Disney: Princess Half Marathon Recap

FInally a race recap!

I left off on my last post with our 3 AM wake-up call. My dad made sure we were awake and ready to go. He made our coffee while we brushed our teeth and gathered our materials. I packed us a baggie for breakfast: almond butter, bananas, bagel, protein bars, etc. Even though I was nervous and had little to no appetite, I forced myself to eat something. Mom and I were out the door by 3:20. I started out the door without my mom because I was in a hurry to get there! I held the elevator for her as she ran down the hallway. Classic.

We had a bus waiting for us right outside the door and literally zero issues! Everything went flawlessly. That really put me at ease before the race. 

We arrived at the Epcot parking lots and walked to the pre-race area. Only at Disney would they have a DJ and a dance party and stand-up comedians in costume before a race. It was a real party! We settled in and ate our breakfasts. We had plenty of time until we had to be at our corrals. Mom and I hung out for a bit and people watched at all the insane and creative costumes!

We hugged one last time and separated to walk to our corrals - and boyyy it was quite a hike. Pretty sure we walked at least 2 miles before the race even started. As soon as Mama Q and I separated, I had a lump in my throat. I can imagine that I nailed the "deer in headlights" look as I walked to my corral.

At 5:30 on the dot, the first corral was announced to start the race! Every 5 minutes, fireworks went off to signal the next corral's start. Suddenly, the crowd was a sea of smartphones taking pictures and videos of the fireworks. 

The announcers were pumping up the crowd and asked if there were any first-time half marathoners and I was kinda standing there frozen slightly nodding my head. One exceptionally kind woman could see how visibly nervous I was and she patted my back and said "Enjoy every mile, it's a fun race!" And I did just that!

At 5:50 AM, I was crossing the start line! Every mile of this race had incredible  entertainment: Disney characters, Polynesian drum lines, DJs, comedians, cheerleaders, marching bands, and a Gospel choir ironically placed at mile 13.

The crowds of spectators at Epcot and Magic Kingdom were everything I could have hoped for. Their incredible, positive energy was palpable and it was truly an unforgettable feeling. Runners were giving high fives to the spectators and volunteers. The signs they made were entertaining and hilarious! Some of my favorites were: "Chafe now - Wine Later" or "Will Run For Burritos" or "You thought they said RUM, didn't you?!" Around mile 8, a spectator pointed right at me and shouted, "Hey Minnie Mouse - you go girl!" The crowds really did keep my spirits up! 

We arrived at Magic Kingdom from a secret side entrance at Main Street USA. I was running down the street as the sun was rising and I nearly had tears in my eyes I was so overwhelmed. The crowd was absolutely going wild for the runners - makes me happy just reliving it as I write! I stopped for a quick selfie or 2 or 87 with the castle in the background. 

Yes, I was focused on running but I also wanted to take advantage of this time running at the park. We ran through the entire park and at that point on my playlist, I was jamming to my favorite Disney songs! We passed through every section of the park and I was so excited to be approaching the castle. The Queen Elsa and Anna and Kristoff characters from "Frozen" were at the castle balcony waving and cheering on the runners. Everyone were just going nuts as we ran through Cinderella's Castle. 

I truly enjoyed every mile. Once I saw the sign for Mile 10, I actually said out loud "But I don't want it to end!" I was having way too much fun out there. I followed my sister's advice and stopped at every water station whether I was thirsty or not. I made sure to thank the volunteers at the water stations because I can't imagine what an exhausting day it is for them too.

I called my dad at Mile 10 to give him an update (but he was receiving live text updates on my pace) and his shuttle bus got lost and he was nervous he wasn't going to make it in time. My heart sank. I tried to remain focused for the last couple of miles.

Almost at Mile 13!

As I was approaching the finish line, I was scanning the crowds for my dad and I spotted him! I was so relieved and I kept my eye on that finish line. With every ounce of effort and the beauty of adrenaline, I just started sprinting. 

It was all so emotional I just started tearing up. I received my medal and a little pixie dust from the Fairy Godmothers at the finish line. Immediately, I got a congratulatory text from my sister who had been getting my live updates. I was happy she could follow along even at a distance. My dad found me afterwards and hugged me and I just started crying. I honestly couldn't believe I pulled it off.

We met up with my uncle and cousins in time to watch the rest of the race! My brother called me when we were in line to get into Epcot to congratulate me. It meant a lot that my siblings were so actively involved in the whole process even if they couldn't be at the actual race. 

Now that I was done, it was time to focus on Mama Q! We reentered Epcot and went to the exact same spot where we watched Allie in her marathon. I was a little nervous that my mom was going to be hating it. When we spotted her, she was upbeat and smiling and really enjoying herself! I am so proud of her for kicking some serious half marathon ass.

Keeping with tradition, the Q's (and my cousins) headed to England at the World Showcase for fish n' chips and a round of beers. 

Overall, racing at Disney exceeded all of my expectations. I had such a fun time! I will absolutely do another Disney race again in the future - my goal is to do the Wine and Dine Half in 2016!

The black blob right in the middle of the pic is my tutu!

Disney: Pre-Race Weekend Activities

Without further ado... finally a Disney recap! But first, pre-race activities!

The Princess Half was such an unforgettable experience, I love reliving it all in my noggin as I write this post.

We arrived in Disney World on Friday afternoon and after dropping our bags at the hotel, my mom and I went off to explore the expo. While we were waiting for our shuttle to go to the expo, we were chatting with another mother-daughter running duo and they had done the race years prior. They told us the nightmare experience they had the morning of their race trying to get buses to the starting line and there was a bus shortage. They missed their corral start times! We were getting a little panicked, me especially because I had a pretty early corral start. We discussed that whatever happens, we weren't going to lose our cool because that doesn't fix anything. We tried to remain as positive as humanly possible! 

On our way to the Expo!

We arrived at the expo and I remember being there last year for my sister's Disney race. The energy there was just amazing. I couldn't believe I was there again and it was my turn to pick up my packet and bib. My mom and I were seriously so giddy!

We picked up a few goodies - we both got magnets for our cars, mom got a cute headband, and I got a new long-sleeved running shirt that says "Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world" (it's my new favorite and I can't wait to wear it running this spring on the canal path).

After the expo, we met up with my Aunt Mercy and Uncle Eric and cousins, Jack and Dane. We always have such a fun time with them, especially on vacation and especially at Disney World. 

We had a deeeeelicious dinner. I was not shy about stuffing my face after a day of traveling. Pretty sure I got 3 or 4 servings of dessert. I was saving up calories to burn on race day! We made it back to the hotel just in time to see the Epcot fireworks from our hotel window. Nothing warms my heart more than fireworks at Disney. 

Saturday morning was supposed to be my "rest day" and happened to be the busiest day! We woke up early and walked over to Epcot to see our brother's friend Mandi and her kids run in the 200m dash. It was beyond adorable watching so many little kids running to the finish line with their bibs and receiving medals. It really got the kids excited about racing! I had never met Mandi and the kids before that day but I am so glad we finally did. Lila loved our matching braids and loved showing off her new medal. AND she said that she was excited for her next race! Ladies and gents, we have ourselves a tiny runner.

Afterwards, we bused over to Hollywood Studios and did a few rides and shows there where we'd be able to sit and rest our feet. We saw the car stunt show (haven't done that in decades) and it was super cool. 

Some of my favorite guys!

Off to Magic Kingdom! (Yes, we went to 3 parks on our rest day... woops) The #1 ride I must go on is Space Mountain - check!

We went to a yummy dinner at the hotel next to ours for some carbo loading. I didn't want to eat too much because it would upset my already nervous stomach the night before the race. I walked back to the hotel early in order to have lights out by 9 PM. 

By the way, my prediction was correct. I got minimal sleep that night due to nerves. I woke up around midnight to check the alarm on my phone because I was afraid it wasn't going to go off. I could not, for the life of me, fall asleep again. I got about 2 1/2 hours. Yikes.

Next up: Half Marathon Recap!