I recently signed up for the runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon, which you can see from this post here how the runDisney marathon has become one of the most popular marathons in the world.

When I went to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I got to experience the fun and excitement of a runDisney race. My kids got to experience something similar when we visited Disney as part of a DisneyKids trip. You can see their medals and post-event smiling faces here!

New Balance even provided us with our running kicks. New Balance holds a special place in my heart since it is a Boston-based company and well, I’m Boston based too! Love the local connection, even connecting across the country at Disneyland! I tried out the during the run (and a couple of days walking around Disneyland and Disney California Adventure) and they were GREAT sneakers! Comfortable, provided the stability I needed, and I loved the look. Sorry, but the look of running shoes is just as important to me. Most stability running shoes look like something my grandfather would wear. Yes, I have a bad gait but it doesn’t mean I have to have bad fashion while running 2 miles.

We got up really early in the morning for our 2 mile Disney Moms runDisney fun run. (5:30am to be exact). After learning more about New Balance, and runDisney, we got some running tips.

1. Posture means standing up straight. Leaning back or forward can strain various body parts. Raise your hands high in the air and then drop them down when you are running. It will help you get back in alignment.
2. Midfoot means running so that your foot hits towards the bottom of the fleshy part of your foot. Running on the front of your foot (more on the toes) or on your heels makes it really tough to run, and can strain muscles and cause injury.
3. Cadence is your running rhythm. When you want to go faster, swing your arms more, not your legs. Plus, finding a good cadence will make running comfortable.
4. Lean means running with a good stride. Think about kicking out your heels to get a good stride, rather than leaning forward with your hips.

Once we got these running gait tips, we started running! We got to run through Downtown Disney, Disneyland and California Adventure, and finished our race in Radiator Springs in Carsland. Lightening McQueen himself was waiting to congratulate us! (Sorry for the camera jumping up and down but, well, I was running. :))

Thanks to my New Balance sneakers, I definitely had some Vroom in my step. I finished the two miles in my fastest time ever since having my two kids! And it is huge accomplishment after the surgery I had last year. My recovery from that has been a long one, but when I get to do things like this again, it is so worth it!

Here’s a brief video from the running adventure that morning. I hope it inspires you to get out on a run. Yes, I know, we run after our kids everyday, but think about signing up for a local race (especially one that allows jogging strollers so the little ones can be part of the race, or one that has a kids fun run too) and then think about signing up for a runDisney event. No, you don’t have to be as nuts as me in signing up for the Walt Disney World marathon. runDisney has lots of races from 5k (3.1 miles), 10k (6.2 miles) and half marathons throughout the year and both at Disney World and Disneyland.
 

See you at the finish line!