This is officially RACE WEEK. Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend is kicking off. Famvia's Carlos Hernandez is excited to be running Disney's Fairytale Challenge - a 10k and Half Marathon (total of 19.2 miles). With new challenges and goals in tow, he invites everyone to follow his journey on Famvia’s Instagram @famviatravel.

We all have our reasons to want more from ourselves

Life is hard, but beautiful. The ups and downs come for everyone. We’ve each seen our successes/wins just like we’ve all hit a wall. Running is a wonderful way to simulate the adversity we ALL face. Just like in life, regardless of skill level, it’s you against yourself out there.

Disney has coined the vibe that good will always prevail. Whether as an undertone in a movie or a part of our favorite ride, we’ve all felt that moment. The one that confirms, regardless of the obstacle ahead, this Heroine/Hero will succeed.

runDisney has been threading these stories together like the laces of a sneaker for over 30 years. Tightly securing the inspirational stories we love to your journey of seeing just “how far you’ll gooooooooo.”

Race weekends are held throughout the year and on either coast. Each is packed with its own unique theming and all offer virtual options at registration. Worth noting that all virtual participants get the same training plans, branded race shirts, and medals as the in-person runners. The only difference is the setting. But everyone is going to have to train in your natural one. The only difference is the day of stuff. You can belt out a tune during your journey in either setting too. No one will judge you.

They’ve put on different events over that time- each packed with plenty of detail and, of course, branding. They’re also pretty packed in general as races tend to sell out WITHIN MINUTES of registration opening. That’s more than most (Anyone) can say about their sales campaigns.

It's about more than running

People want to participate in these races for a variety of reasons. I’ve run alongside some amazing people from different walks of life. Each is there simply because they believe in something…better. Certainly for themselves, maybe for a charitable cause. Everyone there has a reason to be there.

There’s a HIGH that comes from hearing a live band or drum line.. while in full stride… and GAINING energy from them because they are putting it out FOR you. They are putting in a HARD effort to help keep you moving. You’re inspiring them, in a way too.

Then there are the other people putting out energy.

There's nothing like running through cheering crowds, all celebrating your momentous achievement…you showed up. You put in the work and everyone (no, really) is there to remind you of how proud they are of you. YOU DID IT.

Between the energizing onlookers and the fellow athletes running along your side, you start to believe in yourself MORE because others are there to remind you that you can and will.

“Come on, we got this”.

It’s true. We do “got” this.

I would be Dumbo if I did not address the flying elephant in the room.

Building our own storyline

A HUGE Part of the Hero/Heroine’s story is…that adversity piece that shows them really “going through it”. Do you think Hercules, the Demi-God, rose to excellence by sleeping through the alarm clock? Naw. He laced up his Air Zeuses and worked at getting better.

My journey kicked off in 2020. Surrounded by my wife and daughters, I reflected on the “sections“ of my life. Nothing brought me more JOY and HOPE than my girls. I felt they deserved a better partner/dad than one who sat on his potential and never ”chased“ anything—running felt like a natural way to jump-start this ”meat suit“.

It worked.

I forced myself to sign up for something hard to stay on track. A Half Marathon sounded good. I “trained” and ran very slowly on race day. Everything hurt.

But wow...

The experience was a THRILL. So many people, all different in age and ability, each showing just how awesome they were by being there. I felt better about myself and the journey I had taken to get there. I chose to run and did it.

That night, I wanted more and publicly declared (in front of my wife and friends) that next up was a marathon.

Push it to the limit

THAT training journey endured and held so much more meaning than I anticipated. It’s hard enough waking up at 3:30 am to get ready for a casual 20-mile run on Saturday. Despite the people who said “You’re crazy” or “That sounds like a nightmare”, I was committed to pushing myself, still slowly, beyond the point where that little voice had allowed me to go.

I wanted to push myself further than that voice ever dreamed of going. So far it would just shut up and go along for the ride. I listened to that voice for too long, the one that would always scream when things got tough. To accomplish this, my body had to hold up.

Each week, I got better and further than I had the week before. The little nagging voice stopped bothering to ask to stop. This allowed me to start to learn more about myself and feel proud of the man inside. I never spoke to myself kindly throughout my life. That has since changed since I chose to bet on myself. Crossing the finish line, regardless of time, will forever be a memory to remember. But it was the training miles that sharpened me into who I am today.

For your running experience to motivate you, there has to be some motivation to do the work. The race experience is best EXPERIENCED. Remember that running will be hard, just like life is. And similar to life, once we have our footing, we can better focus on our surroundings. If you train, it will help you better soak in the magic.

Everyone’s plan (and life) is different and I’d never discount anyone’s experience because of how they trained. But if you can make it to the end, you’ll hear a choir sing out with pride..that you DID GO THE DISTANCE. Look at you, we have a Hercules in all of us.

Oh…one more point worth noting. Every race starts around 5 am so you need to be up early. Like 2 am-ish early. k? 😅
K! 😩

You can do it too!

If something about all of this sounds like fun, then a runDisney event is the perfect setting for your own journey towards a better version. Allow this article to be your permission to dream for a day when you feel better about your situation, whatever that may be. To do that, we need to build resilience through resistance by sharpening our mindset during adverse situations. And what better way to bet on yourself, and be RIGHT, while running through the place where dreams come true

No matter how fast your heart beating,

If you keep on believing,

The dream that you wish,

Will come true… as a better YOU.

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