The New *Official 2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon Thread*

[tinkeramy]

I SO live in the country! Not only is there no race website (much less a link to online proof of times), I was the only woman at the race in a running skirt. (I tried not to have junior high "I'm the only one wearing a skirt!" anxieties. Probably everyone thought I was a tennis player.) The timing set-up was like cross country meets when I was in high school... a long time ago. They pulled a tag off your race bib as you crossed, noted the times people crossed in order, and then posted the stickers with names in order on a wooden board and wrote the times on these.

In any case, thank you very much Longhorns2 and tinkeramy for all the good info. Now I know to look for a chip timed race... or just live with whatever corral I end up in. I'll be happy just to be there!

Wow! Laid back! To me, the main advantage of submitting a time is that you have a cushion from the chance of getting swept. However, I've seen your times on DailyMile and you have no fear of that! I would still, however, enter this race on your registration - who knows? I often question if they verify race times for every single one of the thousands of people who put them down. It wouldn't be like you were lying - you ran it and that was your time. Wether they verify it or not is not your problem!

Great job Amy!! You & me both are chasing that sub 60!! We'll get it soon!!

Yes! Give me a cool day and a flatter course - we'll knock it out!

So, DH and I had a long talk and he has been really being super supportive since I told him I felt he wasn't interested. Tonight we were watching the baseball game and there was an add for the 1st ever Big Ten Network 10K and he said "Let's Go to Chicago so you can do it!". Too bad we already have plans that weekend. I could go alone and I have friends there but I was excited he wanted to go with me.

It does make a huge difference. But even if there are princesses without support at home, know that you can always come here to get it! Sometimes non-runners just don't understand why certain things are a big deal.

Last training plan review up - Run Less, Run Faster.
http://longingforthesea.blogspot.com/2012/07/newbie-chronicles-part-2-run-less-run.html

 

[longhorns2]

Fairy Godmother was w/ me today... Visited the runDisney booth @ the Peachtree Expo & guess what? I got to register for my 1st Princess 1/2!! They didn't have any other details but I'm excited to really be in now. Excited as in nervous, yikes, that's 13.1 miles! Oh no, what've I done?! Now, where did that Fairy Godmother go?

Gotta ask- when you registered, was Merida a choice for your Princess? Did you notice?

 

[happybaker]

First 10K race today! 61 minutes, 4 seconds.

Awesome time!

I did my first 10K Tuesday night down at Gillette Staduim and I didn't do as well as I hoped. Finished in 1:27:26. I walked almost all of mile 3, but I keep telling myself I finished In the end, it came out to almost an even 14 minute mile, so at least I'm above the Disney requirement.

Not much going on today at work, so I'm looking for a fall 10K because I know I can do better than Tuesday. I've done better on my training runs, so I'm determined now....or at least until I have to go outside in the heat and train LOL

Holly

 

[TinyDancer]

I'm excited for all of the information coming out next week! July 10, 11, and 12th are going to be fun

 

[SoBelle874]

I am so excited to hear about all of the details! This will be my 1st half marathon I have done the Autism Speaks Walk here in Tampa, FL twice and I did a breast cancer walk and I will be doing the Color Run this December..Oh and I did I mention I am getting married next Feb 10th 2013? Haha..It is going to be a busy yet very rewarding year and change. I am so glad to have all of you wonderful ladies here to talk to

 

[moparop]

Having a race related dilemma....

Some background: I have three kids, 8,6,&3 who are huge Disney fans and are itching to go. We go about every 18 months to 2 years. Our last trip as a family was Dec '08. They want our next trip to be a surprise.


Ok, so I have been planning on running the 2013 princess pretty much since I saw the video of the 2009 race. It was my "before I turn 40" thing to do. I will turn 40 July of 2013. We had decided that the trip to the Princess was going to be the next trip, the surprise trip. Now I am wondering if this is a good idea. With the expo, getting to bed early and wanting to take it easy prior to the race, we are going to lose a lot of touring time. If I am miserable after the race, the kids will lose even more park time. We could eat up a lot of our vacation with Mom and her race and the kids would probably not be back to Disney until late 2014 or 2015. Is that really fair to them? Conversely, I went to Disney with a friend in Oct. of 2011 and did not take the kids. If DH and I go do a half trip just the two of us, that would be two Disney trips for me and zero for them. I feel like I just can't win.

Thoughts?

 

[tinkeramy]

Having a race related dilemma....

Some background: I have three kids, 8,6,&3 who are huge Disney fans and are itching to go. We go about every 18 months to 2 years. Our last trip as a family was Dec '08. They want our next trip to be a surprise.


Ok, so I have been planning on running the 2013 princess pretty much since I saw the video of the 2009 race. It was my "before I turn 40" thing to do. I will turn 40 July of 2013. We had decided that the trip to the Princess was going to be the next trip, the surprise trip. Now I am wondering if this is a good idea. With the expo, getting to bed early and wanting to take it easy prior to the race, we are going to lose a lot of touring time. If I am miserable after the race, the kids will lose even more park time. We could eat up a lot of our vacation with Mom and her race and the kids would probably not be back to Disney until late 2014 or 2015. Is that really fair to them? Conversely, I went to Disney with a friend in Oct. of 2011 and did not take the kids. If DH and I go do a half trip just the two of us, that would be two Disney trips for me and zero for them. I feel like I just can't win.

Thoughts?

I think it is a little difficult to do with family. You will want to rest up some on Saturday and definitely get to bed early. I know that would be impossible with my 3. As far as Sunday goes after the race, it's actually best to get out and hit the parks. Keep moving so you don't stiffen up. That being said it would probably be an early night for you again since you got up so early that morning. It's a tough call!

 

[tinkeramy]

I don't know anything about this book, but just noticed it was free on Amazon for Kindle, so might be worth a glance!
"Running for Beginners" by Simon Adams

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008B9G7WM/?tag=pwr1-20

 

[LuLuO]

Having a race related dilemma....

Some background: I have three kids, 8,6,&3 who are huge Disney fans and are itching to go. We go about every 18 months to 2 years. Our last trip as a family was Dec '08. They want our next trip to be a surprise.


Ok, so I have been planning on running the 2013 princess pretty much since I saw the video of the 2009 race. It was my "before I turn 40" thing to do. I will turn 40 July of 2013. We had decided that the trip to the Princess was going to be the next trip, the surprise trip. Now I am wondering if this is a good idea. With the expo, getting to bed early and wanting to take it easy prior to the race, we are going to lose a lot of touring time. If I am miserable after the race, the kids will lose even more park time. We could eat up a lot of our vacation with Mom and her race and the kids would probably not be back to Disney until late 2014 or 2015. Is that really fair to them? Conversely, I went to Disney with a friend in Oct. of 2011 and did not take the kids. If DH and I go do a half trip just the two of us, that would be two Disney trips for me and zero for them. I feel like I just can't win.

Thoughts?

We're going without the kids. We will only be there Friday to Monday, coming home Monday night. If they come along, I will not get enough sleep, DH will be stressed, they will not be keen on waiting around for me. All of us would be miserable. I feel a twinge of guilt, but this trip is for ME so they are staying at home. I'm going to tell them that Mommy is going to run a race at Disney and that Daddy is coming to cheer me on and we will bring them back a souvenir and lots of pictures and I'll tell Mickey they said "Hi!" They might be upset, but they'll get over it.

 

[louloubelle84]

Hi all! I haven't posted in about a week because I haven't been walking in that long. It is way too hot here in Florida for me to continue walking outside. There's a gym at my apartment complex, so I'm thinking of walking on the treadmill. How does training there compare to training outside?

 

[LuLuO]

Hi all! I haven't posted in about a week because I haven't been walking in that long. It is way too hot here in Florida for me to continue walking outside. There's a gym at my apartment complex, so I'm thinking of walking on the treadmill. How does training there compare to training outside?

I've been told to set your treadmill at an incline to mimic outdoors. 1-3%. It is still very different, but the woman who won our Go! St. Louis Marathon did the majority of her training on the treadmill. I've been using the treadmill a lot lately and when I went outside the other day I found that I shaved 30+ seconds off my time.

 

[Tinker Gal]

Gotta ask- when you registered, was Merida a choice for your Princess? Did you notice?

Shoot, I don't recall...but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

 

[Tinker Gal]

Had a rotten 10K yesterday...ran out of tees & poor signage led me to add a trail course in. After that fiasco, I decided to forego the timed finish as I was dead last. But the absolute worst part was that they ran out of water on the 4th of July in Georgia! Really? This was coordinated by a so-called 'professional' race group. Oh, they've heard from me...

I was so discouraged afterward, I told my running buddy I didn't want to do the PHM. She was very reassuring & after my sufficient time pouting, I'm refocused & ready to keep training.

It's great to come to this community & learn from your experiences, good & bad. Thanks, Princesses!!

 

[DeerIsleDisney]

Awesome time!

I did my first 10K Tuesday night down at Gillette Staduim and I didn't do as well as I hoped. Finished in 1:27:26. I walked almost all of mile 3, but I keep telling myself I finished In the end, it came out to almost an even 14 minute mile, so at least I'm above the Disney requirement.

Not much going on today at work, so I'm looking for a fall 10K because I know I can do better than Tuesday. I've done better on my training runs, so I'm determined now....or at least until I have to go outside in the heat and train LOL

Holly

Way to go on your first 10K! I think it is difficult to get a great time on your first race at a new distance... the confidence to push through early on isn't there. Now you know you can do this distance... and are well under 16 minutes/mile.

I noticed your signature says southern Maine...I'm up the coast in Deer Isle. I'm thinking of trying the Maine Half Marathon in Portland in late September. Do they have a 10K as well? Temps should be nice then and I've heard the course is flat.

I don't know anything about this book, but just noticed it was free on Amazon for Kindle, so might be worth a glance!
"Running for Beginners" by Simon Adams

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008B9G7WM/?tag=pwr1-20

Thanks for the tip! Just downloaded it.

Had a rotten 10K yesterday...ran out of tees & poor signage led me to add a trail course in. After that fiasco, I decided to forego the timed finish as I was dead last. But the absolute worst part was that they ran out of water on the 4th of July in Georgia! Really? This was coordinated by a so-called 'professional' race group. Oh, they've heard from me...

I was so discouraged afterward, I told my running buddy I didn't want to do the PHM. She was very reassuring & after my sufficient time pouting, I'm refocused & ready to keep training.

It's great to come to this community & learn from your experiences, good & bad. Thanks, Princesses!!

What a huge bummer! I'm sorry your race was so poorly organized. I think a big part of why I want to do the Princess Half is that I know Disney will do it well. I would be so frustrated to train for that distance and then have a bad race experience. Glad you are refocused and ready to keep training... I bet you will be glad you stuck with it.

 

[Christie Lee]

2 Things:

1. Please add me to this list! I am looking forward to the 2013 Princess Half and I have really enjoyed reading all of your posts. You are all truly helpful and inspiring!

2. I am usually a lurker on these boards, but I am a Sports Business Management grad student and I have been given a HUGE research assignment on Women Focused Running Events, similar to the Princess Half. I created a quick, 10 question survey. If any of you ladies have a few minutes and would be willing to take the survey, I would really appreciate your help!! Here is the link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FZLF36C

If you are able to help, thanks in advance!! If not, no worries!!

 

[ColleenG]

Tinker Gal- the Princess Half Marathon is so organized! There is no way they run out of water. And the course is very clearly marked. Sorry your 10K was so stinky. But don't let that get you down for the Princess.

LuLu- I am going without my kids or DH this year. It's girls weekend. On the other hand my kids have been to WDW every year they have been alive, just about. Definately get in the parks after the race. You really don't want to sit and stiffen up. What I did this year when I did have the whole family was DH tried running between MK and Epcot to see me and I didn't see him at all. So he was up early. My mom came up to stay with us, she took the bus over to Epcot around 8:30 with the kids, so they weren't up too early and I saw them just as I was going into Epcot. DH had the ChEAR Squad package and said it wasn't really worth it. My mom and the kids didn't have it at all and they were the ones to see me. Maybe doing something like that will help so your kiddos and DH get to see you but don't have to be up too early and be cranky. After this year DH was a total grump all day. I know he was up early, but I was up at 3 am AND ran 13.1 miles, so I really had no sympathy for him.

 

[tinkeramy]

Had a rotten 10K yesterday...ran out of tees & poor signage led me to add a trail course in. After that fiasco, I decided to forego the timed finish as I was dead last. But the absolute worst part was that they ran out of water on the 4th of July in Georgia! Really? This was coordinated by a so-called 'professional' race group. Oh, they've heard from me...

I was so discouraged afterward, I told my running buddy I didn't want to do the PHM. She was very reassuring & after my sufficient time pouting, I'm refocused & ready to keep training.

It's great to come to this community & learn from your experiences, good & bad. Thanks, Princesses!!

What race did you do? That's horrible! But it does happen. I had a friend do her first IronMan triathlon in a summer month and they ran out of water - seriously?! Glad you refocused and I can assure you that the Dis will not disappoint!

 

[happybaker]

Way to go on your first 10K! I think it is difficult to get a great time on your first race at a new distance... the confidence to push through early on isn't there. Now you know you can do this distance... and are well under 16 minutes/mile.

I noticed your signature says southern Maine...I'm up the coast in Deer Isle. I'm thinking of trying the Maine Half Marathon in Portland in late September. Do they have a 10K as well? Temps should be nice then and I've heard the course is flat.
QUOTE]

Thanks! I'm in the Kennebunk area. I looked quickly at the Maine Marathon in Portland and no 10K. It looks like a nice race, though. I've wanted to keep the Princess for my first half, but maybe it would be a good idea to get a practice one in. I'll have to think about the Portland one.

I did see a race in Salem, MA in late October....it's 6.66 miles. I think it was called the Devil's Run or something and that looked like fun.

Holly

 

[happybaker]

Had a rotten 10K yesterday...ran out of tees & poor signage led me to add a trail course in. After that fiasco, I decided to forego the timed finish as I was dead last. But the absolute worst part was that they ran out of water on the 4th of July in Georgia! Really? This was coordinated by a so-called 'professional' race group. Oh, they've heard from me...

I was so discouraged afterward, I told my running buddy I didn't want to do the PHM. She was very reassuring & after my sufficient time pouting, I'm refocused & ready to keep training.

It's great to come to this community & learn from your experiences, good & bad. Thanks, Princesses!!

I'm sorry your race experience was so awful. I can't believe they ran out of water; that's unacceptable. I'm glad you gave them a piece of your mind, though....good for you!

I'm glad you rebounded and decided to keep training for the Princess.

Holly

 

[TinyDancer]

Had a rotten 10K yesterday...ran out of tees & poor signage led me to add a trail course in. After that fiasco, I decided to forego the timed finish as I was dead last. But the absolute worst part was that they ran out of water on the 4th of July in Georgia! Really? This was coordinated by a so-called 'professional' race group. Oh, they've heard from me...

I was so discouraged afterward, I told my running buddy I didn't want to do the PHM. She was very reassuring & after my sufficient time pouting, I'm refocused & ready to keep training.

It's great to come to this community & learn from your experiences, good & bad. Thanks, Princesses!!

Oh that stinks about your 10k!! I'm doing a trail run this month and I hope the course is marked correctly!!
and no water?

2 Things:

1. Please add me to this list! I am looking forward to the 2013 Princess Half and I have really enjoyed reading all of your posts. You are all truly helpful and inspiring!

2. I am usually a lurker on these boards, but I am a Sports Business Management grad student and I have been given a HUGE research assignment on Women Focused Running Events, similar to the Princess Half. I created a quick, 10 question survey. If any of you ladies have a few minutes and would be willing to take the survey, I would really appreciate your help!! Here is the link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FZLF36C

If you are able to help, thanks in advance!! If not, no worries!!

Welcome, Christie! I'll add you