Hi there! Long
time no blog! :) To be honest, I don't have a great reason for that. I
feel like my greatest blogging inspiration comes to me when I'm on a run
and although I have been running a little lately, it hasn't been as
much as my norm. I'm definitely trying to get back into the swing of
things, though!
When runDisney announced their transition to a virtual option for the Princess Half Marathon this year, we had a couple of options. Since we'd already used a few borrowed points to book our rooms for the trip (we did this right at the beginning of corona last year), I knew we weren't really looking at canceling our trip. (Borrowing DVC points then canceling your trip means you lose the points.) So, since canceling the trip wasn't an option, I decided to go forward with the virtual option and run the Fairy Tale Challenge on my own. I also decided to add the 5K on to the list since it was a Little Mermaid theme and I own zero Ariel runDisney items!
After going over running options for these races, I decided that maximizing the time I had with my family at Disney was my first priority. So, I made the decision to run the Fairy Tale Challenge out of order by running the half marathon at home the weekend before our trip, then running the 5K and 10K while at Disney. This plan worked perfectly and I'll definitely share more about my time running the 5K and 10K around Hourglass Lake very soon!
The weekend prior to our trip was quite a doozy over here. That big ice/snow storm was rolling through the south and definitely threw a wrench in our plans. Although our trip plans changed, I knew I still needed to get my half marathon in so I decided to go forward with it, even though it was cold, windy, and kind of a nasty day.
The day of my half marathon, I worked until noon. Trying to figure out my eating plan for the morning was a bit challenging, but I went with a banana and some peanut butter crackers about an hour before the run and all went very well!
The route around my place of work is a nice one, but I had to steer well clear of the lake because it was SO windy! Thankfully, I had several options!
The first set of miles felt great and I didn't experience any issues. The only really problem I had was running towards the wind. It was the weirdest thing - I almost froze when running towards the wind and got incredibly warm when running away from it.
Around mile 6, I began to get stiff, cold, and I had to turn to a 4:1 run/walk method to keep going. This random leg cramp that I've never experienced before also popped up and all I could think about was my old running coach and how I needed a pack fo salt! Hah! Since there was no salt around, a run/walk ratio had to do.
Somewhere near mile 10, the leg cramp went away and I was able to run the remainder of the race cramp free! Yay!
In the end, I finished with a 10:58 pace and I was 100% ok with that!
Running alone is hard. Running a virtual half is really hard. Running without runDisney is hard. This pandemic is hard. 2020/2021 is hard. Life is hard. Thankfully, I'm still blessed with the gift of running and the ability to "burn off the 2020/2021 crazy" that continues to plague me! Also, I took a little Disney magic along with me by listening to the awesome runDisney Spotify playlists from both Marathon Weekend & the Princess Half Marathon Weekend!
Throughout this run, I knew a trip to Disney was coming up and that definitely gave me something to look forward to, even though it wasn't the traditional type of runDisney trip we usually take in February!
So, let me know - if you registered for the Princess Half, did you choose the virtual option? If so, where/how did you run your race?
The Disney Princess Half Marathon was held over the weekend of February 21-23, 2020. This was a race that blew my expectations out of the water and I loved every second of it!
To begin, I expected to run this race solo, and I was 100% ok with that. Imagine my surprise when I ran into my friend Mindy who asked if I'd like to run together? Absolutely!! What was set to be "another Princess Half" for me became a race full of memories and one that I'll always hold near to my heart!
I'm getting ahead of myself here...let's back up to 2:30 a.m. on the morning of the race...
When I tell you I had zero costume inspiration for this race, I literally mean it. Instead of trying to force something I just wasn't feeling, I dug in my closet and found a Raw Threads shirt I hadn't yet worn for a race yet. It was Belle themed, so I pulled out a yellow Sparkle Skirt (now Boulder Athletic) and topped it off with a Belle themed Sweaty Band! I was good to go! :)
I made it on an early bus which I liked because the time waiting in traffic wasn't very long. Once we made it to the drop off area, I wandered around for a few minutes until I heard the announcement that the corrals were open.
...and off I went!
Once I arrived at corral B, I realized just how early I was! The corral was almost empty which worked to my advantage. After standing for a few minutes playing on my phone, I saw that my friend Mindy was also in corral B. It had been a while since I'd seen her and I wanted to say hi, so I started scanning the small crowd. It wasn't long before I spotted her hat!
Yay! Hi friend!!
We spent the remainder of our time talking in our corral and then just as the race was about to begin, she asked if I wanted to run with her. I was so nervous about my hamstring and I knew she was a faster runner than I am, but I said yes and prayed for the best. I knew she liked to stop for all the characters too, so I hoped the occasional stop would be to my hamstring's advantage. (I'm happy to report that it was!)
Before long, we were off!
Our first stop was at mile 1 with the mice from Cinderella.
We found out later that this was one of the stops you would also pass on the way back and both mice were out for pictures during our second pass. We missed it - oh well.
These ladies were HILARIOUS! Because this race held a Cinderella theme, there were so many runners themed as Cinderella - Mindy included. I took my picture after Mindy and as I ran up to the Evil Stepmother, she said "Oh thank God it's BELLE! I couldn't handle another Cinderella! They're everywhere!" I died, y'all. So funny!
One thing I appreciate about runDisney is the changes they now frequently make with the character stops for each race weekend. For so long, Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirate ship included) and group of Princes were always two of the stops in this area. Although I love both experiences, I've seen them several years in a row, so it was nice to have this change!
As we approached this sign, I told Mindy that I was excited because I'd never made it to the Magic Kingdom while it was still fairly dark out and I always wanted to. She said we were going to remedy that during this race and she was right!
Along the way, there were several princess themed carriages out for photos. This one happened to belong to Rapunzel!
The drummers were out again at the TTC. I always love hearing them play!
The bridge by the Contemporary is a beast, but we managed it!
Goal met! Yay!
I love the crowd on Main Street! It's always so magical (and I truly mean that)!
In Tomorrowland, we spotted Lewis from Meet the Robinsons! I was so excited to see him as this is one of my favorite Disney movies!
It was here that Mindy and I ran into one of our fellow southern running friends, Joe. He happened to be the one who paced me for the Louisiana Half the year I ran a sub 2 and it was so great to see him again! What I didn't know was that running into him (literally) would be a recurrent theme for the next several miles!
Dopey was hanging out in New Fantasyland!
While waiting for Rapunzel at the castle, we ran into Joe yet again. I knew we had to snag a quick photo because I wasn't sure if we'd see him again during the race. (We did...several times! Hah!)
How fun is this castle photo of all three of us? I love it!
What's a Princess Half without a jumping castle photo? :)
Chip and Dale were out for photos in Frontierland and I'm still trying to figure out why Dale is standing so far away from me! During these character photos, everything is so fast paced, it's hard to get a perfect placement. (This photo still makes me laugh, though.)
After leaving the Magic Kingdom, I was surprised to see zero line where there's usually a huge one. We quickly realized it's because this area was a parade float only without any characters out front.
The line for Princess Atta was fairly short, so we jumped in it.
Then, just as we approached the Grand Floridian, I spotted them...the Fairy Godmothers!!
If you read my recap from the Enchanted 10K the day before, it was while waiting in line for these ladies that I almost got swept from the course. I was so nervous while standing in this line during the half but we got the picture and didn't see any balloon ladies in the process! YAY!
I was also surprised (and grateful) to see that they were back on the half marathon course because runDisney doesn't always duplicate characters. They do sometimes, but not always. In this instance it made sense, because the theme for the Fairy Tale Challenge was the Fairy Godmothers. Regardless of all of that, I was very grateful to see them out on the half course, too!
Cinderella and Prince Charming were also out for photos, just outside of the Grand Floridian.
I was surprised to see a few villains out for this race! Jafar from Aladdin was there as well as Shan Yu from Mulan.
This guy cracked me up. He very firmly pointed at me, then pointed at the ground next to him as if to say "YOU! Stand here!" Yes sir, I didn't argue! :)
The next few miles were pretty sparse, but that's where having a running buddy came in handy. It was so nice to have Mindy to talk to while we ran our way to Epcot!
These fairies were just around the bend into Epcot. We were almost there!
Of course I couldn't pass up my traditional Mile 12 sign!
Bolt was in Future World and it was so neat to see him! (Yet another rare character!)
Speaking of rare? Well, we managed to also snag a photo with Panchito in Mexico!
As we neared the finish line, a feeling of gratitude overtook me. I was grateful to have a friend to run this race with, grateful for my family that I knew was waiting just beyond the finish line, grateful to have finished yet another Disney race, and most of all, I was grateful that we did not encounter any balloon ladies along the way!
Done!
It was so nice to have Mindy to run with! After our hugs goodbye, we made plans to run together again in the future...whenever that may be!
I loved how this race blew my expectations out of the water. After a disappointing race the previous day (see 10K recap), I had no idea what to expect for the half. It seriously turned out to be one of my favorite runDisney memories to date!
Seeing these guys at the finish line made for a pretty special finish, too! Peep Brayden's shirt! :)
We didn't hang out at the finishers area for long. Instead, we boarded a bus and made a bee line for breakfast back at our resort.
Mickey waffles did the trick! Oh yes, and it was nice to see the "fake cheese" back in the post-race food box! :)
Has a race ever turned out different than you initially expected? Tell me how in the comments below! :)
If you'd like to see a video recap of the Princess Half, check out this video below!
Yesterday and today have been super dreary winter days in the south. Being cooped up indoors and unable to have any outside play time has my toddler (and myself) going a little stir crazy. To combat these dreary thoughts, I'm thinking happy ones...like the Walt Disney World kind! In just 26 days, we will be returning to the most magical place on earth for the Princess Half Marathon weekend and I cannot wait!
I'm getting ahead of myself, though...
Today, I'm sharing with you my winter/early spring racing plans (which includes Princess)!
This race is one I've run every year since its existence (minus 2016 when I was very pregnant for my son). To note, I was actually registered for 2016 and determined to do the race, but I was deterred by my OB due to potential issues I was having. So to keep it safe, I had a medical form signed and had to bow out of that race. Regardless, I'm still planning on keeping the streak alive and doing this race as many years as possible.
For 2020, I'm doing this race with my Florida buddy Melissa. We are both battling injury at the moment, so we are just planning on run/walking the whole thing and having fun. In all the years I've run this race, I've never ever stopped for beignets along the course and depending on the line when we pass Cafe du Monde, we might just get an order!! How funny would that be? Again, we will see the logistics once we pass by, but since we aren't running this one for time, why not live it up?
Oh yes, and we will also be wearing the Mardi Gras Mickey ears, so if you see us, please say hi!
Ah yes, sunshine (hopefully) and good times...at least that's what this dreary weather has me looking forward to!
We are planning to arrive early for the Princess Half Marathon Weekend and stay just one day after the weekend is over, with hopes that we will be able to see Galaxy's Edge prior to the race weekend and Mardi Gras crowd. Although I have a game plan in mind, we shall see how it all works out. I am running both the 10K and the Half and somehow missed out on registering Brayden for the Kids Races. Oh well...hopefully next time!
Our resort for this trip is Saratoga Springs (a first for us) and we can't wait! I do plan to make it out to a few meetups while there, so I hope to see some of you around!
Injury
Last but not least, where am I with my hamstring injury? Well, it's still there.
It's NOT at all what it was, but I still have a nagging pain that just won't go away. To be honest, I severely slacked on my PT workouts during the holidays and am just getting back into doing them on a routine basis (4-5 times per week vs 2 times per week during the holidays). You know that slump where you feel like you've been injured forever and it won't ever go away? Well, that's where I'm at right now. I'm still doing Orangetheory and all, but long runs on concrete outside still make me nervous and with lingering soreness the next day. So, my plan right now is to run these upcoming races as best as I can and continue with an increase in PT workouts for now. I know it'll get better eventually, but this one really is taking forever!
So, that's my upcoming plans and where I'll be over the course of the next month! If you're at either of these race events and see me, please say hi! I hope this winter weather is treating you nice! Have a magical day!
Happy Tuesday, everyone! I have several blog posts planned over the next few weeks (including a FASTer Way To Fat Loss update) but for now, here's a few things that have been going on over in our little corner of the world...
#1 Lost SD Card
What the heck? How does one even lose an SD card? Well, I did. I've searched my house high and low and although I know Princess Half Marathon Weekend videos were promised, I sadly no longer have any footage from the Expo or 10K. Sad. Times. I was waiting on putting the footage together, hoping the SD card would magically appear somewhere, but it hasn't. So, footage from the Princess Half Marathon weekend will begin on my YouTube channel, starting after the 10K and the Joyful Miles Meetup and will continue with the Princess Half Marathon itself. Stay tuned for that coming soon!
#2 Alaska
Yes, we are soon to return to Alaska and I'm super excited! Jason's dad expressed his desire to visit Alaska and wanted to plan a family trip, so here we are! Although we will be on Royal Caribbean this time instead of Disney, we are excited to visit once again and see a few new sights. This will also be Brayden's first time on a cruise ship, so we are planning on taking things easy and just enjoying our time. Included in our list of excursions are a musher's camp as well as a whale watching excursion, neither of which we got to experience on our last Alaskan cruise. Brayden should also be fully potty trained by that point (except at night), so he might be able to spend some time in the kids club while on the ship. I know he will love it! If not, we plan to just relax and enjoy our cruise!
#3 Potty Training
Speaking of potty training, y'all...I heard "all the things" about potty training and read up on all the methods...and it seriously continues to amaze me how different every kid is. We spent the majority of our spring break week working on potty training. Brayden is an only child and he's a boy (clearly...hah), so we decided to wait until he actually turned 3 before attempting to potty train. He'd seen the kids in his class use the potty, so I know that was motivation for him, and he literally picked it right up. The first two days took some adjusting, but after a little motivational sticker chart, he had it going on. We pretty much put him in "big boy pants" and skipped the pull-ups all together. My mind is seriously blown at how well he took to it. Parenting can be so hard in general, it's nice when "something" goes your way! With a few random messes here and there, I'd say this kid has it pretty down pat!
So, that's just a little update on our lives over here! I hope you are all doing well! "See" you real soon!
Happy Tuesday, everyone! It's March 19 and do you know what that means? It's Wine & Dine registration day!! I'm happy to say that I was able to register for the Two Course Challenge for the Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend and you have no idea how excited I am! I love Disney during the fall and combining it with a runDisney race weekend makes it even better!
For a full recap of the weekend, check out the additional links below:
Today, I'm also sharing a recap from the Princess Half Marathon weekend I ran just a few weeks ago at Walt Disney World. This race was so much fun as usual, and I love being able to relive and recap it with you, so thank you for giving me this opportunity!
As I'm sure you know, I decided to dress as Mary Poppins for the half. This costume had been rolling around in my head for a while and it was something I've always wanted to do but never got around to it. You can see a full costume reveal here.
Having gotten myself in trouble in the past by not being on a bus early enough, I decided to attempt to make it on the first bus out of Wilderness Lodge. I'm pretty sure I was actually on the second bus but oh well - whatever works, right?
Race transportation was super easy to find and I never had any issues with super long lines or anything over the weekend. However, note to self - arrive at the bus stops EARLY!
So, I somehow got placed in coral E. I'm not meaning to make this sound like I'm whining at all because I'm not - but this was all just a part of my overall race weekend experience and I want to share that experience with you. Because of this, my plan was to arrive to the starting area early, get to my corral early, so I could get as close to the front of it as possible.
I also met up with my pal Melissa at the start! She was ahead of me in corral D and wanted to run this race for time, so we said our goodbyes as soon as we reached our corrals.
I managed to make it up pretty far to the front of my corral and ended up being in the second wave of corral E which I was pretty happy about!
The start line is always so pretty!
After the announcers called GO, I managed to kick up a decent little pace for a while which was nice. I also skipped the first few character stops because I had those photos already.
Arriving at the Magic Kingdom parking area is always so cool and such a fun sight to see! You know the real fun is about to begin!
Mile 3!
Something I also never noticed in the past was the fireworks trailer. It was literally sitting in the middle of a field and kept going off for all the various corrals. In fact, this trailer kept shooting off fireworks for most of the race (not sure if there was a malfunction or what)..it was rather interesting!
I am also happy to report that the TTC restrooms were open again! You have no idea how happy that made me!! These drummers at the TTC were also back again and always make for a cool sighting!
One of my favorite parts of this race took place at the underpass by the Contemporary. In the past, I've never been able to run this entire incline without stopping, so I made it a goal to do so. I'm happy to report that I did it! What an awesome feeling!
After looping around through the bus drop off, we spotted the train station! I know it's been this way for a little while now, but I'm still loving this route change and the "new" entrance into the Magic Kingdom!
Here we go!
Main Street is always so incredible during a race! I absolutely love it!!
A kind cast member agreed to take my picture with the castle. I was attempting to make it to the Magic Kingdom before the sun rose, but I didn't get to it this time. Maybe next race!
After looping through and passing a few more characters I already had photos with (like Buzz and the Alice characters), I stopped in Fantasyland for a photo with both Belle & Gaston. This stop (with Gaston alone) was my favorite from a couple of years ago and I knew I couldn't miss it!
After looping over to the castle, I spied Cindy out front, so I also stopped for a quick photo with her!
She recognized "Polly" and told me that she would tell Mary I said hello! Hah!
While standing in line for Cinderella, we watched a squirrel attempt to cross the running path. He almost got kicked, but managed to dash across without injury. One of the runners ahead of me in line was dressed like Snow White, and Cinderella commented to her that she even brought her "furry friends" along for the race. It was rather comical!
A new to me character was Goofy in his cowboy outfit! Of course, I had to stop! He was hanging around Fronteirland.
After leaving the Magic Kingdom, we then began our journey on one of the toughest parts of the course to me - also known as "cone alley". Thankfully, it flowed rather well this time and I was able to make it through without any issues!
At the wedding pavilion, these hilarious bridesmaids were out for pictures! They cracked me up!
Also, these construction workers were pretty funny - they kept hollering at the runners trying to go in the port-a-potties. "What's behind door number 1?" Hah!
Mile 10 and just a 5K to go!
We looped around that giant overpass to Epcot, and I knew the end was almost near! The weather for this race was terrible - it was hot, humid, and sticky yet again. Of course the weather on Monday morning was perfect racing weather! Isn't that how it always seems to work out?!
Traditional mile 12 photo!
Pluto and The Incredibles were out with very short lines, so I jumped in for a picture!
A group of photographers was tucked away in a corner with the Epcot ball clearly visible, so I stopped for a quick picture. There was zero line for this one because I don't think runners realized these photographers were there!
The gospel choir was also out to sing runners in to the finish line!
Mile 13 and just a bit to go!
After crossing the finish line, I grabbed a medal, had myself "bippity boppity boo'd" with fairy dust, then made my way over to meet up with Jason and Brayden!
This photo was a must!
Melissa was also at the finish and our husbands surprised us with roses! How sweet!!
After milling around for a little while, we decided to head back to our resort for breakfast.
Mickey waffles, the runDisney runner's breakfast of choice!
We relaxed for a little while at our resort, then made our way to Epcot for the afternoon.
With a ribbon like the one on the half marathon medal, I knew I had to have a picture with the bubble gum wall, too!
...and just like that, the 2019 Fairy Tale Challenge was complete! I had a blast running this race (as always) and can't wait for Wine & Dine! Again, stay tuned to my YouTube channel for video recaps coming soon! I'm attempting to finish our cruise recaps before starting on these, and there's just a couple of cruise ones left. Thanks for being patient with me! :) Have a wonderful week!
