It’s all coming to an end. I have been training almost a year to do a full marathon this weekend, but as a celebration, why not reward myself before? Last weekend, I did a 10k along with a half marathon. What makes that a reward? It was at Disneyland!
For my New Year goals I wanted to accomplish three races I had never done before. One of those races was the Disneyland Double Dare challenge. Of course, this race landed one week before my marathon. The reward though was that I would be able to take an adventure with my family—just the five of us. We would be able to jump in the car, head out of town, and do it all on our on schedule.
Driving out we left after work and drove to Southern Utah. Finally, after five years we will enjoy the perfect family trip. We had the pleasure of staying in the most gorgeous rental in Saint George Utah (details here). This was the perfect pit stop, but also opened our eyes to new places to stay for quick family vacations. Trust me, this rental was a dream and we will definitely be going back. If you want to stay there, book now and use code adobe15 for 15% off (you’re welcome!).
How rewarding it was to be in a car with my family, enjoying our time together and making memories that we will talk about forever. Since the races weren’t until Saturday and Sunday, we decided that Friday we would take on the adventure of taking three kids to Disneyland—just us.
Looking back at this entire year of running I had two things I wanted to accomplish: get in better shape and do it without taking time away from my family. Being able to take this and making a family vacation out of it made it a real treat for all of us. Disneyland has always been a magical place for me. Years of memories have been made their and I want to make those same memories with my family. Because of this race, it forced me to plan a trip with just my little family. This wasn’t going to be a family trip where we were with my entire family. It would be our little family where we make our own memories.
A lot of people look at a marathon training schedule and think there is no way you could do that without being away from family. Well, that’s not true at all. It’s all about making time and finding time to get it done. For me that meant sacrificing what I love for something I love even more. I sacrifice my sleep so that I can always be with my family when I am home.
Every single morning, for the past year, I have been setting an alarm and waking up at 4-4:30 am. I do this so I can get my running in before my family is awake. Always, people are asking me, “How do you get up so early?” Well, when you set a goal to do something, do whatever you have to so that it will happen.
Yes, it’s hard on Saturday morning when I get up at 3:00 am to be out the door and running, but to be able to come home to my kids as they are waking up makes it completely worth it all. But this has prepared me as a parent for those morning when my kids wake up from a bad dream, or wanting milk. I am not upset when I get woken up early because I will be done running before they are up anyways.
Something about family road trips were some of my favorite memories growing up. My dad played volleyball, so these trips happened around his tournaments. This is what is happening with my family. We are planning and executing these fun family trips together based on my races.
Besides running these amazing races, to get to see my kids faces as we walk through the gates of Disneyland. As they see their favorite characters makes everything so much better. Yeah, the weather wasn’t the best, but the company was. Honestly, I loved every minute being with my family.
Yeah, these races have been hard to train for, but at the end of the day it’s worth it all. Can’t wait for the many memories we will make together. Coming around the corner to see their faces, waving at me, and cheering, I knew I could do it.
