Princess half

Race Recap: 2018 Disney’s Princess Half Marathon

March 27, 2018 By Lindy 1 Comment

Disney’s Princess half marathon is a wonderful experience for novice and experienced runners, and those of us in between. It is the perfect girlfriend getaway vacation, filled with the magic of Disney.

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon was the race I first ran back in 2013 and the race which sparked my love for running. A few weeks ago, I went down for the 10th Anniversary of run Disney’s Princess half, but also my 5th running anniversary, where I met up with my best running girlfriends for a weekend of eating, drinking, and running Disney. I booked the hotel rather late, and all that was available was All-Star Movies. While it isn’t my favorite resort, I’ll take staying in the parks rather than outside. It’s so much easier to get around and not have to rent a car or Uber.

Unless there are items I am interested in buying at the expo, I typically avoid going to the expo on day one. The crowds are insane everywhere! Once you arrive at ESPN Wide World of Sports (there are buses running frequently from all Disney World resorts), there are two stops: one is to pick up your bib and race shirt; the other building has the expo merchants. This year, I noticed they had a building dedicated to carrying all runDisney merchandise.

I’ve been extremely busy and had no time to put together a race costume and most likely will not have one for Star Wars, which is a bummer. I looked around at the expo and did see a few items that would work well for a costume but being that I didn’t go on day one to the expo (wasn’t planning on buying a costume), everything in my size was sold out. My friend was coming down a day later, so I asked her to pick up an Eagles hat at the airport, and I quickly threw an outfit together – a dark green Lululemon top and black skirt. Combined with the hat, I decided I would run as an Eagles Princess; fitting since they just won the Super Bowl. Go Eagles!!

I spoke with Jeff Galloway, Olympian and creator of the run-walk-run injury free program and asked for his advice. If you’re ever at the expo, please pay him a visit. He is truly the most genuine and nice person and gives great advice. I explained to him that I’ve had my share of injuries in the past 2 years and that my last run was 6.5 miles on Christmas Eve. His suggestion was to run 15 seconds and walk 30 seconds.

Race morning came and my friend and I had some fruit, coffee and some carbs. The resort had free coffee on race morning, which was really nice. Disney suggests runners taking bus transportation to the start line board buses no later than 3:30 AM, and monorail passengers board no later than 4:00 AM. Since my friend missed the expo, we had to stop at runner relations in the morning to pick up her bib, so we boarded the bus at 3:00 AM. The weather was a bit cool, but it was expected to be warmer than usual for February, and warnings were placed everywhere reminding people to hydrate and dress appropriately for the warm temperatures.

Corrals were going off every 5 minutes or so. Race announcers Carissa and Rudy were great at keeping the crowds entertained and informed when their corral would take off. My corral took off 45 minutes after the elites/A corral. My Gymboss timer set for the run/walk ratios that Jeff Galloway suggested and started run/walk after a quick 5 minute warm up.

I was feeling great and decided to increase the run intervals to 30 seconds (bad idea). I felt my hamstrings start to burn a bit, and before it got worse, I stopped at the first medical tent and rubbed Biofreeze on my hammies. Once that kicked in, I was good, until my right foot started to ache. I’ve never had issues with my feet while running, so this struck me as odd and concerning. I stopped at the second medical tent briefly, sat down and massaged my foot for a minute and was back on my way with no other issues, thank God!

I was doing great time-wise. Aside from those two medical tent stops, I stopped to use a real bathroom (wait was over 10 minutes but SO worth it), because let’s face it, no one wants to use a port-a-potty unless deemed necessary. Stopped for a photo op shortly after mile 11, because Jack. Enough said!

Run Like you left the crock pot on -“This is Us”

It sure wasn’t my fastest half time, but it wasn’t my slowest either. I’m extremely proud of myself for finishing despite the fact that I didn’t train for it. I really have not been motivated, and the fact that winter doesn’t seem to want to leave doesn’t help either.

I have two races coming up so I am training for those. They are: Star Wars half and the Broad Street Run, America’s largest 10-miler and one of my favorite races ever. Stay tuned.

P.S. What’s on your race calendar for 2018?

runDisney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend

April 26, 2013 By Lindy Leave a Comment

This evening, I did a run/walk hybrid. I ran a 5K, then walked the rest to complete 5 miles. Increasing speed lengthened my stride, so I need to work on that and get back to yoga, which helped recovery tremendously!

In other news, I’m sure you’ve heard by now about the runDisney Princess Half Marathon weekend Glass Slipper Challenge.

This challenge entails running the Enchanted 10K on Saturday, and the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. The Royal Family 5K will still be available.

For those lucky enough to want to go Coast-to-Coast in 2014, a special pink C2C medal will be offered to runners participating and finishing Tinkerbell Half Marathon in January at Disneyland and Princess Half Marathon in February at Disney World.

I love pink, glitter and bling and coveting this gorgeous inaugural medal.

Isn’t it pretty?

Registration for the Princess Half Marathon weekend races opens up June 11th with a limited availability of registrations for Tinkerbell. Those unable to secure a spot for both races at the time registration for Princess opens can register for Tink July 9th.

Time to start saving, planning costumes and more!! I hope I can do both next year!!

See you at the finish line,

Lindy

runDisney’s Princess Half Marathon recap

February 28, 2013 By Lindy 24 Comments

On Sunday, February 24th, I took part in the most amazing, most challenging thing I’ve ever had the courage to do: run a half marathon. I say this because I’ve never considered myself a runner.

In middle school I ran track, and I was fast. Once I entered high school I didn’t participate in sports and I quickly fell out of love with running. As I got older, I attempted running again but found it frustrating. I couldn’t run half a kilometer to save my life! This changed last May when I spent a week in Walt Disney World and picked up a Women’s Running magazine at the airport, that’s when I saw an ad for runDisney runs. I was sold! Anything to go back to Disney? Yep.

On Saturday, I carbo loaded at lunch, a meal of spaghetti with marinara sauce and bread at Pizzafari in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I drank more water than I normally drink in a few days. I was feeling both excited and nervous. I kept telling myself, “You can do this!” I wanted to prove myself wrong, but to prove to others-who very much talked behind my back, saying, “She can’t do this.”- that in fact, I could do it.

Laid all my clothes out the night before and set alarm clocks on my iPhone at 15-minute intervals: 2:00, 2:15, 2:30. I wanted to be at the bus stop by 3 am since I had a race retreat and wanted to sit and relax before heading to the corrals.

The bus at the Art of Animation resort was already there and there were no lines. The ride was about 20 minutes with traffic into Epcot. The parking lot had lots of tents: ice tents, medical tents, bag check-in and the race retreat tent. I walked in and helped myself to some pre-race treats. They offered bagels with peanut butter, jam/jelly, muffins and coffee/tea. It was also nice to have a private port-a-potty!

I left around 4:15 and walked outside once the announcement was made that runners needed to make their way to the corrals. A volunteer checked my bib and told me to follow the crowds and the corrals would be there in about 20 minutes. Talk about a nice warmup!

The weather was cool but not cold, and once at the corrals, I placed my sweater on the fence. There were cardboard bins for clothing but I saw runners throwing trash in there!!

A volunteer checked bibs to ensure that you were entering the correct corral, however, I saw people climbing the fence and getting into earlier corrals, which really annoyed me. The corrals were crowded and it was difficult to get back if you needed to use the potty, so I can see how some people used that to their advantage to climb into earlier corrals.

At 5:30, fireworks went off and off went the wheelchair participants, and every 7 minutes after that, a corral was off and running. I was placed in H, which took off at 6:24 AM.

Miles 1-2 seem to pass by quickly and soon I was looking for that 5K mark. I signed myself for runner tracking and about 5 secs after passing the mark, I received a text message. I passed Captain Jack Sparrow and the ship on my left, the villains on my right, but the lines were too long to stop and have a picture taken. As much as I wanted to stop, I couldn’t, I was worried about being in the last corral and being swept. I just had to run.

The field was crowded and there were a lot of walkers. There were walkers to my left, to my right, runners on the left and right, and runners bobbing and weaving through crowds just to get through. A one point, I ran about 1/4 mile on the grass and it hurt my hips, badly. I just couldn’t get by!

The crowd seemed to spread out once we were about to enter Magic Kingdom and it was exciting to see that I made it that far. Made a left turn around Space Mountain and on my left, I saw a band playing drums and it made me smile.

Once entering Magic Kingdom, there were crowds on both sides of the ropes, cheering people on, clapping, holding signs, and I was pumped. Running through Main Street USA and seeing the castle up ahead, and the field became congested. At that point, I couldn’t run anymore, I had to walk, slow. The lines were long and I really wanted a pic with Mickey and Minnie, but again, I worried about timing. Once walking through the crowded Cinderella Castle, photographers were set up to take pictures in front of the castle. I waited about 3 minutes and I was well on my way.

Half Way mark!! Alicia Keys’, “Girl on Fire” played on loud speakers.

I HAD to stop and have my picture taken with Lilo and Stitch….I just love Stitch 🙂 I felt like such a kid when I saw Stitch, I’m like, “Stiiiiiitch!!!!!” 🙂

Outfit: Headband, Cindy Blue Skirt – Sparkle Skirts | Shirt – Raw Threads |

Arm Sleeves – Team Sparkle | Compression Capris – Under Armour |

Sneakers – Nike Lunarglide +3 | Socks – Feetures | Hydration Belt – iFitness

10k mark and my body felt like I hadn’t even run that far! I stopped at every water/Powerade station and had a cup of each. I have issues with dehydration and that was the last thing I needed to worry about.

Mile 10 and I was really starting feeling the heat. The humidity was getting to me and I kept looking for the next water station. My legs felt tired, but it never crossed my mind to slow down and quit when I was so close. On I-4 and the exit sign for Epcot when I noticed it was a hill leading to an overpass. Well, that hill was killer. I ran/walked up that hill and regained strength to get me through the last 2 miles.

Spectators once again cheered on and when I saw the choir on my right, I wanted to cry. I was out of breath, choking on my tears. Seeing that choir meant the end was just around the corner. I couldn’t slow down! I remember saying I my head, “I want this soooo bad!”

Turned a corner and there it was, the finish line. I ran faster from excitement, there were spectators in bleachers cheering on, and arms held high, I crossed that finish line, with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. A lady approached me with a medal, took my pic and walked off feeling like I was walking on clouds. Days later, it all still feels surreal. I did it!!!

I’d like to thank runDisney for giving people an opportunity to make their dreams reality. So many runs are not walker-friendly and it was nice to see runners of all ages and backgrounds get off the couch and attempt a half-marathon.

Thank you to the volunteers who provided us with water, Powerade and fuel to finish this run. The volunteers who cheered us on from the sidelines, you have no idea how much your encouragement helped, at times when my mind wanted to quit.

Thank you to my Mom, who believed in me when no one else in my family did. I love you!

Last but not least, to the Princess Posse. You are all amazing and I could not have done it without you.

I realize this is starting to sound like I won an Academy Award, ha!! (Sorry)

I’m already looking forward to next year’s Princess Half, but first, I’m off to California for Disneyland Half Marathon.

See you at the finish line!

Lindy

Disney’s Fit for a Princess Expo

February 27, 2013 By Lindy Leave a Comment

This year, the Fit for a Princess Expo was held at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort instead of its usual place, ESPN’s Wide World of Sports due to the Atlanta Braves Spring Training.

Buses arranged for picking up guests at the Disney resorts, leaving approximately every 20-25 minutes. I went Friday morning. Once there, there were stations where you could access your waiver, print it, sign it, and head to the various booths where you could pick up your bib. If you had a 10K or above time to submit, this is where you would hand that in and get your corral placement changed. I didn’t have a time, therefore I stayed where I was placed, in the back, H.

The expo felt crammed. The distance between the vendors and the bib booths was enormous, and it would have been nice to have had those spaces spread out. It was difficult getting to the vendor booths, and even more difficult figuring out where the lines started.

I got in line to pick up the race bag, which contained some goodies: a purple 5th anniversary Princess Half Marathon tech shirt, a pink mesh backpack, a temporary tattoo and other goodies, all in a clear runDisney bag which you would use as your race check in bag at the half. The line wrapped around the building but it moved fairly quickly. It was frustrating at first but the volunteers did a wonderful job and I was in and out of that line in about 20 minutes. While standing in line, actor Sean Astin walked past. I was too shy to say hi, although everyone says how nice he is and is very receptive to taking pics with fans. Next run I’ll chill out for sure.

There were lots of vendors and I picked up some Nuun tablets and a Cinderella shirt from Raw Threads. I could have bought the entire stock of Raw Threads merchandise, seriously! I was coveting the runDisney New Balance Minnie Mouse sneakers, and by the time I got to the booth, all that was left were sizes below 8. I’m an 8.5, go figure! I picked up the Princess New Balance sneakers and I’m glad I did. They are fabulous!!! The staff at New Balance even threw in some tiara-printed laces and a tiara that lit up. All is good!!!

I worked a few hours at the Sparkle Skirts booth with Leah Powell (genius creator of Sparkle Skirts) and a few other princesses. I earned the highly-coveted Merida sparkle tech skirt, for my next race! So exciting!!

The runDisney merchandise booth could not be touched, it was just insane in there!!! I returned on Saturday to see that the crowds thinned out a lot more, and I was able to pick up my “I did it!” shirt at the runDisney booth. No jackets or green 5th anniversary tech shirts left. I’m mad at myself for not getting the pins either, what was I thinking?!? 🙁

Towards the back, a stage was set up and they had several people speak. I stood and watched Jeff Galloway, Olympic runner, speak about training and running techniques; nutritionist Tara Gidus, and Ali Vincent, first female winner of NBC’s The Biggest Loser. It was inspiring to hear them talk about what makes you a winner, and having the courage to start a race makes you a winner. It’s not easy, but it’s good to know you’re not alone. All speakers were available to take questions, and they were nice to allow princesses and princes alike to photograph with them.

Jeff Galloway

Ali Vincent

Aside from the fact that it was just so crowded, the Fit for a Princess Expo was a wonderful opportunity to meet people, get some advice for this race and future races, and if you forgot your race gear or wanted to change it, everything you needed was right there, from KT Tape to Yurbuds to Sparkle Skirts and all kinds of running shoes. It met my expectations, and can not wait until next year. Hopefully runDisney will accommodate the crowd better.

Until next time, see you at the finish line,

Lindy

Princess Half Placement

February 4, 2013 By Lindy Leave a Comment

This afternoon, by means of the “back door” we were able to see our run waivers and our bib number. I have been rather upset by this, not just because my number is so high, but because I’m likely to be placed with walkers, when I am planning on running it. I’m not slow but not fast either. I can run a 10-11 minute-mile most days and some, a 12-minute mile, depending on the day.

So I’ve done my crying and my ranting, debated canceling my trip altogether, but I’m staying put. It just means I have to veer to the left and run like hell to give myself some cushion to stop for potty breaks and pictures and to avoid getting swept. My goal is to finish, not go to set a PR, I’ll leave that for another race.

I had an okay run this afternoon, on the dreadmill: 6.9 miles in 1:23, a 12-minute mile average pace. Not only was I angry (because I was on the dreadmill when I found out bib numbers) but I felt exhausted, dehydrated and just plain unmotivated. I hope to sleep this feeling off, rest, and hope for a better run on Wednesday, and an even better half marathon. I can do this!!!