I've never gone to bed dreading having to get up for a race the next morning. I've been nervous before, but that's not what I was feeling on Friday night before this race. I had the day off of work on Friday, and had such a lazy day. I did almost nothing all day, and it was so nice! Thinking about waking up to go run a 1/2 marathon the next morning was the last thing that I wanted to do. I wanted to sleep in another day, and relax again. Luckily I got out of bed when my alarm went off Saturday morning, and off to my 6th 1/2 marathon I went.
I got my new cute strappy tank in the mail Friday, so I did what I shouldn't have done and wore it for the race...
When I left for the race it was sprinkling some, and windy. Some pretty strong thunderstorms had come through the night before, and there was a fair amount of debris in the road from all the wind. The exit ramp I had to take for the race was partially blocked by a tree that had fallen by the side of the road. When I got to the race location it was still raining and windy. I was glad I grabbed my rain jacket before I left because the rain pelting against my face was not a good feeling. The rain was just leaving the area, so the race started about 5 minutes late which gave the rain time to stop before we started.
This race had a 5k option or the 1/2 marathon. I think there were only about 150 people running the 1/2 marathon. I wish there would have been a separate start for the 1/2 marathon and the 5k because I definitely started out too fast. It kind of turned out to be a blessing in disguise though. I've been really bad about doing my Galloway intervals during races, so when I started getting tired 2 miles into the race I started to run intervals. I got passed by a lot of people on my walk breaks, but I was okay with that because I kept reminding myself that this was a training run and not a race for me. Soon everyone settled into their pace and I didn't really have anyone right in front of me or behind me.
The scenery was nice. It reminded me a lot of the smaller 1/2 marathon I ran last month that I really enjoyed. One thing that bugged me about this race was that the road was open to traffic. I understand that 13 miles (or 6.5 since it was out and back) is an inconvenient amount of road to close for a couple hours, and there weren't that many cars on the road, but it just made me nervous. I wear headphones when I run, but I usually run on trails where I don't have to worry about cars. Another thing that bugged me were the roads we ran on. Some of the roads were in really bad condition, and the different terrain was hard on my feet.
There were a lot of big potholes that you had to either run off the road for, or run over to the other side of the road. This isn't the race's fault though since they have no control of the roads in the area.
The race went by fairly quickly considering how much I was not enjoying it at the start. I remembering thinking at mile 3 about how happy I was going to be when I finished in 10 miles, and then not long later I was done. I think it helped that I downloaded some new songs to listen to while I ran. Good music always gets me through my long runs!
This was about 9 miles in. Definitely not as hot as the last 1/2 a few weeks ago!
Hardly any other races to be seen...
The second half of the race I started passing a lot of people. I went back and forth with one girl who seemed like she might be close to my age group for about 1/2 a mile. After the last water stop I got a second wind and left her behind. There were a lot of people I passed that had nothing left to give. I was glad I'd started my intervals early because they helped me keep going until the end. I ended up finishing the race in 2:17:38, which is my second best time to date.
I thought the race shirt was cute. It's a tech shirt, and it's not white! I like the play on words with the 'run strong' instead of 'live strong.'
After the race I went home and made myself a homemade dole whip with pineapple sherbet and juice!
Not quite as good as Disney, but still pretty yummy!
My next race is the weekend, although it's just a 10k this time. My next longer distance race is my marathon in August!
My 19th race and 5th half marathon is in the books. It was a horribly hot and miserable race, but I did it! I actually took more pictures this race so I could do a proper race recap, so without further ado here is my report...
It all started at packet pickup on Friday afternoon. I usually don't pick up my packet early for races that are over 15-20 minutes away, but there was no race morning packet pickup, so I didn't have an option. There was an expo this year though, so it made having to drive downtown a little bit more worthwhile. First stop at the expo was to pick up bibs. My brother and Sister in Law came into town for the race, and my Sister in Law that lives here also ran the race, so we had lots to pick up!
After grabbing the bibs we had to go pick up the rest of our stuff. Hospital Hill has some of the best race goodies. This year there were tech shirts and reusable water bottles before the race. After the race you get finishers flip flops and your medal of course. Here's a couple pictures of the pre-race goodies.
I saw on the Hospital Hill Facebook page that you could sign up at the expo for next years race at a discounted rate and you'd also get a free gift. I plan to make this race (in any distance 5k, 10k, or 1/2) an annual thing, so I signed up for the 1/2 again for next year. I got a visor for signing up, and only had to pay $39 for the race. Considering the awesome race swag you get for running this race I thought that was a steal, especially since there were people paying $45 to run the 5k at the expo. Here is the visor I got! I've been needing one really bad, so it was a great freebie!
After getting all the race stuff it was time to look around the expo for a bit. First stop was the bondiband booth. I LOVE my bondibands. They are awesome at absorbing sweat and water, I have pictures from the race to prove it! I got 3 new bondibands, a blue 13.1 band to match my half fanatics shirt (pictured later on), and the other 2 below.
I stopped by the garmin pacers booth to get a pace band to wear for the race. I heard it was a tough course, so I thought 2:15 would be a modest goal since my PR is 2:10 on another hilly course... If I only knew what the hills in my future were really like, I would probably rethink that decision.
I also signed up for a new 15k race in the fall. It was $10 off and you got a free gift for signing up. I had been holding off on signing up since I thought the price was a little high at $40, but $30 seemed a lot more reasonable. I like that it's a 15k, not a distance you see often. This is the gift I got for registering.
After looking around a little longer nothing else caught my eye, and so packet pickup fun ended.
I went home and laid out everything I would need for the morning. I didn't want to forget anything since I had to get up so early in the morning!
Ok, fast forward to about 6:50 Saturday morning. Race day is finally here!
We got to the race plenty early, but made the mistake of not getting into the starting chute until the last minute. My best attempt to get into the starting area near the sign that designated the 10 minute/mile pace runners was to stand outside the actual starting area near a fence someone had opened up. I think this race would benefit from having corals. Last year the 1/2 started 15 minutes before the 5k & 10k, so there weren't as many people crowded into the start area at one time. Here is my view of the start, and the people behind me. There were 7,600 runners this year!
A few minutes before the race was set to start, the wheel chair athletes were sent on their journey. Right after 7AM the rest of us started. It was slow getting to the start line, it took me over 2 minutes from where I was standing to cross the starting mats. Here is everyone in front of me about a 1/4 mile into the race.
I was trying to run slower than usual so I wouldn't lose steam too early, and still managed to run my first mile in under 10 minutes. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with that pace, and tried to slow down even more, especially with the first hill coming up fast. Shortly after the marker for mile 1 was hospital hill, the hill that the race is named after. I am fairly certain this was the only hill that I ran up in it's entirety the whole race. I shouldn't have pushed myself up that hill so early on. I managed to keep a good pace for about 4 miles, and then my energy started draining fast. This was around the time that the 2:15 pace group passed me, and I gave up on that goal. It was super hot, and humid. At every water stop I grabbed 2 cups of water, one to drink and one to pour over my head. I would cool down for a couple minutes and feel good, but then I would start getting hot again all too soon. The rest of the race was kind of blur from that point. I was pretty miserable, and just wanted to finish the race. I was very thankful for all the people who were cheering us on with their garden hoses to cool us down and bags of ice. The spectators were so awesome for this race!
Here are some of the pictures I took during the middle of the race. There were several bands along the course, this was the only picture that you can kind of see the band in.
I ran behind this couple for awhile. Their shirts said "13.1 days to go."
Fast forward to mile 11 now. I was really struggling at this point, which is not normal for me. After running 4 other 1/2's and numerous double digit training runs, my stamina and endurance is pretty good. I saw this billboard for the race that motivated me to keep pushing through the pain.
When I got to the next water stop I poured 2 waters over my head and ran through the sprinklers. I felt like a drowned rat, but it was so hot. I didn't really care that my outfit was soaking wet, and had been soaked for several miles. The cool water was so refreshing. Check out how awesome my bondiband is! I don't know how I managed a smile for this picture, maybe I was thinking about the fact that there was only another mile to go...
Shortly after the last photo and the 12 mile marker I was faced with trinity hill. I remember it being awful last year, and it didn't disappoint again this year. I took this picture about half way up the hill...
I made it to the top and was ready to run the rest of the way in. It was finally all downhill to the finish! Unfortunately I got a horrible cramp in my side and had to do a really pathetic jog/walk for the last half mile. It took all I had to run the last 1/4 mile through the finishers chute. I was in so much pain trying to run with the cramp in my side, but didn't want to stop and walk in front of all the people watching. After 2:25:24 I finally crossed the finish line. It wasn't my best time, but I'm pleased with it. I've heard people talk about how they have a 1/2 marathon PR, and a HHR PR. This course is definitely not a course to PR on, but it is a course for those who want a challenge. After crossing the finish line I got an ice cold wet towel, water and my medal. Once I found everyone else, I got my flip flops and we got our post race BBQ, which I wish I could have enjoyed. Eating a meal after the race wasn't as appetizing as it initially seemed. The BBQ was good, but I was only able to eat a few bites.
Finisher Flip Flops
We saw this guy as we were walking to the car. He runs a lot of local races, and carries the Flag for the entirety of them all. Google Strides of Pride, he has a website about what he does!
Even though the race was tough, hot, hilly, and pretty miserable, I actually had a great time. I can't wait to come back next year and try to beat my Hospital Hill time. Now that I know what to expect I can train better for next year.
Here are some pictures of the medal this year. This year along with the medals for the next 2 years are supposed to fit together to form a super awesome medal to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the HHR in 2013. I'm hoping I can run the 1/2 the next 2 years in order to complete my collection!
My medal hanger is starting to fill up. All the medals on the left are from my 5 1/2 marathons, the others are from shorter distances and one of my age group awards.
This week has definitely brought extremes in weather for spring to my area of the country. For most of the week it was really warm. Highs were in the 90's, and it was very humid. I had to move my last run before this race to the morning because the evenings were just too hot! Within the last couple days it started getting cool, and this morning it was in the low 40's and very windy when I headed out for the race. My usual half attire calls for a running skirt, compression socks, and short sleeved shirt. I wore my usual, except I decided to change the short sleeved shirt to a long sleeved one. I was glad I decided on the change, but once I warmed up, it didn't feel as cold as it was.
This race was about 10 miles away, in a very stereotypical Kansas setting. Once I got off the highway there was basically nothing but fields and a few houses until I got to the church/school that was hosting the event. They promised scenic views, and this was definitely one of the more scenic courses I've run. I got to the race earlier than I normally would since they were planning to close the road, and I really didn't want to try to navigate around unfamiliar roads right before the race started. I spent some extra time warming up since it was quite chilly, then waited inside for the start of the race. I was kicking myself for not having my camera, there were so many stereotypically Kansas parts of this race that I would have loved having a picture of. The first funny thing was the actual cow at the start of the race. It was actually only a calf, but still super cute and totally something you would only see in Kansas. Obviously since this race is called running with the cows, there were cows everywhere (real and fake.) After the race began, we started on our journey 6.55 miles out and back. I had to laugh once I saw the first stretch of road because this race was advertised as being flat. When I think of flat, I think of running in Florida. This race was definitely not flat like I imagined. There were a lot of rolling hills, which are better than the steeper ones I usually train on, but still not what I consider flat. The first half of the race flew by. There were plenty of aid stations with very energetic and peppy volunteers. I was very impressed with all the food along the course at these stations. I saw oranges, bananas, pretzels, and candy. I was running at a great pace and feeling strong through the first half of the race, despite the wind. It was so strong across the fields that it would almost take your breath away. For the first 6 miles I ran at a pace of 9:30/mile and was feeling really good. Right before I got to the turn around I started feeling sick to my stomach. I tried to keep pushing, but eventually had to stop and walk. I ended up walking a good portion of the second half of the race. I was determined to finish, and felt a lot better when I walked, so I speed walked as fast as I could. People probably thought I was crazy because I was walking and dancing along to my music. Most people who were walking by then were exhausted an hobbling along. I know I would have PR'd if I would have kept my pace through the second half of the race, but I didn't come into the race with any time goal, and this was meant to be a training run for me more than a race. I ended up finishing in 2:18:49, which is still faster than my first 1/2 marathon that I ran last November, and obviously faster than my princess time since I played all along that course. Needless to say, I'm very happy with my time, and to make it better, taking it easier to second part of the race helped me from being sore afterward!
I'll definitely be back to run this race again next year. The price was very reasonable, and the race was very well organized. Where else can you get a cowbell at the finish of a race instead of a medal?
This race also helped me join the half fanatic ranks (I'm #1065!) I ran three 1/2's in 77 days, and have 2 more in the next 35 days! I never thought running 1/2's would be something I enjoyed so much.
I think that's it for this installment. Only 3 weeks until my next half, and I promise to have more pictures from that race!
This morning was my third 1/2 marathon to date. I usually don't get nervous before races, but with my right knee bothering my lately I was really nervous about not being able to finish. My last run before the race was on Thursday, and I managed to step off a curb weird to irritate my knee even more. This morning when I woke up my knee was feeling pretty good, so I decided to go ahead and try to run for a five minute PR. I had made myself a pace bracelet last night with my split times for a 2:15 half, and a 2:20 half. I didn't end up using the bracelet much, but it was nice to see how my pace and time were in relation to those finish times when I did look.
Today ended up being a beautiful spring day, but this morning was quite chilly. I ended up in a running skirt, a short sleeve shirt, and compression socks. I used a cheap pair of knee high socks with the toes cut off to keep my arms warm before the race. (FYI Target usually has cute pairs on sale for less than $1!) I was still a little cold before the race, but a lot of people were way over dressed with non-throw away clothes. Once I got in the starting chute around other people I warmed up and tossed my arm warmers right before the race started. The first mile was really tight. I had to run on the grass to pass people, and there was a really sudden turn that was hard to navigate as well. I missed the first mile marker completely so I have no idea how the weaving affected my time. There were pacers for this race, so I started behind the 2:15 pacers. I ended up doing so much weaving that I lost them behind me sometime in the first couple miles. I've been training with the Galloway run/walk method, and I fully intended to do that method during the race. It was so tight at the beginning that I didn't want to stop and walk, and by the time people were spreading out I felt like I was getting into a good groove.
The course was great. Lots of rolling hills, but nothing too steep or hard to manage. There were a fair amount of spectators throughout the entire course, which was always a nice pick me up. I wore my Princess 1/2 marathon shirt, and several people saw my shirt and cheered for me specifically. Once I started getting father into the course I noticed that I was running less than 10 min/miles. I was still feeling pretty good, but wasn't counting on it lasting the whole way. Around mile 8 I started feeling a twinge in my knee, and that gradually got worse until the finish. Luckily it wasn't bad enough for me to stop running completely.
When I got to mile 12 I looked at my watch and saw that I was just under 2 hours. I realized that I was not only going to make my 2:15 goal, but I was going to beat that goal by several minutes. The last mile was basically all downhill, which really helped because I was starting to hurt bad. I ran most of mile 12. Once I got to mile 13 I saw that I was just under 2:10, and knew if I kept pushing I could finish in 2:10. I pushed hard, and it hurt, but I pulled it off. My official time was 2:10:00.0!
I was too tired to be excited about my over 10 minutes PR at the end. The race literally took all I had, but it was totally worth it. I would highly recommend this race to anyone in the Kansas City area, or anyone looking for a medium sized half to run. Very well organized, reasonably priced, and a great course.
I give Rock the Parkway 2 thumbs up!
Since I signed up to run my first marathon at the Fit for a Princess expo, I thought it would be fitting to start my marathon blog with my report of the race!
It's hard to believe that I started this crazy running obsession only a year ago. A year ago I started couch to 5k, and couldn't run a mile without stopping. When I first thought about running the princess 1/2 marathon, I had nightmares about getting lost on the course, or falling behind and not being allowed to finish. It's amazing how much a year changed things! Going into race weekend my nerves were pretty cool. I knew I had run the distance before, and was mainly there to have a good time. After running the second leg of the wine and dine 1/2 marathon relay in October, I was really excited to run a full race at Disney. I was so sad watching the starting line fireworks from a couple miles away at the relay exchange area in October. You better believe my camera was ready when the fireworks to start the princess 1/2 marathon went off!
My princess morning started early. At precisely 3am, two cell phone alarms, and the hotel room phone were ringing. Luckily I was already so excited about the race that the early wake up call wasn't an issue. By 4:15 the Epcot ball was glowing close by, and it was really starting to sink in that I was actually getting ready to run a 1/2 marathon at Disney!
Shortly after arriving at Epcot, it was time to walk to the corrals. I read about the corrals being a 20 minute walk from the staging area in the Epcot parking lot, and always thought that it was an exaggeration, but it literally took 20 minutes to walk to the corrals. I heard a lot of people around me joking about how they wish Disney would count the walk as part of the race distance. I didn't have my GPS going on my phone, but it had to at least be a mile walk to the corrals. Once we got to the area where the corrals were I still had more to walk to get to corral B.
You can see the start line in the distance!
Corral B- I felt really out of place being assigned to the second corral because I'm definitely not fast. Apparently this weekend I was considered fast because everyone else ran about the same pace I was running for the first mile.
I got into the corral just around the time they were talking to Ethan and Jenna from survivor. They were running the race with us, and I couldn't really hear what they were saying, but from what I did hear they were trying to compare running a 1/2 marathon to being on Survivor.
After a few more minutes, the Fairy Godmother came out and we were ready to start the race! I really had to try not to cry at this point. I was so excited to finally be running this race, and couldn't believe the race was finally starting! The first corral started, and we had to wait 8 more minutes before it was our turn.
Luckily the time went by really quickly. I was very thankful that I only had to wait 8 minutes to start. The people in the last corral had to wait 40 minutes after the first corral before they got to go. I would have been going crazy! 8 minutes later we were off and running!
The first mile was probably the slowest of the race. It was so crowded, and I had to do a lot of weaving to find my own little running bubble. I was really afraid I was going to trip over something and fall since it was still dark out, and there were so many people. About a 1/2 mile in we had our first entertainment. I was really impressed with the high school bands that were playing along the course. They probably had to get up long before I did to get to the race on time and set up. When I passed by, the drummers were doing a solo, and their beat made me run a little faster. A few minutes later I saw the first mile marker! One mile down, 12.1 to go!
Mile 1 was still pretty crowded. We passed a DJ, and these guys on stilts around 1.5 miles in.
I have to mention that I tried to take as many pictures as possible while running, so that's why some of them are blurry and not centered. I try to take better pictures when I'm not moving, but I didn't want to stop and have someone run over me since it was so crowded. Mile 1 was pretty uneventful. We had just started onto world drive when mile marker 2 appeared.
Mile 2 was probably my longest mile of the race. When I started becoming interested in running a Disney race, there was always one picture that I saw in race recaps that I had to have. I told myself before the race that no matter how long the line was, I was going to stop because it was a once in a lifetime photo opp. When I started running down world drive and heard pirate music playing, I got very excited. I saw the pirate ship, and knew my picture was coming. I was finally going to get my picture with Jack Sparrow, and his crew of pirates!
This was the line when I got there, and it only got longer as I waited.
The line took maybe 3 minutes total, and I got my picture! I was super bummed that it turned out so dark though...
Right after I ran away from the pirates, there was this hot air balloon that would totally fool me later on in the race.
Not too much further past the hot air balloon, I saw people running across the grass to the other side of the road. I thought that there were porta potties over there at first, but then I saw princess Atta, from 'A Bugs Life,' taking pictures. After waiting in line for the pirates I didn't hesitate to run over and get my picture taken since she had hardly anyone waiting.
Another minute of running later there was another photo opp I couldn't pass up, the Disney Princes! Their line was just as long as the pirates line, but I had to wait again because you just can't get this picture anywhere in the parks. When it was finally my turn to get my picture, there was a girl dressed like Ariel running by who started screaming at the princes and waving. Aladdin yelled something back to her, and apparently Eric was afraid Aladdin was stealing his princess because he told Aladdin that he was going to tell Jazmin. I was cracking up when I heard their banter, and was super impressed that they stay in character so well.
One lesson I learned from this race is that the pictures before the sun come up don't turn out well. I should have waited to get these until we were running back down world drive, coming back from Magic Kingdom. Lesson learned for the next race...
I was really ready to start running again after so many stops during mile 2. I love the pictures I got, but it was hard to stand in line when I just wanted to run. Right after I left the princes, I saw this sign- we were finally getting close to Magic Kingdom, sort of...
17 minutes later, I finally made it to mile 3!
You don't enter Magic Kingdom until after mile 5, so the parking lot sign is kind of deceiving if you aren't familiar with the area.
I was glad I didn't have to stop and use these, the line was long!
I wanted to tell them that they could use real restrooms at the transportation and ticket center in a mile if they could wait, but I was too busy trying to juggle my phone and camera before we got to our first water stop.
There were some drivers from the Richard Petty driving experience out taking pictures in the parking lot. They were very complimentary of everyone taking pictures with them, and were yelling "run princess, run" between pictures.
Not too much further in the parking lot, there was Elvis music blasting, and Lilo and Stitch were out for a photo opp. I was so excited to see Stitch dressed like Elvis. I love him, and have never seen him dressed up before!
There were hula dancers, and cheerleaders around this area too. We were right by the Polynesian resort, so I'm sure it was themed to be a Hawaiian entertainment area.
Right after we passed the Hawaiian party, we were approaching the Ticket and Transportation center, and the next mile marker.
There were a ton of people waiting to cheer us on in this area, and this awesome drum group.
Mile 4 went by pretty quick. Before I knew it we were reaching the hill that everyone says is the worst in the race. I wish I would have taken a picture of it because it really wasn't bad compared to what I train on here. There was a DJ cheering us on, and telling us that once we got to the top of the hill we were almost to Magic Kingdom. He also mentioned that there were guys in spandex doing tricks on a trampoline at the top of the hill. I can't say that made me personally run faster, but some of the women cheered with excitement about that announcement.
At the top of the hill was also the next mile marker. 5 miles done!
I picked up the pace a little here because I was ready to run down Main street! I heard that the course narrows through Magic Kingdom, so I tried to find a nice little gap of my own space to run in. I didn't want to be paranoid about tripping while I was in Magic Kingdom. I loved hearing the cast members saying 'Welcome to Magic Kingdom Princesses' while we were approaching the park through the backstage entrances.
Running down main street was just as amazing as I always imagined. I can't wait run through Magic Kingdom twice in January!
I loved that Disney lets people into the park to cheer us on before the park actually opens.
I wish I would have stopped to get a better picture of the sunrise over Tomorrowland. It was amazing to see in person!
Not far into Tomorrowland was the first character picture stop in the park, Chip and Dale!
Just a little further, almost into Fantasyland, Alice, Tweedle Dee, and Tweedle Dum were taking pictures too.
All the signs we passed for the rides already had 10 minute wait times listed. I wish I would have taken a picture of one of the signs with the empty line in the background.
After passing through fantasyland, it was time to run through the castle. I thought I took a video of the trumpeters playing as we ran through the castle, but I must have accidentally deleted it. Total bummer, because it was so awesome! My mom was waiting outside the castle, but there were so many people in that area that I missed her, and was passing the mile 6 marker before I knew it.
Right after I took this picture I saw Princess Tiana, and Prince Naveen.
There were characters from the Haunted Mansion out right across the path, but somehow that picture disappeared with my castle video. Not too much further was Woody. I had to stop for him because I know a lot of toy story loving kids!
I have no idea who this character is. She had no one in line for pictures, so I figured it was worth 10 seconds of my time to stop for a picture.
One of the trains from the railway and a conductor were bidding us farewell as we left Magic Kingdom and headed backstage again.
Backstage, Disney had some parade floats with characters taking more pictures. Of course I had to stop for all of them!
Disney did a good job entertaining the runners on the boring roads after we left Magic Kingdom. There was a DJ and firetruck from the Reedy Creek fire department after we left the backstage area of Magic Kingdom.
Yes, that is a guy wearing a tutu in the picture above. There were a lot of guys dressed up for the race.
7 miles down, we're over halfway there now!
Beauty and the Beast were out taking pictures right after the 7 mile mark, and I was super bummed the line was so long. It had to be at least 3 times as long as the pirate line I waited in. Belle is my favorite princess, but at this point in the race I knew if I stopped for a long character line, it would be really hard to get back into a decent pace. I took a picture of what I was missing as I ran by.
Once we got close to the Grand Floridian there were a ton of picture stops with much shorter lines!
I rode in this carriage at my wedding! Too bad my prince is a lot cuter than this guy...
I ran with this guy most of the race, and finally decided to take a picture of his costume. It was really warm, so he had to be roasting in that suit!
Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip were very pleasant. Sleeping Beauty said I looked beautiful, although that was clearly a lie considering I had run 7.5 miles in the humid Florida weather. Prince Phillip invited me to take his arm for the picture, which I was kind of hesitant about knowing hundreds of other sweaty women had done the same thing already. I think that's why I stood so far away from Prince Phillip in the picture, although I'm not sure how standing further away from him made his arm any less sweat covered... I blame it on having run 7.5 miles already.
There were a lot of spectators along this part of the course outside of the resorts by Magic Kingdom.
Donald was out for a round of golf.
The miles keep getting bigger, which means the finish line is getting closer!
I loved Pocahontas when I was little, so I was excited to see Meeko out for pictures. I don't think I've ever seen him in the parks before!
Mile 8 was probably the hardest mile. It was really starting to get warm, and the GU I had taken 3.5 miles in was starting to wear off. I was really excited to see mile marker 9 because that meant we were heading back out onto world drive and would be running the final stretch back to Epcot.
When I got home, I read about the markers Lady Foot Locker put in the road as encouragement for us. There were 4 of them total, and I think this was the last one we saw. I tried to take a picture of one each time we ran over them, but failed every other time.
From a distance I thought this was the real ball, and thought we were a lot closer to Epcot. Once I got closer I remembered that they had the hot air balloon out, so Epcot wasn't quite as close...
I heard the pirate music again after I passed the Epcot balloon, and decided that I had to stop again for a better picture with the pirates. Luckily the line was only a minute or so long this time.
I'm considering a pirate princess outfit next year just for this photo opp. The only thing that could make it better would be having Johnny Depp dressed as Jack Sparrow...
There were definitely fewer characters in the second half of the race. I started running negative splits because I wasn't stopping for pictures.
Only a 5k to go!
The course took us up one of the overpass ramps to get back to Epcot, so one of the green army men from Toy Story was positioned on the hill encouraging us to "keep moving soldiers."
I made it up the hill, and was feeling pretty good. I had to start passing people on the grass because there were a lot of people running out of gas around this point. I didn't want to slow down to their pace because it was getting hot, and I was ready to be done.
Only 2 miles left!
The last couple miles were relatively boring. I was glad to finally see some more characters before the 12 mile marker.
Jane made me laugh because she told me that I was almost to the finish, and she heard that there were bananas there...
Right after all the pictures, the 12 mile marker appeared. Only one mile left, and most of it was in Epcot!
I of course had to stop for more pictures.
I wish more of the course went through Epcot. We turned around right before we got to the World Showcase, and ran back towards the entrance.
I meant to video the gospel choir at mile 13. They were awesome, and motivated me to run a little faster to the finish.
Almost there!
My mom was waiting at mile 13, so she was able to get a few action shots.
I had a sudden burst of energy once I saw the finish line. I was going to finish really strong until I saw Pluto, and Mickey and Minnie with no line. I had taken so many pictures already, but how often do you see Mickey and Minnie dressed in Royal Garb without a line for pictures? I had to stop and get just a couple more pictures.
I love this picture with Mickey and Minnie!
I turned around and did my best to try to convince the finish line photographers that I had just run hard to the finish. I forgot about the finish line video though, and I just look silly in mine waiting for the cast member to come take my picture.
After the finish there are fairy godmothers in training that sprinkle you with pixie dust, then you get your medals!
Officially I finished in 2:38:37, which was better than I anticipated. My goal was 2:45 with stops for pictures. I can't say I was the most diligent with my training during the winter, so I was pleased to surpass my goal time that much.
All in all, my first full Disney race definitely lived up to the hype. I'll definitely be back next year, and hopefully for many more years to come!
As a bonus, guess who I found in Epcot later that day without a line?
Yup, my favorite princess with a long line during the race.
