runDisney Post-Race Part 2: Princess Half-Marathon

Well, in case you couldn't tell by the medals around our necks, WE DID IT!!! It was easily the best/worst experience ever, but I'm so glad we did it!

In case you missed it, read about the Enchanted 10k in Part 1

Its honestly a miracle that I got any sleep at all, I was so nervous. But that 3 AM wake up call certainly came faster than I would have liked! After a bit of a wardrobe snafu (we were supposed to wear matching Wilderness Explorer tank tops, but mine was not cooperating and I wanted to be comfortable while running), we were out the door and on our way to the race!

There was certainly more of an electric buzz in the air on Sunday morning compared to the Enchanted 10k morning. And there were SO. MANY. PEOPLE. Apparently there were over 24,000 people signed up for the race, which makes for a very very large crowd. Walking around the start line/party area, I did notice that there were a lot fewer costumes than the previous race. There were still more tutus than I could count, but it was more “themed” running gear than costumes. Think Disney Bounding with athletic wear.

Because there were so many people, the start time of the race actually got delayed! We had a ½ mile walk to the corrals, and you could really see how many people were at the race. We befriended a fellow travel agent on our walk and she jokingly compared it to the Walking Dead, and let me tell you, she wasn’t very far off! Just a huge mass of tutus as far as the eye could see, sleepily shuffling to their corrals.

We were in corral N, and even though the race technically started at around 5:30, we didn’t actually start until around 6:30 (the sun had even started to rise)! When it was finally our turn to start, I was pumped up and ready to go! After the announcers’ countdown, they started playing “Zero to Hero” from Hercules and we were off!

Since we didn’t train or anything, we basically walked the whole time with a little jogging in between. This worked really well for us. The thing to remember at these types of races is that you need to stay focused on yourself and your own pace. So I was pleased with our pace the whole time.

I knew that there would be a ton of fun things to look at while on the course, so I didn’t even bother bringing headphones, and I’m so glad I made that choice. All along the race course there were characters, spectators (with clever motivational signs, naturally), and of course, DISNEY!!

At one point on World Drive, there was a montage video they were playing on a large jumbo tron they had set up. It was a montage of the princesses being awesome, overcoming large obstacles, and generally kicking butt. Because of the way the course was set up, I ended up passing this video twice. The first time I was very inspired (around mile 3 or so) and began to run a little more, puffed out my chest and all that. The second time (around mile 9 or so) I was feeling very discouraged and I saw that video and (remember what I said earlier about being very emotional?) cue the ugly crying. I ugly cried a lot, actually.

I couldn't wait to get to Magic Kingdom. Part of me felt like if we reached the castle, we could totally finish.

We went under the Magic Kingdom Sign.

And then past the Contemporary and towards Space Mountain.

Then we were through the park and on Main Street USA!

Nothing gives you a good adrenaline boost like running up Main Street with the view of the Castle right in front of you!

One of the absolute coolest things about the race was getting to run through the archway! And at this point, there were people already in the park cheering us on! It was great!

I had made it to the Castle! We were determined more than ever to finish.

I was pretty good up until mile 8 ish. We had not stopped for any characters along the route since we were worried about time, but by the golf course, they had a character the I was hesitant to pass up - tourist Genie in his full outfit, Goofy hat and all. Barry had met him on the 10k course and I was willing to sacrifice some minutes to wait in line. We got in line, all ready to wait when I turned around and saw….THE BALLOON LADIES! Panic-stricken at the sight of those balloon ladies, we decided to abandon our line and hop to it! (For those of you who have not done a runDisney race, the balloon ladies are women with giant balloons (they were sporting full length Cinderella balloons that day) tied to their waists and they are walking the race at a 16 minute mile. Basically, if you see them, start walking faster. And If they pass you, you’re booty is probably getting on the pickup bus.)

Even though we didn't get to actually stand in line and meet all of the characters, we made the most of it by taking quick selfies as we raced by!

Miles 7-12 were the worst, but they were kind of the most memorable, only because I really had to dig deep to keep going. Plus I was stressed out from the balloon ladies. I had heard a rumor that if you made it to mile 10, they couldn’t pick you up anymore, so we made it our mission to get to that mile. Once we passed mile 10, we walked up an exit ramp off the highway towards Epcot, the green army man was there to give a little extra push (I was very excited to see him, seeing him was another one of my goals)!

Once we got to the top of the overpass, we looked down at the people behind us and were shock to see they had barricaded the ramp and were picking people up! I felt bad for all those people who made it to mile 10, only to get picked up.

Throughout the race, we took selfies at each mile marker. Partly to prove to ourselves that we really did make it to each mile!

But guys, one of the coolest parts was that around mile 13, they had AN ACTUAL GOSPEL CHOIR. It was amazing. And totally made me cry (are you sensing a theme?). Video evidence:

Finally, we saw the finish line. I couldn’t believe I had made it.

Was I tired? Oh yes.

Was I sweaty? You betcha.

Was I sore in places I didn’t know could be sore? You bet your sweet gluteus maximus I was.

But we did it! Barry earned his Glass slipper medal and I did what i set out to do: finish! Holding hands, we crossed that finish line like the champs we were!

Even though at points I hated every second of it, I would totally do it again (and am actually planning on going with a large group next year)! The feeling of knowing I could do it was incredible, I was so proud of us!

After the race, I knocked another first off of my list: Ice Bath. Now, Barry (being an athlete) is used to having ice baths. ME? Not so much. Here, witness the most uncomfortable 6 seconds of my life:

But let me tell you, that crap actually works!!! My legs went from feeling tight and sore to loose and normal again!

And of course, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to be silly in the parks with our medals!

All in all, even though at times I was miserable, I would do it again in a heart best. Who knows? Maybe next year I'll tackle the Glass Slipper Challenge? And maybe do a little more training...