ICYMI The Week on Front Row PLUS: Two ESPN employees log training miles preparing for Disney Princess Half Marathon

What’s the best way to set a fitness goal for yourself even if you haven’t regularly exercised in months, need to lose a pound or two and haven’t run more than a mile in years? For two ESPN Communications publicists, the answer is: sign up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World this Feb. 23. We chose this race because where better for two Disneyphiles to be inspired than at the “happiest place on earth” alongside tens of thousands of inspiring women?

NBA and MLB publicist Kristen Hudak and I began our training journey last October, employing the same approach used two years ago by my friend, and KIA NBA Countdown host and SportsCenter anchor, Sage Steele. That training – guided by the Jeff Galloway run/walk method – was the basis for Sage’s espnW chronicle of her training.

We’ve had some ups and downs… starting off strong in October, seeing an inconsistent November because of colds and work schedules and last month with holidays and all — was a total crapshoot. Still, we constantly use Sage’s training and her finish as our inspiration.

Now, it’s a new year and with resolutions on our minds, we’re ready, with 40 days to go until the event, to make training a priority. We’re lucky in that there are about a zillion marathon runners at ESPN offering tips and encouragement; a fitness center on campus open all day long to go to if it’s too cold outside in Bristol; and — in general — an overall supportive environment for health and wellness. Most importantly, Kristen and I have each other, something every health expert recommends. Someone there, motivating you at every turn to stay in the game, even when you’ve secretly given up or don’t want to run that day.

We’re looking forward to fulfilling this goal — like so many other runners do every day. We’ll update our progress closer to race day and you can follow us on twitter (@KatinaESPN and @KristenESPN).

By Katina Arnold

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