I freaking Did it!!!!- The Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon
Last weekend my friend Cathy and I journeyed to Orlando to prepare for our race. We stayed in the Pop Century Resort and had an excellent dinner in DownTown Disney. The day before the race we had to go to Disney's Wide World of Sports to pick up our packets. This was the Disney Princess Expo, a large arena of sports gear and merchandise sponsored by Lady Footlocker and my first taste of Princess Race Fever.
"Seemed like a good idea 3 months ago" became our motto at 3:30 AM when we left the hotel to get in line at our corrals.
"princess nails" were a"princess-y" as we got.
The route took us from the parking lot of EPCOT through the gates of the Magic Kingdom. 
Down Main Street and through Tomorrow Land, Fantasy Land, in the castle and out through Frontier Land. 
Then we went behind the scenes to where they keep the floats and things for the parades and out of the park, back down the streets of Disney World and finally back to and through EPCOT. The finish was in the parking lot outside of EPCOT.
Around mile 7 we started planning what we wanted to eat for breakfast when we were done.This is how the conversation went:
As we got to mile marker 10, the woman behind us yelled "Damn it, I thought we were at 11!" Again, I giggled.
"The True Princess Slipper"
The expo had several very funny t-shirt slogans, here are only a few... 
"Seemed like a good idea 3 months ago" became our motto at 3:30 AM when we left the hotel to get in line at our corrals.Being a Disney race made people watching REALLY fun! I saw more tutus and tiaras then I ever have before.
"princess nails" were a"princess-y" as we got.At 6:17 a.m. The Fairy Godmother made the announcement and the fireworks went off, starting our corral and away we went... 
There were over 16,000 people in the race.
My main goal throughout the race was to not get scooped up by the sweeper golf cart. All of the information we read about the race stated that you needed to maintain at least a 16 minute mile or else you would be swept up and not able to finish the race. Now, I'm not sure if this is real or a myth...but I did NOT want to find out. With all of the training that we did before the race we were averaging fast enough to be A-OK but still...our motto throughout the race was a tribute to Dora the Explorer "Swiper No Swiping!" So we picked a pair of ladies in Minnie Mouse outfits and decided that as long as we were in front of them we would be okay.
The route took us from the parking lot of EPCOT through the gates of the Magic Kingdom. Down Main Street and through Tomorrow Land, Fantasy Land, in the castle and out through Frontier Land. Then we went behind the scenes to where they keep the floats and things for the parades and out of the park, back down the streets of Disney World and finally back to and through EPCOT. The finish was in the parking lot outside of EPCOT. Around mile 7 we started planning what we wanted to eat for breakfast when we were done.This is how the conversation went:Me: "I want hash browns."
Cathy: "Ohhh and waffles."
Me: "or pancakes."
Random Lady Next to us: "Oreo Blizzard." That made me giggle.
They tried to keep us entertained throughout the race with marching bands, guys on trampolines and of course the characters. The characters were out in full force. It was really a good motivator to get from one to the next and to anticipate who would be the next character we see. The lines of people would form to take your picture with them, so I just did a few run-bys and therefore I have a few pictures of random people I do not know, with Disney characters.
As we got to mile marker 10, the woman behind us yelled "Damn it, I thought we were at 11!" Again, I giggled.
So close...
As we got into EPCOT you could feel the pace pick up and the excitement and exhaustion mix together. 
By this point my right hip was screaming at me but the Gospel Choir on the sideline told us we were close to the end. As we crossed the finish line the announcer said our names and we were done!
By this point my right hip was screaming at me but the Gospel Choir on the sideline told us we were close to the end. As we crossed the finish line the announcer said our names and we were done!It was an awesome experience. A year ago I would have never thought I could do this... actually a week ago I wasn't so sure I could. But I think equal parts determination and insanity got me through.
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