Why is this a Big Deal?

Hi there!  I'm Kristen, also known as "DVC Mom" for my love of Disney and popular website dedicated to living a magical life.  You may be on this page because you wanted to learn a little about me, or maybe because you wondered why I would start a training journal for something as small as a 5K.  I mean it's not like I'm doing a marathon, right?  I've even stated that I'll probably be walking the 5K instead of running it.  So what's the big deal?

The big deal is that I'm getting out there and going to do this!  It doesn't matter what the distance is or that I'm walking it, it's a matter of not being beat by a painful debilitating condition and living my life to it's fullest. 

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (Fibro) about a decade ago.  Fibro is a disorder of the central nervous system is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.  When I say that Fibro sucks, it's not just me being rude.  Fibromyalgia is a draining chronic condition, and when it flares up it can feel like the life is truly being sucked out of you. When Fibro flares up sometimes all you can do is crawl in bed and cry.  Living with an invisible disease can be difficult, because many times people think that you're faking or just can't cope with life.  It can often be a struggle just to make someone understand how much pain I'm in, or how difficult it can be to put a thought together from day to day.

Sometimes you'll hear me refer to "spoons"which is a way to explain how I'm feeling.  If my "spoon drawer" is full or empty, if I need to save spoons or borrow some is a way to analogize how I'm feeling.  Spoon theory is a wonderful analogy used throughout the chronic pain community from the woman behind http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/.

In October of 2010 I was feeling fantastic, I had taken up walking and I was able to do a 5K in Walt Disney World with my kids.  It was a crazy amount of fun.  However in the year since then my I put my back out, spent six months in physical therapy, and then suffered a Fibro flare that has made it extremly difficult to get out and train.  I was registered to walk that same 5K in 2011, but I let the pain get to me and instead of getting it done I spent half of my vacation in a wheel chair, and didn't even go cheer for my friends.  That left me with a feeling of total and complete failure. To think that I could easily walk a 5K a year ago, but that I've let my pain get the better of me and can't do it any more is maddening.

On top of that, I was once again rejected by the WDW Moms Panel and didn't move forward in the process. One of my friends suggested that I plan a trip to do the 5K over Princess Half Marathon Weekend as a consolation prize, and that's where this journey starts.

Update:  I rocked that Royal Family 5K in 2012, but then my life went a little bananas.  The 2013 Princess 1/2 Marathon did NOT happen, but I haven't given up the dream!