So for the last little while I have been preparing to run my first half marathon -- the Disney Princess Half! This year's half marathon was held on Feb. 24 and it was truly an unforgettable experience.
So, without further ado, let's review the 2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon!
Immediately after I registered for the race I knew I had to dress up in costume. I had said Ariel from the Little Mermaid was my favorite princess so it was only fitting that I go as her considering I watched that VHS tape so much when I was little that it broke.
I bought a simple little tank top from Marshalls for $7.99 and opted to buy a sparkly skirt from Sparkle Athletic. I figured for $25 it was worth it to jazz up my costume a little bit. The skirt was a little see through due to it not being lined so I just wore my Nike running shorts underneath it.
I also bought a Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend baseball hat which I actually really loved. I like running in hats because the sun can get in my eyes which gets really annoying.
Waking up/Race Retreat/Pre-Race
I set my alarm for 2:50 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. and was surprisingly awake for it being SO early. I was super excited because it was my first half and I had heard this race was super fun so the adrenaline was already pumping! I met my cousin at 3:30 and we took the shuttle from our hotel to the race retreat.
The Race Retreat is a huge tent where runners can go in, check their bags beforehand and get some food before the race. I would HIGHLY recommend this for runners because it simplifies the race process and gives you some downtime before heading to the corrals. I snacked on an orange, some Powerade and some oatmeal before the race.
The Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter were also there for photo ops!
I'm so glad I got a picture with these two -- although Alice, Tweedledee and Tweedledum had left right before this photo was snapped :(.
After we checked in at the race retreat, it was off to our corrals, a good 20 minute walk from the tent. By the time we were nearly at our corrals it was probably 5:20 a.m. The first wave of runners sets off at 5:30 and since I was in Corral E, I figured we would have plenty of time to use the bathroom. Nope, wrong. My cousin Shyla and I ended up running to Corral E and JUST made it in time. We probably had 3-4 minutes to spare waiting for our race to start.
The Race: Miles 1-4
Before I knew it, the the Fairy Godmother was counting down and the fireworks had gone off. It was time to run. It was very foggy and this eerie mist was everywhere, but I was super excited to start the race.
The first two miles were super easy and the road started to clear out probably around mile 2. People started to walk after the first mile.
We stopped for pictures with the heroes since Shyla and I vowed we would have a good time and stop for whatever characters we wanted to. I think this was a pretty good strategy since it took the pressure off of trying to get a PR, which is not what I was there for anyway.
Around mile 4.5 we saw my boyfriend who had come to the race to cheer us on. Shyla and I waved and it gave us the perfect energy boost to power through the Magic Kingdom!
Miles 5-8
We came into the Magic Kingdom probably around mile 5. I know the Castle is at mile 5.7. Running through Main Street was an awesome experience because the crowd has picked up by this point and this is one of the busiest parts of the race.
The road becomes VERY narrow here though which made it difficult to run and this was the part where my left knee started to cause me agonizing pain. We stopped for several characters during the Magic Kingdom which really helped a ton. The pain of the pavement was a lot on my left knee which usually does not cause me problems.
Fortunately there were a ton of characters here which took my mind off of my knee. We met up with Louis and Princess Tiana which were two of my favorite characters during the whole race. We also took pictures with Aurora and Philip! Snow White and Prince Charming were there too but they left right before we got to take a picture.
After I saw the 10k sign I knew I had to get to a medic tent whenever the next one popped up. There were several during the first few miles of the race but there were NONE around this point. The stops we made for characters were the only times I wasn't running but my knee was feeling awful and I had to get on the grass to help with the pain.
Miles 6-8 were the most boring and most difficult part of the race for me. I was at the halfway point but was feeling physically awful. Shyla and I popped some of those Jelly Belly Energy Beans for a boost and tried to stay as upbeat as possible until we got to a medic tent.
We ran past the Hess station at one point and I contemplated whether or not I'd be able to stop in and get a Diet Coke. Lol.
Around mile 8 was when I FINALLY found a medic tent and put Biofreeze on my knee and took some Tylenol. The volunteers marked an X on my wrist to signify that I had taken Tylenol and off I went for the last few miles.
Miles 9-12
Miles 9 through 12 were probably the easiest of the whole race. After mile 10 I knew I was in the homestretch so I wasn't even bothered by the remaining miles. I had promised Shyla we'd eat some more of the energy beans at mile 10, which we did. Those beans were awesome and definitely gave me the energy I needed to keep going on.
Mile 10 is the beginning of the dreaded hills that I had heard SO much about. People write about this part of the race frequently and say it's the most difficult part of the entire race. A ton of people walked the hills, so I think the feeling is not uncommon.
I am going to go against the grain here, though, and say they were not that bad. Living in Florida, I don't run on an incline really ever. I did live in Nashville though and it was pretty hilly there so I might be a little more prepared for that kind of thing. I mostly just thought of it as a way to gain speed going down the ramp. Shyla is from Utah and runs in the mountains so we just kept on trekking up the mini hills.
On the way back we spotted the same familiar kites and signs we had seen on our first few miles so I knew we were almost there.
I saw the sign for A Bug's Life and told Shyla how much I wished there was a Bug's Life character. And then I saw her! Princess Atta!
So obviously we got a picture:
So cute!
Then I saw the Epcot ball and knew it was almost over. I was so excited that this was it -- when I saw the sign for mile 12 I could not have been happier or more proud of myself. Only 10 more minutes of running left!
Mile 13-A Stumble, then a Finish
The end of the race moves VERY quickly. This was the part where I floored it for the rest of the race. Running through Epcot, the course winds a lot. There are a few twists and turns and the road is not very wide. I ran past the big fountain and headed towards the ball. The finish line was not very far away.
This part of the race got really congested and there were still people walking in the middle of the road which meant I had to weave around them quickly to run. With the cramped space and the slow runners/walkers, I got bumped into/tripped by one of the other runners and fell. I caught the fall with my hands but hit my hip pretty hard. I am lucky I bought a running armband at the Expo because my phone would have totally shattered if I had been holding it.
This was the scariest part of the race because I probably had less than .2 miles left. I did not stop at all to look at what happened to me. I got up immediately and hauled you-know-what to the finish line, trying not to cry but feeling really upset. My palms were burning and bleeding. My hip was aching.
But then I saw it: the finish line. What I had worked so hard to cross. I wasn't giving up now.
I ran as fast as I could over the finish line and immediately got my medal and headed to the medic area where they washed my hands up and put antibiotic ointment on them. Ouch.
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Isn't it pretty?
I headed back to the Race Retreat where my mom and boyfriend were waiting for us. I changed out of my sweaty clothes and got a plate full of bacon and eggs and iced my legs, which were seriously hurting. Funny, I basically didn't feel them at all during the last few miles.
At the Race Retreat we were given flip flops, a towel and there were also some ZBar samples and other free things as well as more characters to take pictures with. It was SO nice to be able to sit on the couch post-race and enjoy a meal after the half marathon. It really helped close the race out and made me feel like a Princess!
After we left the retreat, I headed home. I was pretty sore so I iced my knee:
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Yes, there are monsters on my ice pack.
Today I woke up and felt decently sore but after stretching and taking some ibuprofen my legs felt fine. I actually did a 10k (a very slow 10k) and my legs felt awesome and almost normal afterwards.
Overall, this was an amazing race and one I'll definitely do again. It was really high energy and just FUN. I probably wouldn't do anything different the second time around except wrap my knee beforehand. Next year I will be signing up for the Glass Slipper Challenge for sure since I really loved how well this race was organized and how unique it was.
Thanks RunDisney for an awesome first half marathon! :)
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