Princess Half Marathon

So remember that part about attempting to get a good night's rest? Didn't happen... We tried to prepare everything as much as possible for race day. We had dinner the night before at Sweet Tomatoes and carbo-loaded. When the time came to go to bed, Blaine and Bruce were cracking jokes and we all fell into episodes of laughing hysteria. I think we were nervous. Who knows. But after a while, I became anxious because I have so much trouble going to sleep! Anyway, sleep finally came and so did 3:00 AM. Yup. We had to be at the race by 5:00 AM. With our costumes, breakfast, and traffic, we needed as much time as possible to get ready.

We met with Kim and Jonathan in the morning. Gosh I was so nervous. But at least we looked great! My mom did an awesome job with our costumes and Kim did amazing on hers all by herself!

Waiting to start!

With the best sister ever!

We started the race a little before 6 AM. It started at Magic Kingdom and ended in Epcot. This race was a lot of fun. Each mile marker was really pretty and they had Disney characters along the entire course. At one point, I became so excited because I saw a line for Aurora and Prince Philip. Next thing you know, they switched them out for Cinderella and Prince Charming. FAIL. I was so disappointed. Anyway, at times, I tried to run ahead to get a head start on the lines for the pictures. I wish I would've done this since the very beginning. It would've saved us some time. There's always next year. Around mile 8, we saw Blaine, my mom, Bruce, Jonathan, and Kim's parents in the crowd. It was so much fun to have them cheering for us! Definitely pumped me up for the next 5 miles!

A little over halfway

With the villains!

Belle found Gaston!

Damaris definitely had the most photo ops.
Beauty & the Beast characters were everywhere. 

It was crazy packed.

In front of Cinderella's castle.

Almost done! Only a 5k to go...

Crossing the finish line! No princess left behind!

So this was definitely a fun race. It was a great experience. BUT it wasn't like a serious half marathon. Obviously, you can decide to beat your time and do your best, but then what's the point of doing a Disney race and not experiencing the Disney part of it? Since I wasn't going at my usual pace and wasn't running constantly, I wasn't that sore at all the next day. It was also a lot easier to run at a lower elevation. I was so surprised at how much of a difference it makes. Blaine would call me while I was on the course and he said that it sounded like I wasn't even jogging! I sweat a lot when I run. But running in humid weather made me sweat a ton more than usual! Damaris said that I was soaked by mile 3! By the end of the race, it felt like I had dumped a ton of water on my hair. Yuck.

Surprisingly, I was a little disappointed with how crowded it was. The course was pretty narrow and it was so hard to run around people who weren't running. It got pretty annoying, real fast. But the magic of Disney made up for it. RunDisney did do a great job at having water and Powerade stations quite frequently. They also had a ton of medical stations with Biofreeze and Tylenol (which fortunately, we didn't need to use). But I have heard of big races running out of water before. So I was so grateful that they were really organized!

Do I recommend this race? Yes. Do I want to do it again? Probably...yes. For sure yes. Dressing up as a princess and running is always fun. And now that we know how it works a little bit better, we can plan accordingly. This is a great race to run with friends/family. That's what made it the most fun! Also, my costume was surprisingly comfortable. I saw people tossing tutus, tiaras, and sleeves to the side. Not this girl! I was worried about my sleeves the most, but they didn't bother me one bit! I told my mom that she should seriously consider making and selling race costumes on Etsy! I've seen some go for $190!

Damaris was a trooper and took all the pictures with her phone during the race. She had to take it out of her case/holder each time. I didn't have the patience for it. Thank you Damaris! Also, she paid for me to run this half as part of my birthday present. Best present anybody could ask for! Thank you! I look forward to running many more races together!

With the queen!

Glittery shoelaces and crown charms were a must!

Yes, I made him wear that shirt :)

With our princes who put up with all our craziness leading up to the race and
 who slept nothing at all and waited for us to finish forever.

My first medal!

Love these girls!

P.S. That blob on my right arm isn't a bruise or birthmark. It was a princess tattoo that came with our race packets :) 

P.S.S. My sister and I registered for the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon in April right after graduation. So we will be able to actually run and see what our real time is! I'm so excited! I think running is such a great tradition to have in families. I loved seeing grandmothers run with their daughters and granddaughters in this half. What a legacy of health and fitness! I really hope we can make running a tradition in our families!

P.S.S.S. (Last one I promise) I've decided that I want to run a full marathon by the time I'm 26. Yes. Call me crazy. But it is going to happen. I've grown to love running! It's amazing what you can train your body to do!