Have you ever had one of those moments where everything went so perfectly you just knew it had to be too good to be true?
Years ago, we planned what was shaping up to be the ultimate Disney vacation with some of our closest friends. We scored the resort rooms we wanted. Every dining reservation including the impossible ones. Even Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique reservations... not for one, two, or even three little girls... but all six. It was, quite literally, the most perfectly planned Disney vacation imaginable.
I've planned enough Disney trips over the years that I've seriously considered becoming a Disney travel agent. That's how much I love the planning process.
Then, as if things couldn't get any better, I decided to register for my very first runDisney race: the Wine & Dine Half Marathon in 2020. Somehow, I got in on my very first try.
Perfect vacation.Perfect race.Perfect timing.
And then...
COVID.
The vacation disappeared.
The race was canceled.
Like so many people, I watched plans I'd spent months dreaming about vanish almost overnight. I still trained as though the race would happen, but life looked very different back then.
Fast forward a few years.
My sister-in-law convinced me to run the 2025 runDisney Wine & Dine 10K. This time I secured a charity bib benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, raised $900, and trained as hard as I could.
Then race weekend arrived.
I ran both the 5K and the 10K, and somewhere between standing in the corrals before sunrise and crossing those finish lines, I caught the running bug.
If you've ever experienced a runDisney race, you know exactly what I mean.
The music.
The costumes.
The character stops.
The choir in robes singing as you run by.
The crowds cheering for complete strangers.
It's pure Disney magic.
Now here we are in 2026, and I'm headed back.
This year, I'm running for NMDP, the National Marrow Donor Program, helping raise money to support life-saving bone marrow and stem cell donations. And this year, I'm taking on the Two-Course Challenge: the 10K on Saturday and the Half Marathon on Sunday.
19.3 miles… one weekend.
That takes training.
It takes mental preparation.
It takes learning how to fuel well.
It takes grit.
It takes grace.
And most of all...
It takes training in real life.
Because training sounds romantic until summer shows up. A four-mile run in March when it's 45 degrees? Amazing.
A four-mile run in July with three kids home for summer break, a never-ending to-do list, and heat that makes you question every life decision you've ever made? That's a different story.
Some days I have a running buddy.
Some days it's just Jesus and me.
Some days I feel strong.
Some days I wonder if I've forgotten how to run altogether.
Some days I want to throw a full-blown five-year-old tantrum halfway through my workout.
My schedule changes constantly. I run three or four days a week. Sometimes at 9:00 in the morning. Sometimes at 10:00. Some days I have to lace up at 5:00 a.m. before the rest of the house wakes up. Other evenings I don't head out until nearly 8:00.
That's what training in real life looks like. You don't wait for perfect conditions.
You fit it in between making breakfast, folding laundry, answering emails, ministry responsibilities, and making sure everyone else gets where they need to go.
You run before church meetings.
You run after softball practice.
You run while dinner is in the crockpot.
You simply find a way.
The next challenge is fueling.
The furthest I've ever run is six miles. Soon I'll be doubling that... and then some. So I'm learning.
Trying different gels.
Testing hydration.
Figuring out what works.
Conquering hills.
Dodging tourists.
Listening to my body.
Doing everything I can to stay healthy enough to reach the starting line. But honestly? Some of my favorite moments happen when the run gets hard.
When my legs are tired.
When my lungs are burning.
When quitting seems like the easier option.
Because those are the moments when it's just Jesus and me. He hears every prayer. Every frustration. Every anxious thought. Every whispered, "Lord, help me make it one more mile."
Sometimes I ask Him to help me breathe literally. Other times, figuratively. Either way, He always meets me there.
I'm not fast. I'll probably never be the runner standing on the podium. But that's never been the goal.
The goal is faithfulness.
To keep showing up.
To keep putting one foot in front of the other.
To keep doing hard things, even when life refuses to slow down.
Because training isn't just for race day. God uses it to shape who we become long before we ever cross the finish line. And maybe that's true for more than just running.
Maybe He's teaching all of us that our greatest growth rarely happens when life is perfectly planned.
It happens in the middle of the ordinary.
In the interruptions.
In the heat.
In the messy schedules.
In the miles, we never thought we could run.
That's where endurance is built.
That's where faith grows.
That's where Jesus faithfully meets us … one step at a time.
XOXO Whitney