My first marathon was the hardest thing I've ever done, but running the race through the four parks of Walt Disney World with my mom made the pain worth it.
As I posed between Sadness and Joy from Disney’s Inside Out at mile 20, I thought about the irony of taking a photograph with these two characters. The emotions from the movie were the same emotions I felt during the race. I felt sadness from the shooting pain in my knee that started around mile 18, the dehydration, and extreme exhaustion. But, I also felt an overwhelming amount of joy knowing that the finish line was 6.2 miles away. The camera shuttered, and I continued running.