All the miles were magical!!!! Some of them were more magical than others, and some of them definitely hurt more than others, but I LOVE to runDisney!!! ✨👟✨ I am always amazed at how the characters support the runners. They laugh and make jokes, and never cringe or shy away from us smelly, sweaty folks. They embrace us and never miss a beat!! The spectators help make the not-so-Disney-magical miles magical!! Runners appreciate spectators and the humor they bring with their signs, snacks, etc. These signs were made especially for Whitney and I by our lovely chEARleader and Fairy Godmother herself! ✨👑✨ We crushed goals, took names, and walked away with the bling to prove it!!! We will be back for more runDisney, and we are coming for you again, 26.2!!! Next up, the Run Donna 26.2 in Jacksonville! At the moment I'm rocking a runner's high, so I'll worry about the next marathon another day! 😄
0 Comments
We were on our way to being marathoners with a mere 10k left to go! I knew we still had Hollywood Studies, the Boardwalk, and Epcot to look forward to. It was all heart from here! We stopped for so many character pictures, but I think I was most grateful for this one. I was hurting, and I think Whitney must have known somehow, because she was like "let's stop for a picture!" The line was short, but I used it to stretch my legs and catch my breath. When we got to Hollywood Studios, we were running down the streets of "New York" when Whitney ran ahead of me and said, "Stop so I can take your picture!" I had no idea what was behind me or what would be in the picture, but when I stopped I heard someone across the course say "Hey, Anna and Elsa, we love your costumes!" (Or something along those lines) When I looked over, I immediately recognized them..... ...it was more of my #teamsparkle Insta friends!!!! (@find_your_happy_pace, @elisewallace, and @mylifepace) Of course I fangirled out again, and we ran over to take a picture!!! Those last 3 miles were my favorite!! The whole way we were cheered on by spectators and park goers alike! Those were the most emotional for me because I was reveling in the fact that I had run 23 miles, and I was 3 miles away from being a marathoner!! The crowd support was amazing!!! We also made a few final character stops where "runners get priority!" We ran all the way to London, met Aurora in France, Aladdin sang to us in India(?), we found our strong at Spaceship Eartn, and praised Jesus with the gospel choir at mile 26!!!! This was the BEST way to end the race!! Then there was one final photo we had to take before crossing the finish!! When I looked back at this picture, I thought "ew, what is wrong with my face?" Then I realized it was a mix between being so stupidly ecstatic that I was finishing my marathon and trying not to cry because, as Whitney said, "if you cry you'll ruin your makeup!" I'll take it! Our fearless chEAR squad was there to capture our moment of triump!!! All the fears defeated, and all the doubts squashed!!! WE ARE MARATHONERS!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't have asked for a better first marathon experience, and I can't imagine having run it with anyone else!!! I take my role as Princess Marathoner very seriously!!! RunDisney was the best choice for our first 26.2 magical miles!!! I hope 26.2 non-Disney miles are equally as magical. We are signed up for our second marathon on Valentine's Day!! 😀😬😳
Anna and Elsa were up and ready to run at 4am!!! Disney races are soooo early..... 😴 I had been obsessively checking the weather in the 15 days leading up to race day (that was as far out as the weather channel app would let me go). It had gone from no rain to some rain back to no rain again. While I was getting ready to leave on race morning, I checked one last time and saw that there was a 90% chance of rain at 7:00 and 8:00. I told Mom, Dad, and Justin to start praying it away. I didn't want to say anything to Whitney in case she hadn't seen it yet. All I could think of was that we would have wet shoes and clothes if it rained during the beginning of the race. While I had overpacked with other stuff, I did not have extra shoes. By the time we arrived at Epcot 30 minutes later, the rain chance was gone. From 90% chance to 0% chance in 30 minutes. Prayer works, people!!! After walking from the very end of the Discovery parking row to the starting area, we were ready to snap a few pictures before heading to the start corrals. Most everyone was already at the start, because the race was a mere 30 minutes from starting. Of course, we were starting in corral N out of P (thanks to my forgetting to submit a proof of time and Whitney's graciousness to move back from corral F), so we knew it would be a good hour after the first runners started that our corral would begin. Although I was telling myself I could do it, I had so many doubts and fears leading up to the race. I felt calm until we got in the corral. That was when it all came rushing in. Whitney had done several 19-20+ mile runs in preparation as she started before our training schedule had officially begun. I, on the other hand, had done long runs consisting of a 17 consecutive mile run, a 13.1 race plus 4 mile run two hours later, and one 21 mile training run. That longest run was good, but also painful. Every mile after 18 (further than I had ever run before) hurt. It hurt afterwards. My knee bothered me, and it has only ever hurt once after a run. I felt fear creep in. If it had hurt to run 21 miles, how could I run 26.2? Most training schedules have runners max out their miles at 18-22 miles before the marathon. I knew theoretically it was possible, but I was still afraid. I was also concerned because Whitney and I would be running together. Whitney runs a pace about 2.5-3 minutes faster per mile than I do. There would be no way I could run that fast, especially for 26.2 miles. I felt bad and worried about slowing her down, making her start in the back, and felt the pressure of the "balloon ladies" starting so closely behind us. For those who don't know about the "balloon ladies," they are the last people to cross the starting line. They maintain a 16 minute per mile pace, the limit of the course, and they are your warning that you are about to be "swept" off the course for not keeping the pace. I've heard that once they pass you, then comes the bicyclists, and finally the "parade bus" to take you off the course to the finish with a DNF. I understand those who have been swept will still receive a medal, but who wants a medal for a race they did not complete... Had we started in an earlier corral, we would have had a good cushion of time ahead of the balloon ladies to stop, take pictures, etc. Starting in corral N gave us about a 30 minute head start on them. Too close for comfort. All of these fears were unwarranted in the end, but very real nonetheless. We hugged our chEARleaders goodbye, I choked back tears, and we headed to the start with a quick stop at the porta potties. It would be 5 miles before we would see them again, but knowing they would be waiting for us at the Castle was good motivation! The first 5 miles to the castle we were full of adrenaline from the excitement of the start and knowing Main Street U.S.A was in our near future!!! We saw Mom and Dad just as we turned the corner!!! We stopped for a picture, and I handed off my Anaa cape. It was so hot and humid that I decided to take it off to try and cool down. I didn't realize until after the race when Mom told me that it was so soaked in sweat she could ring it out. Oops! Thanks for supporting our gross running habits! Justin had moved down Main Street they told us, so once we left them we searched frantically for the tallest spectator in a red shirt. I was afraid we had missed him, but then we saw him right in front of the castl!!! Of course we had to take a selfie with our number one fan!!!! #mybrotherisawesome Not only was he waiting to chEAR us on, he had picked out the perfect photo opp!! We ducked under the rope for this awesome picture!!! Besides seeing our family and running through the castle, this guy was the best!!! Have I mentioned that runners LOVE spectators?!? Especially ones with humor! Ariel and Sebastian were our first character stop on course. As we stood in line, a runDisney man told us the last runners had crossed the transportation station. I estimated that was a mile behind us. The pressure was on. I wasn't too terribly concerned about being swept. I knew we could outrun them, we would just have to limit our stops. I think Whitney took on the brunt of that worry. On the back of the castle we found our friends Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff!!! They loved our costumes, and Anna asked me "did you run your cape off?" It was so magical!!! After exiting the Kingdom, I finally found Maleficent!!! In dragon form, of course. We didn't stop for a picture, but we took one on our own. After Magic Kingdom, there were several less than magical miles. My iPod crapped out on me around the Wedding Pavilion and golf course. For some reason it started skipping songs, then stopped my workout. I restarted it and it did the same thing. I remembered this happened during the Princess Half last year at this same spot in the course. I've never had that happen during any other races or training runs, so I can only figure there is something in the air on that back strip that interferes with my little iPod. It even switched to trying to play the radio. Weird! We finally made it to Animal Kingdom which was around halfway through the race. We had read on blogs leading up to the race that some runners stop and ride Everest (if the park is open), so that was something we had been looking forward to! When you runDisney, you stop to ride a Disney roller coaster!!!!! While we were waiting in the 10-15 minute single rider line, we heard the balloon ladies were 30 minutes behind us. I had signed up to get runner tracking texts for myself, so they let me know our estimated finish time at every checkpoint. I knew we had to finish in 7 hours (plus the 10 minute cushion between corral N and P starting), and so far Disney thought we would finish in the 6 hour range. I was still not worried. The ride was fun, but we discussed after the race how it kind of made us both feel funny. The miles between Animal Kingdom (mile 13) and the Wide World of Sports (mile17-20) were slightly less than magical. It felt like a long way. Running through the parks is distracting. It's almost like you're not even running... Almost. We knew we would see our family at the Stadium between miles 19 and 20. I had already texted Justin to let him know I needed my first aid kit (my baby toe blister was rearing it's ugly head I feared), and Whitney was ready for her snack of a peanut butter sandwich. We stopped for a potty break and I checked on my other toes while I waited. A kind runner offered some "butt paste" for where my toes was rubbing, and his wife offered me a band aide when I realized my band aids had disintegrated from my sweat. I was SO happy to see my chEAR squad, but was also trying very hard not to break down and cry! I doctored my toe and found out my blister was indeed returning. Afterward I decided I probably should have let it lie, because it hurt worse after I "fixed" it. Lesson learned. Miles 17-20 were the worst for me mentally. I thought about what quitting would look like. Of course, I wasn't going to quit, but the thought still came. Whitney was making small talk all the while, which was such a welcome distraction! I am so thankful to have run my first 26.2 with her!! Once I could count the miles we had left on one hand, my mental game gained strength.
Marathon Week!!!! I could not contain my excitement all week. I had my bags packed on Sunday night (5 days early). We started back to school after winter break, and I forced myself to be as present as I could for workdays, schooldays, cheer practice, and basketball games all the while thinking about the wonderful, scary journey that was about to come to an end!! Or was it a beginning.... Friday afternoon could not get here fast enough. I impatiently waited for my brother and sister-in-law to let us know they were ready to leave, and anxiously sat in the car for 9 hours while we drove to Florida. We arrived around 2 in the morning, and settled in for a short nap (it seemed). NewBalance had released their new runDisney shoes on Tuesday, and I knew I wanted them! My experience with these shoes in the past had been you need to be in line early, and luck had to be on your side to score the pair you wanted in the size you needed. The previous day's New Balance had an online queue where you signed up for a time at 6 am for a chance to buy the shoes. Late Friday night, they posted that Saturday, the last day of the expo, there would be no queue. You just needed to show up and buy them. My family graciously agreed to wake up and leave for the expo early than necessary so we could try for the shoes. We had no problem walking up to the New Balance booth, finding someone to help, and purchasing these babies!!! We didn't even have to wait in line!! They said they were out of 8.5's, but Whitney and I both got the sizes we needed!!! I splurged a bit by buying both pairs of shoes!! I just couldn't pass them up! Besides, this is currently the only runDisney race on the books for 2016, so when would we be back.... #runnerlogic Now that the shoes were purchased, it was time to pick up our packets and explore the expo!! Things got real once the bib was picked up. All the theoretical thoughts about running a marathon were about to become reality.... Eeeeeek!!! The expo was crowded on Saturday. The kids races were going on while we were there. The Marathon Weekend is the biggest weekend, so there were new things that we saw and experienced while we were there. We saw our buddy Jeff Galloway, but there was a long line to talk to him, so we decided not to wait. I saw a Star Wars themed tank from Raw Threads that summed up our life. Thanks to my gaffe of forgetting to submit a proof of time, we would literally be in a corral far far away (third from the back). Our last stop at the expo was visiting the booths around the stadium where we ran into @according2kelly at the #teamsparkle Sparkle Athletic booth!! I have followed the Sparkle Athletic girls on Instagram since I started searching for costume ideas for my first Princess Half Marathon! I look up to them on so many levels, so I fangirled out a bit. I had taken a picture with According2Kelly when we ran the Glass Slipper Challenge last year, but this year I talked Whitney into taking the picture with me. I appreciate how gracious she was to take a picture with the crazy girl who was like, "We follow you on Instagram, can we take a picture?!" I can't express how thankful I am for my family and all of their love, support, and sacrifices throughout our crazy runventures!! The journey to running a marathon isn't a single day in your life. It is months of meticulous planning, obsessing, running, recovering, grouching, rejoicing, etc. The marathon day itself is a whole other beast. Our family was beyond supportive, and Justin proved to be our number one fan!! From driving out of his way to wave at me during my longest training run, to holding our stuff on the course and being where we needed him to be and more, I am overwhelmed!!! We couldn't have done it without y'all!! I feel emotional even now thinking about it! After we gathered our expo plunder, we headed to Disney Springs to start loading up on the carbs to fuel our run. Although, honestly, I don't need an excuse to eat ice cream. They have done so much work to the site formally known as Downtown Disney. We found ourself at the new, completed parking deck, only it was the opposite side we wanted to be on. Whitney and I didn't need any extra steps, so Justin navigated us back out, around the way and back again to finally find a place to park and walk across the new pedestrian bridge. Whew, all that was worth it! We ended the day with some more carb-loading at Macaroni Grill, a last minute powerball ticket purchase, a stop for some recovery chocolate milk, and a flat runner picture before calling it an early night for a very early morning. Disney races are so early, it's almost like a night race. With a wake up call of 2:45, I was more than ready to get some sleep. My sweet friend Aubrey and our awesome cheerleaders had given me a care package before I left with runner goodies and good luck notes. I read all of my notes for the third time before going to bed! Running long distances is just as much (if not more) a mental game as a physical game, so I wanted to make sure I had plenty of positive to pull from when the going would inevitably get tough!
I started my Coast to Coast Challenge in February when I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon Glass Slipper Challenge with my amazing sister-in-law. We had more fun than should be allowed running 13.1 miles, but it was Disney World after all. I complete the CC Challenge by running the Disneyland Half Marathon solo over Labor Day weekend. I chose this race because: 1. It was on a holiday weekend, so I got an extra day and only had to take one personal day off. 2. Having never been to California or Disneyland, I took full advantage of the extra time to visit the parks. 3. It was the 10th anniversary of this race, and the 60th diamond anniversary of Disneyland park, so everything would be extra special. The race expo was at Disneyland Hotel convention center, where we were staying, so after being shuttled to our resort, we checked into our room and headed over to packet pickup. We came in from the back of the hotel, and had some trouble navigating the arrows pointing down the blue carpet. Once we finally figured out where to go, packet pick up was a breeze. The lines for the official merchandise that people were complaining about the day before were non existent on Friday. Of course there were no race cups, mugs, or wine glasses left, so I was unable to add to my cup obsession collection... I stopped and said "hello" to Jeff and Barb, of course, before we left! Barb had a super cute shirt that Raw Threads had created just for the Galloways. I'm excited to run the Galloway 13.1 in Atlanta again in December! Saturday we woke up early, took advantage of our magic hour, and spent the day exploring Disneyland!!! It was a magical experience, and I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to visit Walt's original theme park! "To think it all started with a mouse." My favorite part of running at Disneyland was being able to walk to the start line! In contrast to Disneyworld, I had a 3:30 wake up call as opposed to a 3:30 leave time. I am NOT a morning person, and the earlier I arrive at a race the more likely I will need to use the ports potties (NOT my favorite). I hugged mom and dad goodbye, and got in my corral by 5:20. I was in corral C, but the corrals only went to G. There were fireworks during the singing of the National Anthem, but I was surprised that there were no more fireworks for the start of the corrals. Another big difference with running Disneyland is that we run through the parks early in the race. We do run through both Disney's California Adventure and Disneyland for a couple of miles each, which is always fun. I was especially excited to run through DCA since we didn't have time to visit that park this trip. It was cool to see Cars Land and the Mickey Wheel. They had the lights and fountains on for us, which was beautiful! Only people who purchased chEar squad packages were allowed inside Disneyland Main Street, but Mom and Dad were lining the run-way between DCA and Disneyland to cheer me on!! I am so thankful for my personal chEarleaders who wake up early without complaining and stand in big crowds for countless hours just to cheer me on. Runners appreciate spectators, especially spectators who love and support you! 😊 It was so much fun taking pictures with the original castle and running through Disneyland. I was really missing Whitney on this run. Having a BRF (best running friend) with you makes racing a hundred times better! I got SUPER lucky and ran into my evil stepmother and another Cinderella inside Disneyland, so of course I stopped for a picture! As I was waiting, a cast member warned us that Mulan was about to replace Cinderella, so I was so happy to get this picture! My stepmother told me "I hope you win" with much disdain. After we exited the parks, we spent a LOT of time running on the roads. We were running towards the sun for most of it, but I had read about this in advance, so I was prepared with sunscreen. I loved running in California, because even though it was hot and the au was shining on us, it was not humid or muggy. Such welcome relieve from Georgia running, and even Florida running. I had seen on Instagram that Sparkle Athletic had a cheer zone outside of their headquarters about mile 7.5, so I was looking forward to seeing them! I stopped for "Sparkle Power" and ate the last donut hole in their box! 😀 Leading up to the Honda Center, there were rows and rows of cars. Fancy cars, old cars, new cars. Every car had at least one owner cheering us on. Everyone was so friendly and encouraging, and several of them commented on my smile. Of course I'm smiling, runners love spectators!! 💜 We ran on an interesting "trail" leading up to Angels Stadium. I ran carefully so as not to get any gravel in my shoes. At this point I was realizing I had some chaffing hotspots and 5 miles left, so I was treading lightly... The stadium was full of spectators in the stands cheering us on! It was so cool to run through the stadium. I was thankful for a lot of things at this point: 1. The lady with the tent of Vaseline outside of the stadium. 2. 3.1 miles left to go. 3. A kind runner who offered to take my picture. I had to wait in the runner zone for a while for Mom and Dad to make their way around the finish zone, across the course, through Downtown Disney, and finally over to the reunion area. My phone was not cooperating, as it does in large crowds where most people are on their phones to find their people. They finally made it, and I was so happy to see them and share my accomplishment! All in all, it was a wonderful race!! I am partial to races at Disneyworld, but I am extremely thankful for taking the opportunity to complete my West Coast leg of the Coast to Coast Challenge. Next up in my race schedule are Atlanta runs, and the Disneyworld MARATHON!!! Time to focus on the big daddy of races! A few months back I decided I'd like to go all the way.... 26.2 miles to be exact! Today I registered for my first FULL MARATHON!!!!
I am of the mindset that running 13.1 miles is a whole race, not just "half" of one. I am content with my half marathons, and I believe they are an accomplishment despite what their names may imply. I have also decided, thanks to the amazing running community I have been introduced to, that I would like to try 26.2 miles. What better place to do that than Disney World?! Before I ran my first half marathon I said the only place I would want to run 13.1 miles would be at Disney. Thus, Princess Half Marathon 2014 being my very first, and quite magical, half marathon. Flash forward to April 2015: I have run 6 half marathons to date, and will be running my 7th half this weekend! Needless to say the magic of the Princess Half wasn't just attributed to Disney, but to the act of running itself. After running the Jeff Galloway 13.1 in December of 2014, I set my sites on 26.2. The pain of my longest run on record (17.5 miles training) has faded enough for me to believe that a full marathon distance is possible for me. The ONLY place I am willing to run that far (at this point in time) is Disney World. I mean, you get to run through all 4 parks, possibly get to ride some rides, take photos with characters, and race to the finish where Minnie and Mickey will be waiting with high fives for all!!! Does it seriously get any better than that?? This is the hope I will be holding on to through this journey, and it will be a journey! Nothing is given. Everything is earned. I am nowhere near the fastest or most skilled runner on the course. In fact, my wonderful sister-in-law who will be running with me could run circles around me and still finish well before I did. The point, however, is not to be the best or the fastest. The point is to have fun, run with your heart, and break through all your personal barriers that hold you back from greatness. I'll be happy to, as Jeff Galloway puts it in his training plans, "finish in the upright position" with a smile on my face! I have 257 days until Marathon Day to get my body, mind, and heart ready to go all the way, but the preparation for this moment started long before today!! |