Two Weeks.

Two weeks from now I'll be getting off an airplane and beginning what will surely be a weekend of a lifetime.  You see on February 24 2013, two of my good friends, five new friends, and myself will be running alongside 26,000 others (most of whom will be donned in tutus and tiaras) at the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon.

This has been a miracle in the making considering two years ago at this time I was attempting to train for my very first 5K run and wasn't feeling particularly optomistic about being able to accomplish that goal.

It's a funny thing about goals, however. Once you set your mind to something, physical and/or medical limitations aside, the seemingly impossible becomes, well, possible.  I've now been training for the Princess 1/2 for the past 14 weeks, beginning after recovering from a frustrating ankle sprain with three and four-mile runs where I was be huffing and puffing, forcing my legs to move under me, until my iPhone app told me I could stop; and working my way up to a recent and surprising ten-mile run, which I not only completed in a respectable timeframe but found myself being able to hold a conversation throughout -- something I'd not been able to do a relatively short time before.  Despite the many weeks of training beforehand, it wasn't until I hit the stop button on my watch officially completing that ten mile run, when it became clear I would actually be able to pull off the Princess 1/2.

Self doubt was replaced by self confidence. And it only took 10 miles to get me there.

To anyone who says they can't do what I am doing, I can only reply with a resounding, "YES YOU CAN!"  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I was never a runner, I never liked to run (hated it even), but with each passing mile I now am starting to truly appreciate the feeling of my sneaks hitting the pavement.  And believe me, THAT is something I never thought I'd hear myself say. But the fact is, it's become MY time.  Time for myself to go as slow or as fast as I please, to let my mind wander or to concentrate on my favorite tunes. And with each new mile marker behind me, it's one more pat on the back I give to myself for reaching a new goal.  The Couch-to-5K and RunKeeper app programs should seriously consider adding a cheering sound bite at the end of each run for runners...but lucky for me I have an amazing group of friends and fellow princesses with which to share and congratulate each other on our accomplishments.

In two weeks I'll have reached the greatest of my goals to date: 13.1 miles.  Yes, 1/2 marathoners proudly include that last tenth of a mile where they push themselves to their limits to cross the finish line.  I look forward to that moment with equal parts excitement and trepidation.  Knowing I'll be meeting my seven special friends to share that moment afterward will make it all beyond my wildest dreams.  Where better for it all to happen than Walt Disney World, the place where dreams come true!