It is Time

On Thursday, I get in a plane and head to Walt Disney World. Man, how time flies... When I started this journey, I thought the one thing I had in my favor was, in fact, time but these two years flew by. Especially this year. Now, here we are. Zero Hour. Everything I have been working on will be put to the test on the 12th. The time to run the Walt Disney World Marathon has come.

Source

If I could only explain how I'm feeling right now. Nervous? Yes. Excited? Yes. Worried? Oh, yeah.  Plus a bunch of other stuff I can't even begin to describe.  I need to relax and calm my nerves. In order to do that, I have decided two things: First, I decided that during the Marathon, I will carry my phone in my hand instead of my armband as I usually do. Why? So I can take pictures. No, I won't be stopping for picture opportunities with the characters. It's just too risky. But since I am taking walk breaks, there is no reason I can't record what is going on in my surroundings. Doing so will help keep my head clear (I hope) and not so focused on the time issue (which, in case you haven't noticed, consumes me).

Second, in the interest of sharing and, more importantly, keeping my sanity, I will be doing the social media "thang" during my stay in the Happiest Place on Earth. I'm not too used to the whole Instagram/Facebook/Twitter holy trinity (though I will be the first to admit it does wonders if you write a blog). However, in the interest of keeping my mind occupied as the clock moves ever-closer to the starting time, I will be sharing with whoever is interested, the whole goings on during Marathon Weekend including the Expo, which I will attend first thing on Thursday (after getting off the plane, of course). I will also be taking my trusty DSLR camera with me in case any "artistic" picture opportunities come up (think: My post 20 miles from Chicago) though those pics will have to wait for an actual blog post after I come back. Next time I write on this space, it will be to write the Race Recap of the race that started this whole thing. Can you believe it? I sure can't

So, if anyone is curious, you can check out my posts during Marathon weekend by:

1. Liking The Fat Runner on Facebook

2. Following me on Instagram @thefatrunner21

3. Or, following me on Twitter @thefatrunner21

You can also head over to the Run Disney site, look for Marathon Weekend on the events list and check out Runner Tracking. It is free for Run Disney races and if you look for me (Frank Pizarro or bib 10289) you can keep track of my splits through your phone, email or media account. (So if by the morning of the 13th, I haven't crossed the finish line, you'll know what happened)

Finally, there many of you out there specifically who I need to thank and I will write a post about that when I come back but I can't finish this post without thanking all you who have patiently sat down to read this blog over the last year and some odd moths (First post: August 2012). Like many people in my situation, there have been many attempts over the years to try and live a more active and healthier life. Many of us have been there: You try and nothing sticks. You start out excited and then that motivation slowly wanes. But somehow, this has stuck and it has been the awesome motivation I have received through this little space on the internet that has been a huge part of that. You will all be with me during those long miles at the Marathon. I hope I don't let you down.

Off to Florida!!