Inspiring Reads

There's nothing quite like that runners high at the end of a run.  Whether it's short distance run that you didn't want to do, a long distance run that you push through, or a race day run, there is an undeniable high when you get to the finish line.  It's a euphoric moment of accomplishment that can't really be described only experienced.  And I want nothing more than to experience that glorious feeling at the end of the Princess Half in 2013.

But this race is big deal for a number of reasons.  One, I've been dreaming of this race since 2010.  Two,  I've only ever ran in 2 organized races (the Grizzlies House 5K in 2010 and the Zoom through the Zoo in 2011).  Three, the furthest distance I've ever ran was the 4.2 miles that was the Zoom through the Zoo.  And four, I'm still on a low impact only restriction so I can't even start training yet.

At times the thought of getting ready for this half marathon almost terrifies me.  I find myself slipping into all the old excuses and fears that kept me for running before I started the C25K in 2010.  I wonder if I can even do this.  13.1 miles is a long distance to run, but it's not just that, it's the thought of all the miles I'll have to log to get my body ready for that.

So I thought, since the 2012 Princess Half was just last weekend, that I should find some of my favorite race recaps from people who've done it and compile them here.  Anytime I need a little motivation and inspiration I can quickly visit this page and be reminded of how awesome it's going to feel when I cross that finish line.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Run Faster Mommy: This is her race recap from the 2010 Princess Half Marathon weekend.  It was the first race recap I ever read and found it when I immediately googled Disney's Princess Half Marathon when I got home from the St. Jude race expo and saw those gorgeous medals.

FitFluential Compilation: Fit Fluential has to be one of the coolest things I've discovered since joining Twitter to help me on this journey.  It's this whole community of people talking about being fit and healthy.  They post recipes, work out ideas, and this post is a list of recaps from the FitFluential Abassadors they sent to the race.  It's a cool link because it also talks about the other parts of the Marathon weekend like the Expo, 5K, pasta party, and even a blogger meet up.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to talk any of my friends into going and running this race with me so it feels good to know that even if I go "alone" I'll still have a whole community with me.

Running Jenn(ie): This is one of my newest twitter buddies!  She just finished doing her first 5K and 10K in 2011 and her first half marathon ever was the Princess Half just last weekend!  I love reading about how she tracked her training online and everything just like what I'm planning to do here.  It's great to read it because 1) it reminds me about how hard training for this half is going to be, but also 2) how obtainable it is.  Definitely check this out if you're thinking about training for your first half.

Amanda's Weekly Zen: This is a great resource sight that has a bunch of tips and links.

And of course don't forget about RunDisney's site.  And you can also follow them on Facebook.  Speaking of facebook, I think I saw in their status recently that 2013 will be the 5th annual Princess Half Marathon.  So very exciting!