Disney Princess Half Weekend: Part Two
Yep, that’s right. 3 am. I wasn’t kidding. Don’t we look chipper?
In a way, I was thankful for the early start. After Chicago, I bitched incessantly about how ridiculous it is to start a race later when you have weather to contend with. I would much rather get up early for good weather than sleep an extra hour or two and get stuck in the heat!
Plus, I didn’t really sleep anyway. Nerves, sharing a bed with my sister who kept throwing blankets on me, and screaming kids at the pool all contributed to this.
Anyway, we got ready and were off. I had a bagel with peanut butter since it worked so well for my last long run. We shared a taxi to the starting line and made it there with plenty of time to spare!
I then discovered the best thing to ever come out of a port-a-potty…my friend Brooke!
Brooke (or Brookie Jay) and I went to college together–we were sorority sisters! She’s now in dental school in DC and I haven’t seen her in years. I ran into her literally coming out of the port-a-potty. So random! It was her first half and she totally rocked.
My sister and I split up because we were in different corrals. Somehow, my 2:13 from last April put me in corral B, but my sister’s 2:33 had her in C. We had very different goals for the race anyway–she wanted to PR by a lot, I didn’t really know what I wanted other than a good race.
I also ran into two Internet friends while chilling at the start of the corral! Hi Caryn and Mercy (and Mr. Mercy)! It was great to meet you!
At the start, our fairy godmother saw us off and there were some fun fireworks.
I was really worried at the start and anticipating a bad race because my stomach was feeling funny and I hadn’t been able to clear things out beforehand, if you know what I mean.
The first two miles were pretty crowded and dark. The sun didn’t start rising until mile 6 or so, which was kind of a blessing in disguise because I couldn’t stare at my Garmin and freak out about pace.
I was also the freak who talked to people just for fun. I’m one of those chatty assholes on courses. Sorry.
Miles 1-4 were pretty uneventful other than the on-course entertainment. We saw Jack Sparrow’s pirate ship and a giant Epcot ball balloon and some cute, yawning Japanese drumming kids. I felt good, and strong, once I got going, even though I had no idea what my pace was.
I think we entered the back roads of Magic Kingdom around mile 4. We got to run by all the beautiful rich people hotels and they were fun to ogle.
At mile 5, we entered the actual Magic Kingdom!
I got all teary when I turned the corner onto Main Street USA. I started this blog a year and a half ago, and wanted to list my goals for the heck of it, and threw on "run a race at Disney" because it sounded like so much fun, but I had no idea how I’d do it, since at the time I hadn’t even run one race. And here I was!
Dreams really do come true at Disney.
Anyway, we ran through Tomorrowland and Frontierland! Fun!
Anyway (sniff), the Magic Kingdom was the most baller part of the course. Great scenery, and lots of fans and characters to take pictures with! There were lines at every character for pictures, but I managed to get some good drive-bys.
We exited the Magic Kingdom at mile 6, and at 6.5 I decided I was at a turning point. I turned inward for a good mile or so and thought about the following things.
- You’re halfway there. You can run another 6.5 miles no problem.
- Hey, remember how you pooped out mentally at mile 7 of the Rock n’ Roll Chicago half, and physically at mile 20 of the Chicago Marathon? Remember that regret afterwards for not pushing harder? You have a choice to make, Brie. Don’t puss out.
- You feel really good right now. Yes, this is hard, but half marathons are kind of supposed to be hard.
- You are a well-trained runner. Act like one.
I decided to make one goal: finish without walking. In all my previous halves and my full, I’ve walked some–through aid stations, or when I broke down, or when it got hard. I had my handheld full of Gatorade and had plenty of Gu if I needed it, so I could fly through the aid stations. I knew that if I walked, it would all go to hell from there.
So, at mile 7, I chose to finish strong and run a race I could be proud of.
Miles 7 through 10 were probably the hardest part of the course for me. We were running into full sun and there wasn’t much crowd support, though I did see Belle, Pocahontas and several other characters. And also the Disney fire department hotties dancing like Chippendales in pit-sweaty t-shirts.
Once mile 10 hit, I knew I could do it! There were some steep onramps to climb, but I honestly enjoyed the change in grade. It kept things from getting boring, and hey, uphills mean downhills, right?
For the last 3.1 miles, I just ticked away the distance left on my Garmin and kept chugging along. I also experienced some really strong cravings…specifically, an ice cold Diet Coke, a hot dog, a cold shower, beer, and a pedicure. Every time I thought, "it’s hot," I thought about Mile 20 of the Chicago Marathon and shut my mental piehole.
I gave it a little kick when we entered Epcot and finished strong, proud, and feeling great.
Final time? 2:22:08.
Not a PR, but BY FAR the strongest race, mentally and physically, I’ve ever had.
A few random observations:
- I didn’t have a training plan for this race, beyond a general "add a mile to your long run every week, take a stepback week if you need it, skip the junk miles" thing. I cross trained on the elliptical and by doing workout DVDs and I lifted some weights. I loved this plan, it worked, and I had zero mental burnout. I plan to keep this up for my next half in two weeks.
- On a whim, I skipped Gu altogether this race. I didn’t need it on my 11 miler and did fine. I drank Gatorade the entire race and felt great–no tummy issues like I sometimes have with Gu. Again, going to stick with this!
- Ohmygosh I need new shoes. I have a new pair calling my name that need to be broken in! I considered leaving my old shoes in the garbage in Florida, but figured I’d being them home to donate at least.
- War wounds: second toes on both feet are black (again) with blisters on them (again). I’m interested to see if this stops in my new, half size larger shoes.
- Running in a tutu wasn’t bad, but it got stuck in my crotch quite a bit, and made getting in and out of my SPIbelt tricky. Also, the tiara needed some bobby pins, because I had to adjust every mile.
- Losing weight has helped me feel more confident about my running. It’s just 10 pounds, but I kind of feel more, "hey, if you think I’m slow, fuck you" than chip-on-shoulderish than before.
After the race, I got glittered and medaled and waited for my sister at the runner reunite area. She was in tears because of foot pain, but PRed with a 2:29:32!
Also, because I was mad about the crappy expo with no freebies (nothing in the bag but ads and a piddly mini Luna bar! Lame!) I stole 4 Luna Protein bars from the finish line. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, $140 race entry fee!
God bless the shuttle bus driver who dropped us off at our hotel even though we weren’t on his route. We showered, I inhaled a Diet Coke, and we spent the rest of the day at Magic Kingdom!
I wore my medal around all day and in the Country Bear Jamboree some lady made the whole place yell “yee-haw” at me. I got lots of congratulations, too!
For dinner, we took the monorail to Epcot and ate at Via Napoli in Italy. Not only was the food great, but the waiters were hot too! Thanks to Meghann for the awesome recommendation.
It was a long, long, long day, but so fun and I’m so happy with how I did!
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What a great recap! I’m so happy you had a strong race. I ran the Disney marathon in January and there really isn’t a better place to run a race then at Disney. It is the happiest place on earth, after all.
I remember running through Hollywood Studios and craving french fries and diet coke like I had never craved them before.
I hope your sisters foot is feeling better.
alison recently posted..Simplify
I love that you ran in a tutu! I always crave beer and a pedicure towards the end of a race too.
Lee recently posted..Big Green Salad
Nice race…and I loved that your “craved” a pedicure!
Kierstan @ Life {and running} in Iowa recently posted..vegan night
I have never been up so early for a race, I was soooo tired! I had a pretty similar experience to you, I felt strong the whole race and thought the weather was great. The last half I ran was 95 degrees, it was terrible. I was not super excited with my time (was shooting for 2:30 and got 2:41) but it was still a PR for me and enough to qualify for the National Half Marathon in DC. The Disney course was so crowded, it wasn’t a speed course. I have 3 more half’s coming up, do hopefully I can do better.
Sorry to hear about your car! Glad you had fun, and congrats on an awesome time, you should be very proud!
Would you do another Disney race?
wahoo! congratulations!
Looks like a smashing success of a weekend! I am now even more excited about doing the Disney Pricess in 2012!
Regan recently posted..At some point it just clicks
This just looks like such a fun race. Love all your pictures, and congrats on feeling so strong all the way through!
I also think you had a great training plan philosophy for this 1/2. Once you’ve run a couple, I don’t think there’s a need to stress too much about exact plans and mileage if you are just looking to stay healthy, injury-free, and enjoy the race. It sounds like you did just that; nice work!
Congrats Brie!!! Amazing race recap. I think finishing strong is the best way to do a race. This one looks so fun!!
Susan recently posted..Things I Learned The Month I Broke
Congrats on a strong race!! Great race report! I love love love that you girls wore your medals all day – you earned it!! Yehaw!
shannon recently posted..I’m running WHAT
Congrats on finishing strong! For me the attitude is such a big part of racing, especially longer distances. That’s really inspiring that you were able to decide how you wanted to finish at half way through and that you knew you were prepared for it.
This post really makes me want to do a Disney race. I love that your bib said “Princess Brieanne” on it!
Abby recently posted..Vegan Brunch Highlights
Congrats on your race!
I am definitely not a runner but the Disney course makes it look almost tempting!
Ang recently posted..Valentine Goodies
It looks like you had a great time! Lots of great costumes too.
Great job on the race!
I don’t know what kind of Garmin you have, but my 305 lights up if you push a certain button (can’t remember which). I used to run in the dark a lot
Kara recently posted..Climb the Mommy!
Congrats girl! The thing with Disney races is, to appreciate them you really have to go in with the whole mind set of ‘this is just for fun’. The course is a lot of nothing, but I always appreciate how much thought Disney puts into making it more enjoyable (like adding characters along the route)!
It was great seeing you again this weekend! Feel free to visit Florida anytime!
Meghann recently posted..Goodbye February!
I ran the princess 1/2 as well and was so disappointed with the Expo and the “goodie bag”. I really thought Disney could have done a lot better!
Congratulations again on finishing your third half marathon! Loved your recap!
Love, love, love your recap and pictures! Whenever I get down on myself about running I just come to your blog and get inspired. So, thank you!
Also, thank you for your honesty! Most bloggers wouldn’t mention tutu/crotch issues and for that you get MAJOR kudos from me.
Anna @ Doing Good & Living Well recently posted..Moved
You are really funny! What a great attitude you had. Great recap!
Great recap – especially where you explain your mental standing and reasoning. I don’t care what who says, that is the hardest part of runing and I have really been struggling with it lately. I need to work on getting to my happy place…I’m reading this post again before my 1st half of the year in March!
And I laughed at your crotch loving tutu – I ran a Muddy Buddy race in a tutu, the stupid thing was always in my crotch! I had to check it every time I saw a camera!
heidi @ runaroundaroo recently posted..31days-31outfits…The Results!
Congrats Brie! You’ve actually inspired me to start running. A friend of mine and I made it a goal this year to run at least one race a month. My times haven’t been the greatest (since I’m really just starting out), but they aren’t too bad – at least I’m not the last one to cross the finish line! It’s all about the baby steps.
Congrats again!
Sounds awesome! I can’t wait to run that race some day. Also, your shell bra? Excellent choice. I love it.
AlaskanAlison recently posted..pssst
Congrats on a great race!
Glad you had a good time while you were here in FLA…(even though your car got smashed by a snow plow, that is crazy!)
That entry fee is the one reason I will.not.ever. run a disney race. That and the fact that you run in the road in-between parks. No thanks.
Jena recently posted..Throw me a party!!!
That looks like such a fun race! I don’t know about the cost of it all, but the experience does look like one in a million.
Alaina recently posted..Like a Mad Woman
Great job Brie! My bestie went down to run as well, but caught the flu from her daughter and was too sick to run. She was majorly bummed, but we’re going to try and run it together next year! (I had family commitments this weekend). Thanks for the great recap!
Thanks for your recap. Disney is a race I will consider for the future.
Antoinette recently posted..Weekend catch-up
I LOVE race recaps and yours was so good it made me want to run a race at disney! One day, one day!
Jess @ NZ Girl Runs recently posted..Feelin a bit meh
Congratulations! What a superfun race! I want to do it next year- and have a year to come up with a Cinderella themed running outfit
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How did you sister do?
Yay for a good race! My sister ran the Princess Half this past weekend and we decided to sign up to run the Disneyland Half together. I’m excited to run with my sister!
I really enjoyed reading your recap and am also reading some of your older race recaps…really enjoy your blog!
Loved reading the recap and you had a great race! I also loved that you and your sister did the race together. I thought you made some great points that really stuck with me. During my next race I am going to remember about feeling disappointed that I didn’t suck it up when it came to physically being “yuck” at the end of my last one and just push through. I also think the walking thing too early even if it is through a water stop…throws my mojo off too. And I am going to try the no GU too as I used to play tennis matches that lasted over 2 hours with nothing but water and was fine.
Caroline recently posted..What day is it
How fun! We were at Disney this year while the Princess Half-Marathon was going on. Inspired us to get back in shape and run a half-marathon ourselves at Disney! Can’t wait!