Princess Half Marathon 2015 recap

 

On the morning of February 22nd, I woke up bright and early at 2:45 am.  I thought about texting my brother Happy Birthday, but I suspected he wouldn’t appreciate the super early morning wishes!  So instead I got into my costume for the Princess Half Marathon.  I had done Princess Anna and will soon be featuring a post about how I put my costume together.  I was down to wait for the bus by 3:15. It was almost time for my very first half marathon!

Luckily, it was warmer than it had been for the Enchanted 10k the previous morning.  I still had my throwaway jacket, but I felt good with that and didn’t need anything else.  I hung out with my friends for a little bit before we headed toward the corrals.  I started in I, along with the lovely Brittany – who you might recognize if you’re a fan of fitness pages, as she is the Brittany behind the popular Brittany Eats Clean page!  I hadn’t really gotten to know her too much until this moment, but she was super sweet and I was so thankful to have someone to talk to and pass the time with before we started.

And then we started somewhere right before 6am I believe.  We ran out away from Epcot and toward the Magic Kingdom and the ticket and transportation center.  The half marathon had way more entertainment than the 10k – even where there weren’t characters there was something going on, like a band, cheerleaders, or a DJ!  And there were tons of characters.  The lines in the first half were pretty long so I didn’t stop, and in the second half I just wanted to finish so I didn’t really stop then either.  I did try to keep track of who all was out there though (list at the end of this post!)

My husband was going to be at the ticket and transportation center to spectate, but it seems he and the other husbands got a little behind schedule and I was texting him, worried that I might beat him there.  So I stopped for a couple of photos – one with the Richard Petty race car, and one in a throne they had set up near where the villains were doing their meet and greets.  And it worked out because I did manage to make it to the meeting area right around the same time as my husband!  I ran on, and he jumped on the monorail to get a spot in Magic Kingdom to see me again.

When I did enter the Magic Kingdom it was really amazing.  I know I see it all the time, but to realize I ran there from Epcot, had been running for about 5 miles, and would now run back, was just too cool.  Plus it was just so pretty that early in the morning.  I slowed down a lot here to just take photos and take everything in.  We ran right down Main Street (where I saw my husband again), and then went through Tomorrowland, looping around to run through the castle.  Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff were up on the castle waving and calling out to us.  Anna mentioned that she liked my outfit as I ran by!

I stopped for a quick photo at mile 6 because it had Anna on it, and I wanted to match my costume!  Then through Frontierland and out the back of Magic Kingdom, but not before stopping for a photo with the MK railroad train!

The next part of the run took us out past the Grand Floridian and the Wedding Pavilion, and then the Polynesian, before getting on the road back to Epcot.  It was here, around mile 8, that I was really starting to feel it and just hoping to be done soon.  And of course, it was here that we encountered some of the only hills on the course!  There was also a fuel stop with gu, but I didn’t take any as I had my Clif Shot Bloks.

After mile 11 I was so done.  It felt so good when we finally made it back to the Epcot area, especially because my husband was in the crowd right past mile 12!  That really pushed me on and encouraged me to keep going.  We were in Epcot only for a short while at the end, but the Fairy Godmother was there with almost no line – so I waited for a quick pic!

And then, finally, the finish line – I couldn’t believe it.  I’d finished my first half marathon, and earned my Glass Slipper!  I officially finished the Half in 2 hours and 45 minutes, with a pace of 12:36 min/mile.

Here are all of the characters that I remember.  Of course, there may be some that I missed!
Jack Sparrow and his Pirate Ship
The Heroes: Hercules, Flynn Rider, Phoebus, John Smith, Prince Eric
Villains:  Maleficent, Cruella, and the Evil Queen
Vanellope von Schweetz
Buzz Lightyear
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
Woody
Aurora and Phillip
Men with Glass Slippers
Genie
Sophia the First
Fairy Godmother