I Ran a Half Marathon! I'm Only Half Crazy! (Part 2)
Here is Part 2 about my weekend running the Disney Princess Half Marathon. You can read Part 1 here!
When our alarms went off at 3am we were both super ready to get up and super tired at the same time. We were told to catch the bus by 4 so that we would be able to get into our corrals by 5. The race itself started at 5:30 but we were in Corral H, the last one, which meant that we wouldn't actually start until about 6:25.
We got ready fairly quickly, we had laid everything out the night before, but it still took longer than planned.
We tried not to eat our breakfasts too quickly. We got out the door at about 3:40, dumped our stuff in the car, and then headed to catch the bus.
The line for the bus was so long! We were not prepared for that, we definitely needed to get out there earlier. Catching the bus before 4 definitely did not happen. Talked to the people around us in line and people watched everyone in their crazy costumes. We got on the bus just after 4 and made it to EPCOT by about 4:30.
It was really cute, they had the fairy godmother there to start off each corral. She waved her magic wand and set off fireworks for each corral. Here are our fireworks:
It was terrifying crossing that starting line. But also exhilarating.
We didn't stop for any characters. The lines were just too long, it didn't seem worth. We were moving pretty slow in the first place. These were the next characters we came up to, heros!
The also had non-disney entertainment our. There was a marching band and a gospel choir and also these guys:
In EPCOT we entered in a back stage area, ran past Spaceship Earth, past the fountain, looped around by the lagoon, and then back down past the fountain again. We went back out a backstage area and into the parking lot. Kellie and crossed the finish line at what felt like a full sprint, holding hands. It was an amazing feeling.
The first thing we did was get our medals! So pretty!
We then walked to the medical area and got more bio freeze and ice. Then we got water and the boxes of food that they gave out.
Then we met up with our cheer squad! We didn't really have a reason to stick around and we were really, really tired so we took the bus back to Old Key West. There we showered and ate a lot of food!
When our alarms went off at 3am we were both super ready to get up and super tired at the same time. We were told to catch the bus by 4 so that we would be able to get into our corrals by 5. The race itself started at 5:30 but we were in Corral H, the last one, which meant that we wouldn't actually start until about 6:25.
We got ready fairly quickly, we had laid everything out the night before, but it still took longer than planned.
We tried not to eat our breakfasts too quickly. We got out the door at about 3:40, dumped our stuff in the car, and then headed to catch the bus.
The line for the bus was so long! We were not prepared for that, we definitely needed to get out there earlier. Catching the bus before 4 definitely did not happen. Talked to the people around us in line and people watched everyone in their crazy costumes. We got on the bus just after 4 and made it to EPCOT by about 4:30.
Everything was set up in the parking lot of EPCOT. There was DJ, tents where they were giving out Bananas, tents where you could check your bags, and about 50 porta potties. There were so many people, we were pretty much herded into the area like cattle. There were also photographers everywhere taking pictures. The thing we ended up doing the most was people watching. People were wearing some pretty creative things but I think the most entertaining was some of the things that guys were wearing. The marathon is mostly run by women so guys usually make a joke about. The best shirt we saw was "Why are all these princesses chasing me?!"
Besides those who are super serious about running the race, most people like to dress up in tutus or princess costumes. We chose not to do that because we just wanted to get though the race without worrying about something annoying us while running. I think that was a good choice on our part.
At 5 am they started herding us towards the corrals.
When I registered us I didn't know how long it would take us so I just put that it would take us the entire three and a half hours. That ended up being a mistake because we were in the corral with all of the walkers, so we ended up spending a lot of time bobbing and weaving, trying to pass them.
We had to stand in the corrals for a long time, from about 5:15 until 6:25 when it was our turn to cross the starting line.
It was really cute, they had the fairy godmother there to start off each corral. She waved her magic wand and set off fireworks for each corral. Here are our fireworks:
It was terrifying crossing that starting line. But also exhilarating.
During the first or second mile, while we were just starting out we saw the front runners headed back. They were running at a full sprint and had an accompanying race staff bicyclists with them since each of them were alone. It was amazing to see. We all cheered for them as they ran by.
They had a lot of entertainment along the route, which I loved! It made it fly by because there was so much to look at. They had almost every Disney Character you could ever think of for you to meet. These were the first ones we came upon: Jack Sparrow and Barbosa, with a giant pirate ship! How awesome!
We didn't stop for any characters. The lines were just too long, it didn't seem worth. We were moving pretty slow in the first place. These were the next characters we came up to, heros!
Native American drummers! It was so cool!
The coolest part though was running through the Magic Kingdom. We entered through Tomorrowland/Main Street East's backstage area. I fangirled a little over seeing my managers trailer. I miss working in Tomorrowland! We ran through the backstage area and onto main street, up Main Street and onto the Hub.
Then we turned into Tomorrowland and ran up through it and into Fantasyland, through Fantasyland and down through the castle. We had to slow to a walk going through the castle because the crowd was so thick. We found my mom, aunt, and Rebecca, who had been waiting for us. They took our pictures, that was really the only time we stopped.
They had a lot of characters to meet in the park but, again, we didn't stop. The second half of the race was when it got harder. One thing we hadn't prepared for was the terrain. We were running on highways and highway exits, which are banked. Running on a bank messed up my hip, which had never happened in my training, so that was really frustrating.
Also, the road narrowed to a single lane for a while so it was the epitome of the frustration you feel when someone is walking so slow in front of you when you are late. That was when being amongst the walkers was the most annoying.
We only walked once and that was between mile 8 and 9 for about a half mile. Our joints were just not happy with what we were doing. But we decided that we didn't want to walk it. So we just sucked it up, embraced the pain, and ran the rest.
We counted down the miles, they went by faster then I expected. Around mile 12 we stopped for a bathroom break near a medical tent. While I was waiting for Kellie I was listening to the lady at the med tent yell about the gooey stuff she was giving out. It was biofreeze. It helps relieve muscle pain, and it goes right through pants. I used it myself and then gave some toe kellie when she rejoined me. It was amazing, it tingled and burned. It only worked a little, but I was able to focus on the cold tingling and not the pain.
Making it back to EPCOT was an amazing feeling because it meant we were only about a half mile it was the end.
In EPCOT we entered in a back stage area, ran past Spaceship Earth, past the fountain, looped around by the lagoon, and then back down past the fountain again. We went back out a backstage area and into the parking lot. Kellie and crossed the finish line at what felt like a full sprint, holding hands. It was an amazing feeling.
The first thing we did was get our medals! So pretty!
We then walked to the medical area and got more bio freeze and ice. Then we got water and the boxes of food that they gave out.
Then we met up with our cheer squad! We didn't really have a reason to stick around and we were really, really tired so we took the bus back to Old Key West. There we showered and ate a lot of food!
I definitely think this is one of the things that I have done in my life that I am the most proud of. Before I decided to run this half marathon I was very out of shape. If we were late and you suggested running, I would rather be late. Now I know that I have the ability to run 13.1 miles and that blows my mind. I can not believe that that is something that I can say that I have done. It was a lot of fun but also very difficult. I never realized how mental of a sport running is until I experienced it. I am so proud of myself.
And yes, I would probably do it again.
