Imagine working really hard for something and then finally getting to do it.  That’s exactly how I felt when I finished my first ten mile race.  My first ten mile race was Disney’s Tower of Terror Ten Miler.  At first, I had no clue how I was going to be able to run ten miles at once.  But, I knew I had to start small so I began to train, gradually increasing my distance every run.  Finally, I went to Disney and had the time of my life running in the race.
When my mom first came to me and asked if I wanted to run a ten mile race at Disney I was a little reluctant.  When she said that it also started at ten at night, I was even more unsure.   But, my love for everything Disney related convinced me that I could do it and that it would be fun so I agreed.  Just as I uttered the word “Yes,” my Mom told me to get dressed because we were going running.  I was surprised that we were already starting to train but I got ready.  We started off running just three miles which, at the time, felt like a ton.  I felt like I got hit by a truck after running three miles and had no clue how I was going to work my way up to ten.  But, I pushed myself and eventually was running three times per week.  I increased by one mile each week and as time went on, I got faster and faster.  I also found that adding one mile to my distance every week wasn’t that hard to do.  When I first started training, I dreaded running in the heat and humidity.  But now, I couldn’t wait to run! 
But, being the typical teenager that I am, I slacked off.  As the day of the race got closer and closer, I started training less and less.  I had become too confident and the day before the race, I had only run up to eight miles.  However, I was not alone.  My mom had to stop her training because of a broken toe.  My mom seemed to have confidence that I could finish the race despite the fact that I still had to make up two miles.  She was very concerned about her injury and the fear of her not being able to finish the race was real.  But, we both agreed we were still going to run and push ourselves as hard as we could; and that’s exactly what we did.  As we headed to the race, we hoped for the best and had the confidence in each other that we would finish.
As my mom and I entered our race corrals, we looked around and saw the ten thousand other runners who were also about to embark on a grueling ten mile journey with us this evening.  We heard a countdown and suddenly the sky lit up with fireworks and we were off!  I was very excited as I was running, and made sure to give words of encouragement and plenty of high fives to my fellow runners.  Everyone was cheering each other on and it was such a great experience.  As I passed the eight mile marker, I did not feel as tired as I thought I would so I pushed on and eventually saw the finish line entered my sights.  I ran faster and faster until I was across.  I was tired but I had done it.  I got my race medal and some snacks and hoped that my mom would cross the finish line as well.  A few minutes later I saw her finish and was so happy I ran over and gave her a hug. 
We were both sweaty, tired, and in pain but we had done it.  By the time we had collected our thoughts it was two in the morning and by the time we got back to the hotel and into bed, it was four.  We knew that through all the pain and sleep deprivation, being able to say we finished and got our medals was worth it.  I woke up the next morning not being able to feel my legs but being the youngest one there, I was forced to walk across the hotel to get us breakfast.  Although it was a long and tough journey, it was worth it because it showed me that I could do anything I put my mind to as long as I properly prepared myself a little bit.