’s obviously time to stuff your face with food, you earned it right?
