Getting so excited!!
Well, next Saturday is the 2018 Walt Disney World Half Marathon – part 3 of the Dopey Challenge and the beginning of the Goofy Challenge!!
This will be my 4th time tackling this particular 13.1 Magical Miles! Last year doesn’t count since…it actually didn’t happen (until April when Angela and I ran through Celebration in the mid-day heat!!) Even though I’m not as well-trained as I’d like to be, I’m really looking forward to spending a few hours hanging out with some special people.
One of those special people who will be out on the course is Sasha MacDougall. She won a contest that Cigna runs each year where employees can win a trip to Marathon Weekend and run the race of their choosing! And, reading about Sasha, she may be as Disney nutty as a lot of my running friends!!
Sasha has a magical goal: to visit every Disney park in the world. In October, her visit to Hong Kong Disneyland was made extra-special when her boyfriend proposed in Tomorrowland! She’s now eagerly anticipating running her first half-marathon at Disney World in January with her fiancé and friends there to cheer her on.
An avid rock climber, she only recently took up running after deciding to get more fit and needing an activity she could do anywhere. It didn’t go as smoothly as she expected. Sasha explains, “I started off with a ‘couch to 5k’ app, and couldn’t run for more than 15 seconds! It was so embarrassing- I guess I wasn’t as healthy as I thought.”
Working out at the gym with fellow climbers, she began to improve her endurance through a 12-week program. She credits Cigna’s work-life balance with having the time to devote to wellness. Over time, she worked on her form, breathing and taking shorter strides- and invested in better running shoes! In the lead up to Disney, Sasha is considering joining a running group as longer runs can get monotonous. She’s also more conscious of what she eats as that impacts her runs, but confesses, “I wish I could say I am eating better, but running excuses having half a pizza!”
As she built up to running 10 minutes at a time, she needed a new goal she felt passionate about to keep her motivated, so she entered the Cigna contest. She sported a long red Ariel wig in her video submission because The Little Mermaid is her inspiration. “I watched that movie every day as a kid and Ariel was my favorite princess, but the more I watch it as an adult, I see that she won’t accept things at face value. Ariel challenges herself, and the inspiration lies within her. Now I say to myself, I CAN run a half marathon!”
She’s only been with Cigna for a year, working in Nashville for Internal Audit. Her goal is to finish the Half in 3 hours – Good luck Sasha and have a great time!!! And yes, You most definitely CAN run a half marathon!!
outrunningthefork 
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