One thing that I forgot to mention about the EXPO... I chose to stay at the Boardwalk around the race so that after the race, it would be a quick walk through EPCOT to the hotel to shower and change. The Boardwalk was not a "host resort" though so that meant I would have to figure out my own transportation to get to the race. Although the BW is really close to EPCOT, there would be no other way to get to the start other than car. We had a rental car so that wasn't the problem as Tony didn't mind taking me. The problem is that I had to be there before 5am and that would mean waking the kids up super early to drop me off- not a fan of that plan! I saw a rumor on the DISboards that they had added an official bus to the Beach Club which is a neighboring resort. So, while at the EXPO I asked one of the people at race guest relations. He informed me that no- a bus had not been added, but I could talk to the Mears shuttle people to make arrangements. I walked over there just to see what kind of options there were. After asking where we were staying, she informed me that they had added a bus to the Boardwalk! Yippeee! After confirming it with her multiple times, I was elated! This meant I could get to the race in plenty of time while everyone else enjoyed their much needed Disney sleep!!!
Saturday after the kids races, we headed to Animal Kingdom. We even got to ride the last safari for the day which was awesome- lots of animals! We left there around 6 and headed to the Boardwalk. We had pasta and pizza for dinner and headed to the room to try to get some sleep. Before crawling into bed, I attached my race bib and Tony kindly attached my d-tag to my shoes. As much as I tried, I don't think I fell asleep until about 11pm! We had 2 alarms set and they promptly went off at 3am! Ouch!! I got up and quickly got dressed and ready. Until then, I hadn't realized how difficult it is to scarf down a bagel with peanut butter and banana.....so early to be eating! The bus service started at 3am and we had to be in our corrals at 5am. After reading about how bad the traffic can get and being anxious to get there, I left the hotel at 3:20! Tony snapped a picture before I left. I knew it was going to warm up quick, but wasn't sure about how it would be that early in the morning since I would have to wait about 2 hours before race time. So, I donned my arm warmers just in case. They are nice, but not really needed for too long this time around (and luckily they fit in my fuel belt). At the last minute I changed from a red shirt to hot pink to match the pink in my running skirt...a Princess has to match, right??? Next time I would stick with the red shirt to stand out a little more! I had my phone, sports jelly beans and ID in my fuel belt and was carrying my point and shoot camera (so so glad I took it- and surprisingly it didn't bother me at all to carry it the entire race).
As I walked through the lobby, there was a huge group of Team in Training people gathering. I walked straight out to the convention area and could hear a bus running before turning the corner. A few of us got on the bus and it took off about a couple of minutes later. Tony was keeping me company by text and was surprised at how fast we got there. The bus dropped us off on the far side of the parking lot, but the car traffic did look bad already. According to the time stamp on my pictures, we got to the parking lot at 3:45am! I was so excited!! I really thought I would be a basket of nerves prior to the race, but I wasn't at all. I was excited, but not nervous at all! Let's do this!!
After about a 10 minute walk from our drop off point to what would be the after race family reunion area you could start to see the mass of people. Oh- I forgot to mention that there were 16,000 people registered for this race! :-0 Somewhere around here, Tony stopped texting and went back to sleep. I continued to send him updates to keep myself occupied :-)
This my friends is the pre corral port-a-potty line! (I still cringe when I think of these things)
Over to the right side, there was this daunting sign... once you passed through here there was no turning back! :-) Let's goooooooo!
I really had no idea what was on the other side, but pressed forward to find...a lot of people waiting again! :-) The race instructions noted that there was a 20 minute walk from this area to the corrals- they weren't kidding! At 4:40, they opened the gate and we started that 20 minute walk- I really think that should count as part of our total miles as it was a mile in itself! Right before entering the corrals, there was another bunch of port-a-potties although I just wanted to get in the corral to be closer to the front. Since I didn't have proof of time for this race, I was placed in corral E. I was happy to find out that there was actually a corral F so I wasn't at the end!! There were roughly 3,000 people in each corral and they were checking bibs and enforcing your placement. There was a photographer in the ditch right near the potties- poor guy! I figured I might as well get a picture though.
On to the corral at 4:56am! We made it by 5am!!
Corral A didn't start until 5:45 so we had a little time to sit around! I talked to a few different people. Some people were there strictly to run and get a good time (ie no characters) and some were there more for the characters than the run (or walk) and some (like me) were there for the whole package! The Fairy Godmother was talking, but we were so far back that we couldn't really hear much. I later found out that they were talking to the two people from Survivor that were running. Didn't matter much to me since I don't watch that. At 5:45, the Fairy Godmother gave her blessing followed by fireworks and the first group was off! As each group went, we moved up. I raised my arms up (yeah, I'm not very tall) and snapped a picture of the group behind us...that's a lot of people!
And this is the group in front of us...hmmm how did all those people get in front of us??? ;-)
The Fairy Godmother...
This is a professional shot of the start from my CD. Every corral got the fireworks send off which was awesome!
As you can imagine, the first mile was a little slow trying to weave around people. I actually missed the sign for mile marker 1. Here we are running down the highway towards the Magic Kingdom! Actually I may have missed mile marker 1 because I was distracted by the lady in front of me stopping and announcing she was "going into the bushes" (which she did). Her daughter promptly said "You aren't a marathon runner if you haven't gone in the bushes". Um... OK, but it's mile 1...really?? Whatever! (For the record, there were A LOT of port-a-potties on the route).
One thing Disney does well for these races is to provide entertainment and encouragement! One of the first stops I saw was this Pirate Ship along the route to the TTC.
Right past it they had "Jack Sparrow" and his crew set up for photos. I guess since I've seen Captain Jack on Castaway Cay, I wasn't especially feeling this one and I didn't stop. There was also another stop with some Disney heroes- I remember seeing Tarzan but can't remember the others.
This was a cute display reminding me of Castaway Cay on our Disney cruise!
They put up this neat hot air balloon that looked like Spaceship Earth. On the way back, this site will be a trick!
Here we are heading under the TTC gate!! I even remember which lane I ran through and pointed it out later to my family as we drove though (hahaha). Actually the rest of our vacation was like that- after running a race through Disney, you see things in a whole new way- it's magical! I was really excited to run through here!
We quickly came upon mile marker #3! Woohoo- almost a 5k! Everyone at the water stations were so supportive- it was great! I think this might have been around the area of Richard Petty's driving experience. They had a car and a couple of drivers out for pictures, but didn't interest me enough to even snap a picture. Tony was getting text messages with my split times (5k, 10k, 15k, finish) and he sent me a text to say I was doing good- love him!
The days leading up to the race, I would stress a little about my time. Tony was always quick to remind me to not make this all about time. He said to stop and take pictures and enjoy the race- this is a unique experience. So, when I saw Lilo and Stitch up ahead, I knew I needed to take his advice! As soon as I stopped, Stitch was off for a break, but I got a picture with Lilo. The cast members there to take pictures for us were great and had the lines moving really fast! (ahhh...the love of no autograph books!!) Somewhere along this area, we also saw the winner making her way back on the other side- amazing! The first female crossed the finish line in 1:22. Actually the first guy crossed at 1:14 to SILENCE. Men can RUN the race, but can't start in corral A and can't be an official winner. Guess he was a show off though!
We hit mile marker #4 around the TTC. This was the first spot where there were a lot of spectators.
This was an emotional segment for me- we were getting so close to the Magic Kingdom! Anyone who has walked from the TTC parking lot to the monorails probably knows this little hill- it wasn't too bad though.
Once we got to the monorail, they had this drum band playing that was awesome!! Onward...
This was the dreaded hill right before the Contemporary Resort. You can't tell by this picture, but it's a pretty good dip in the road. When Tony ran the 5k last October, they had to run this hill going to the MK and also coming back- luckily we just had to do this one once! I was getting a little emotional knowing how close we were to the Castle at this point!
There was a DJ on top of the bridge encouraging us. In the distance of this picture, you can see the women coming up from this hill. He said that there were guys on a trampoline right past the bridge. There were, but didn't interest me.
Near the Contemporary, we hit mile marker #5!
This was a fun sight to see Space Mountain- Daniel's new favorite ride!!
This was basically just a speaker that was warning us that the paths through the Magic Kingdom were narrow and to take caution. They were narrow but I never ran into any problems.
After we passed the bus stops in front of the Magic Kingdom, we headed through a back stage door. There were cast members back stage that were encouraging us and telling us we were almost to the castle!
We came out between Exposition Hall and the candy shop (under construction). The cast members were saying "Welcome to the Magic Kingdom Princess"! The first sight of the castle was truly magical and yes I got teary eyed! While this was an awesome part of the race, it was also a little tricky. If you have ever been to the Magic Kingdom you'll understand.... Over one half of Main Street (left side when you enter) was lined with specatators. So the runners had a little less than half of the street to run down. Cast members lined the sidewalks on the right side. I did have to jump up on the sidewalk a few times to pass. Once we got to the hub, it thinned out again and was good. As much as I initially wanted my family to see me run through here, I was actually glad they hadn't tried to as it was just a sea of wall to wall people. And running through there was encouragement enough at this point!
Had a cast member snap this picture and I can't really remember why I posed like this. I guess this was my excited look?? Who knows! But there is the beautiful castle! :-)
The sun was rising as we headed into Tomorrowland! As you can tell in the pictures, there are a lot of walkers here and there, which caused me to weave in and out of people most of the race. People were very courteous though so it wasn't a problem. In the end, the weaving did put me at 13.28 vs 13.1!
When I saw Buzz, I knew I had to stop for a quick picture! He was great!
Although I didn't stop, a lot of runners were happy to have real bathrooms on the route. After Tomorrowland, we headed into Fantasyland. You can see the construction walls on the right and the newly renovated Winne the Pooh on the left.
Then the CASTLE!! Even with the construction, it was a beautiful site!! So Magical!
Right before entering the castle, they had a few photo ops. I saw this one and had no interest.
The line for Cinderella was really long. I was disappointed to not find Mickey and Minnie as I had vowed to stop for that one no matter the length. I later found out that Mickey and Minnie rotated with either Cinderella or the group above. Oh well- there's always next year!!
As we ran through the tunnel, they were playing the trumpets!
Coming out of the tunnel with a full view of Main Street!
Right after coming out of the castle, they had a line to the left to have your picture taken in front of the castle. This is a professional shot of us coming out of the castle. I am right under the flag on the right hand side of the picture and I'm looking towards the stage.
How many times can you get a picture like this on you and only you in front of the castle?? Such a beauty (the castle...not me!).
Right after the castle, we came upon mile marker #6 right in front of the Sleepy Hollow snack place that serves the oh so delicious waffles with whipped cream and strawberries. I would have loved one right then! But we did get one later that day :-)
An action shot from the professional pictures! See...I really did run! :-) Not sure what it is, but I really love this picture!
Headed into Frontierland and saw Jessie and Bullseye. I have seen some runner pictures that had Woody. Any of them were fine with me!
Heading towards Splash Mountain. We actually exited the park right beside Splash :-(
Horace Horsecollar was a little lonely with no one taking pictures so I ran over there for a quick snap.
As I said, we exited the park next to Splash Mountain. Once backstage, we saw a few float pieces with some photo ops. 
As we exited the backstage area, there was a firetruck with fireman sitting on top. Shortly after exiting the park, we came upon mile marker #7.
And then came upon Belle and Gaston (other pictures show the Beast as well). The line was about 10-12 deep but she's my favorite (as well as Arianna's) so I stopped. The line moved pretty fast. I took the chance to call Tony and he said the kids had just woken up. I talked to Daniel a minute and told him I was over halfway done! Tony asked how I felt and I really felt GREAT!!
This picture was when we were behind the Grand Floridian on one side and I think Shades of Green was on the other side. There were a few spectators out on this stretch. It would be easy if you were staying at the Poly or GF to just walk outside. One spectator had a huge cinnamon roll that his runner was chomping on. Looked good but I was sticking to my jelly beans (not that anything was offered to me anyway- ha!)
I might as well act like a Princess!
Goofy was hitting some shots on the golf course. I think this was at Shades of Green.
When we came around to the Hees gas station, they had a sports car revving up with a couple of shirtless guys saying "Come on, you know you want me". Um.... yeah, well not really. They may have made me run faster to get away from them! We were soon upon mile marker 8! Wow!
Leaving the TTC area and heading back to EPCOT. Do you see Spaceship Earth ahead? We were all thinking "Wow- we are so much closer than I thought"...which was quickly followed by "Oh man- that's that hot air balloon!!" There were some rather mad runners at that point, but it actually made me laugh out loud! Tricky Disney!!
This was a rather boring stretch of the road. I saw these signs to the side that said "Reading is fun"..."Reading reduces stress".... etc. At first I was confused and maybe getting tired, but I finally got it and started laughing again. They were just random facts to keep our mind off running. I think washing dishes burns 90 calories or something like that. It was a nice change. I think it distracted me so well that I missed marker #9- or I was on the wrong side of the street to catch a picture.
Wow- we've made it to mile marker #10!! I had never actually run this far to date! That in itself was an accomplishment!
Only 3.1 miles to go!!! We took the exit to the right here. It was one of those wrap around exits that seemed to last forever.
It was worse than a "hill" because it was just a long slow incline that felt like it would never end! A lot of people had to slow to a walk, but I pushed through and ran to the top! Near the top, you could hear the Green Army Man cheering us on!
This picture was once we got to the top of the overpass. It doesn't look like much to anyone who didn't run. But to those of us running, it was an AWESOME sight! Look at all those runners BEHIND us!! You can see runners in the distance on the road we just came from. Woohoo!! Nevermind that there were probably 8,000 people in front of us...there were a lot behind us too!
We made it to mile marker 11! Either right before this or after, I KNEW I had this made! Since probably mile 8, I was texting Tony my mile so he would have an idea of finish. It was just a simple "10" "11" etc.
Now we're heading to EPCOT!
This turn into EPCOT was a little rough. See how it has a gradual incline? It was hard! There were actually people dropping here and I had passed so so many people in medical tents on the way to here. I heard many people pleading with their running mates to keep going and there were a few that gave up at this point and just couldn't do it. This little stretch was probably my hardest.
But we pushed on!! The cups on the ground remind me of how amazing Disney volunteers and cast members were at cleaning up the route! They had people out cleaning as we ran and probably an hour after the race, you wouldn't even know anything happened! That's Disney for you!
Quick stop to see Mrs. Incredible! I was feeling pretty incredible myself!!
Oh my!! Mile marker #12!!! Can't believe I've made it this far!! So exciting!! And..now we're heading into EPCOT for the finish!!
We entered EPCOT to the side of Spaceship Earth I think. We ran down to the entrance to Worldshowcase, turned around and headed back out the park to the parking lot finish! Daniel loved this picture! I wanted a picture with Phineas and Ferb for Daniel but they weren't out when I ran by :(
Love this! And look at the beautiful tree peeking in the picture!
Heading up to mile marker #13! This is in the bag! Although I actually saw some runners down around this point :(
The home stretch to the finish line!!!
I did it! I crossed the finish line!! You can see some characters off to the left right before the finish line. I briefly thought about stopping for a picture, but didn't want to stop at that point- maybe next year :-)
Tony and the kids didn't actually see me cross the finish, but they were there and that's good enough for me! After getting sprinkled by the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique lady and getting my medal, I called Tony to find where they were. He had received my finish line text and the first thing he said was you were under 3 hours! I got choked up and had a hard time talking much less tracking them down. We finally found each other (thank goodness for cellphones!) and I did start crying. I cried out of pure joy over my accomplishment. This is something I really doubted being able to do months and even weeks ago. I'm not sure Tony realized what a big thing it was to me- only because he never had any doubts about me finishing- he knew I would. There was a minute or so once I stopped walking where I thought I would pass out. He quickly got me food and drinks and I was better. Picture with my #1 little fan!
My offiicial time was 2:59:04. I wore our Garmin watch and *tried* to remember to stop it when I stopped for pictures. I know I didn't always stop/start it if there was a really short line though. As you've seen, I stopped for quite a few photo ops which ate up some time. My Garmin time was 2:46:03 but I think "true running time" was probably a few minutes less than that. I went in with a realistic goal of "under 3 hours"- which I did accomplish! My 2nd goal was 2:40 which I think I would have almost made or made without stops. I'm not really disappointed with my time- I know that I could have gone a little faster, but that wasn't the whole goal of this race. I finished and I had a blast- THAT was my goal! Now, I'll have to get in more training and see what I can do NEXT time! :-)
We headed into EPCOT and grabbed fastpasses for Soarin' (one of my rewards from Daniel :-) ). We walked through EPCOT and back to the Boardwalk. I took a quick shower and changed while Tony finished packing as we were checking out that day (and into another resort). We loaded up the car and walked back to EPCOT. I had heard that it is good to keep moving after a long race to keep your muscles from being too sore. And we planned to do just that! The lady at the gate said she was shocked that I was back already- I said I'm starving and here for the food which she thought was very funny. She said I was in the right place for that! I could not believe how hungry I was that day...and the day after and the day after that...... when we got home I had lost 6 pounds- woohoo! (it didn't last, but it was nice for the moment :-) ). We grabbed some Fish and Chips in the UK and then ended up at the Electric Umbrella to eat (again). After sitting for about 30 minutes, I was getting sore. There was about an hour where I was really feeling sore, but after that I felt awesome!! I think my idea to keep moving worked for me. And love, love, love my Saucony shoes! After 13.28 miles, I didn't have a single blister!!I proudly wore my medal in the parks and received many congratulations throughout the day- it was nice!
Will I run another half marathon? I'm quite sure that I will! Would I run another Princess 1/2 Marathon? In a heartbeat!! I actually would love for Tony to run with me and he even said he would wear a tutu if it would help the cause :-) Not sure if I'll hold him to that part of the deal although there were quite a few men in Princess costumes. I told him he'll have to run slower to stay with me..he said that's ok because he'll need me to protect him anyway since men aren't always welcome. Actually, the men that were running and supporting their wives/ friends etc were fondly looked upon....it's the ones that tried to win the race that weren't. We are actually contemplating the Disneyland 1/2 and pretty sure we'll be at the Princess 1/2 next year. We'll have to see what we can work out regarding childcare so we can run together....that would be awesome! :-)
**While there were over 16,000 registered for the race, there were 13,090 women finishers and 684 men finishers. So quite a few either didn't start the race or had to drop out. Out of 13,090 women, I was #8,332. Not great, but not horrible**
Next post will be the Disney vacation that surrounded this awesome event!!
