It's Just a 13.1 Mile Walk in the Park - Feb. 2013 (10/9 Finally, It's Done!!)

[Eight]

My apologies in advance for this chapter. I have no pictures, and it's uh... boring, maybe? Unless you care about boring sales presentations and weird CMs. To make up for it, I'll be posting another chapter right after.

My mom got up around 4:30, I believe, to do the 5K. I woke up for a little bit, but fell back to sleep pretty fast. I had thought about going with to watch the start and finish, but ultimately, I decided it would be best if I rested, considering I was going to be running 13.1 miles the next day.

From what she told me, it sounds like my mom had a good time. Even though there was 16:00 minute mile pace, she was able to walk it without any problems. I don’t know how long it took her.

I woke up again around 8, and about ten minutes after I woke up, my mom got back.

We had the DVC presentation this morning at 9:45, so after we got ready, we went to the front where they had a van ready to pick us up.

Our driver was very friendly, and we had a nice time chatting with him on the way to Saratoga Springs.

When we arrived, we were told they were running a little behind schedule. Since we didn't really have anywhere we needed to be after this, we told them that was not a problem.

After waiting a while, the sales manager came out and spoke with us while we were waiting. He assured us that someone would help us, but until then, he would answer any questions we had. He was also very friendly.

Finally, the person who would helping us came out (I’m not entirely sure what their position was called), and this guy? Not friendly at all.

It was like he didn’t want to be there at all. He was not friendly, courteous, helpful. He made no attempt to try and sell us on DVC, and more than once, he walked out of the room without saying why. It turns out, he was getting some information, but come on, the least you can do is let us know what you're doing!

Finally, after the most lackluster sales presentation in the history of sales presentations, he said he’d escort us to the front.

My mom was like, we were told we could see model rooms of Aulani, can we see those?

So he agreed to show us the showroom, and as we walked over there, he walked three steps in front of us the whole time, without saying anything.

We looked at the rooms, and then he walked us back over to the main building where we got ice cream. That was really the only good part about this whole thing.

On the way over, my mom asked him how long he had been working for Disney.

“Twenty years.”

Once we had our ice cream, we sat down at our table.

My mom and I looked at each other.

“Was it just me or was he really rude?”

“He was! I’m glad it wasn't just me thinking that.”

We both agreed that the whole thing had felt really weird. After talking about it, we decided we wanted to talk to someone about it because that whole experience just felt kind of awful.

Please keep in mind my mom is the type of person who is great about letting things roll off her back. I’m not so great at that, but my mom is. So when she wants to talk to a manager about something that has happened (which I can honestly say I’ve never seen happen before), you know it's serious.

We were able to speak to the sales manager we had talked to earlier, and told him about how rude the other guy was. The sales manager was very apologetic, and said he would send us the name of another sales person.

That never happened. DVC kind of dropped the ball on this one.

After that whole weird experience, we were driven back to CSR.

 

[Eight]

Just realized this is a boring chapter too. I'm sorry! You have one more update before the actual half marathon, hang in there!

Upon arrival at CSR, we walked back to the Princess Half Marathon Expo. I really hadn’t had a chance to look at the non-Disney booths the day before.

It was still super crowded! I mostly stuck to the booths on the perimeter of the expo because trying to go down the aisles was a nightmare. It was also super loud, thankfully, my mom had some extra earplugs she had brought for the plane. That helped.

I picked up a Bondi Band headband with tiara image on it, because I decided, very last minute, that it would be fun to have a little princess-y touch to my outfit since I wasn’t dressing up at all. You’ll see it when I post the pictures of my running outfit. I know you shouldn’t wear new things when running a half marathon, but I figured a headband wouldn't be too bad. (and spoiler alert: I had no problems with it.)

Then I saw the runDisney booth, and I had a moment of ridiculousness. I signed up for the Tower of Terror Ten Miler in October. I don’t even know if I'll be able to do that next fall! I mean, knowing me, I’ll find a way to do it, but still.

Shortly after my moment of ridiculousness, I decided I was tired of fighting the crowds, so we left, and got lunch at the Pepper Market again. We split the Chipotle Turkey Panini again, and it was still delicious! I had thought maybe it had only seemed so great Thursday because I was really hungry, but no, it was good.

The other thing I remember about this lunch was I was starting to realize that, unfortunately, I was definitely catching a cold. As silly as it might sound, I was pleading with my body and my immune system to keep fighting. Would that work?
You’ll see.

After lunch, we needed to organize our luggage since we driving to a family friend’s house about three hours south right after the half marathon on Sunday. I took the time to repack and catch up on trip report notes.

Finally I was starting to feel the need to go to a park, we hadn’t been to one all day, and the day before, I had only been at Epcot for an hour. So it was off to Animal Kingdom!

We had to park pretty far out, I think it was the butterfly or peacock parking lot.

Of course, right after this picture was taken, I tried to get in to the park with my annual pass, and….. it was denied.

Cool.

I had to go over Guest Services where they had to activate it or something, it was a little unclear to me, since this was the first time I was entering WDW with it.

Okay, I’ll admit that while waiting for them to activate it, I was totally eavesdropping on the guests next to me. They were super upset about something, and I was trying to piece together what happened, but I couldn’t figure it out. Just when I thought I understood, oh, they’re upset because their food took too long to arrive, there would be some other story element added in that made no sense, like Chip and Dale. I felt a little bad, because they kept threatening to never come back.

I always wonder what's so bad that happens to someone that they think they should never come back to a Disney park. Like, my mom and I didn’t have the greatest experience with a cast member that morning, and while it was disappointing, it was just one cast member and not enough for us to think, oh, we’ll never come back or think about DVC AGAIN! I don’t know.

 

[emilyindisney]

Hello and welcome!

Why doesn't she want to go? It's not a restaurant I would eat at every time because of the price, but I definitely recommend going at least once!

My C2C is probably my favorite of the four runDisney medals I have. I adore it. Glad I did it this year, since next year they are offering a pink C2C for doing the Tinker Bell half and the Princess half, and I like the normal one much better.

She's afraid the food won't appeal to her because she tends to be kind of picky. I think I've almost got her swayed through

That's a bummer that your DVC appointment was kind of a bust. I've thought about doing one of those in the past, just because it might be cool to see the model rooms, but that makes me think twice! At least you got ice cream and FPs!

 

[Eight]

She's afraid the food won't appeal to her because she tends to be kind of picky. I think I've almost got her swayed through

That's a bummer that your DVC appointment was kind of a bust. I've thought about doing one of those in the past, just because it might be cool to see the model rooms, but that makes me think twice! At least you got ice cream and FPs!

Ah yeah, that makes sense. I can be pretty picky too. But there was enough variety that it was okay. I hope she agrees to go!

The model rooms were kind of cool, but not cool enough to make up for a poor attitude. But true, we did get FPs and ice cream, and they even had rainbow sprinkles for the ice cream (aka the best ice cream topping ever)!

 

[Eight]

Anyway!

Of course, our first stop was Expedition Everest. It's probably my favorite ride in all of the parks, and maybe my mom’s second favorite after Tower of Terror, I’m not sure.

We were able to use the FPs we had received from DVC that morning, and get on right away.

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/WitP06/IMG_4754-2.jpg[IMG]

As usual, it did not disappoint.

[IMG]http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af283/eights/WitP06/IMG_4762-2.jpg

For some weird reason, I didn’t want to ride it again right away, so we sat down on a bench in the shade near Yak and Yeti, and people-watched for a while. Shortly after we sat down, Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade went on near us, not in front of us, but sort off to the side where we could hear the music and see some of the tops of floats. I am convinced they changed parts of the music, but maybe I have a really bad memory. I’m not entirely sure.

After that went by, we realized Flights of Wonder was starting soon, so we figured, hey, why not do that?

It's a cute show. I only saw it for the first time last September, and while it’s not a must do, it’s entertaining and not a bad place to sit down.

Once that was over, it was time for dinner at Yak and Yeti! This is sort of a tradition for us, I don’t think there’s been a trip where we haven’t eaten here since 2008. I love the atmosphere of the restaurant, the detail is amazing! And the food is pretty good too.

I had the Crispy Honey Chicken (AKA what I get every single time) and I believe my mom had the Wonton Soup and the house salad. We were both happy with what we got. I was tempted to get the friend wontons for desert, but figured it might not be the best thing before my run tomorrow. Next time!

If I’m recalling correctly, the park was closing soon, so we trekked to the front of the park and hopped on a tram. It was a totally normal tram ride, until..

“DRIVER, STOP! YOU’RE DRIVING PAST THE DINOSAUR PARKING LOT!”

Apparently, the driver was not paying attention to what he was doing until the cast member on the back had to yell at him over the intercom.

Because we’re cool, my mom and I quoted that the rest of the night.

We made it out lot without further incident, and made it back to CSR. I had entered the Princess Half Marathon through a charity team, and they were hosting a dinner at CSR that night, so after dropping off some stuff at our room, we walked over to the convention center where it was being held.

I’ll be honest, I was nervous about going. I’m more of an introvert, and I didn’t know anyone who was there. I didn’t need to worry though, because everyone, especially the people who worked for the charity, was super friendly and kind.

They also had made the cutest video for the runners, where they had different characters holding up signs to encourage us. Mickey Mouse held up a sign that said, “Good Luck Rachel” for me. It was very sweet.

I took some Mickey confetti for good luck.

I didn't stay too long though, as I was trying to be in bed by 8:30. I had to get up at 2:50AM after all!

Despite having no problems sleeping the previous two nights, I could not fall asleep at all. It was awful. Part of it was nerves about the half marathon, and part of it was I was really starting to feel sick, like with a runny nose. I was so stressed out that I might have come all the way to Florida only to wake up feeling so bad I couldn’t finish. I was determined that I would at least start, but at that point, the thought of finishing felt uncertain.

I finally fell asleep, and before long, my alarm was going off. It was time for the half marathon.


Coming up next, well, you know what it is!!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[jdd]

Of course, our first stop was Expedition Everest. It's probably my favorite ride in all of the parks, and maybe my mom’s second favorite after Tower of Terror, I’m not sure.

Those are my top two as well, and in the same order as your mom - ToT and then Everest

It's weird, because I don't like Hollywood Studios at all - the park just feels strange to me, I don't know why. But I could never skip it, because I absolutely love ToT, and Rock N Rollercoaster and Toy Story are so much fun too. I just wish that park had a different "feel"

 

[Eight]

Great update!

Thanks!

Those are my top two as well, and in the same order as your mom - ToT and then Everest

It's weird, because I don't like Hollywood Studios at all - the park just feels strange to me, I don't know why. But I could never skip it, because I absolutely love ToT, and Rock N Rollercoaster and Toy Story are so much fun too. I just wish that park had a different "feel"

I could probably go on those two rides only and be happy.

I kind of agree. There are parts I really like about DHS, but the layout feels sort of off. Like it doesn't have the best flow? But it does have some great rides and restaurants, so the good outweighs the bad for me.

 

[emilyindisney]

Nice update- sounds like the charity dinner was fun. Can't wait to hear about the race!

 

[Eight]

Nice update- sounds like the charity dinner was fun. Can't wait to hear about the race!

It was! And I am excited to post about the race, hopefully I'll be able to get that update up either today or tomorrow!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Hi, there! I just came across your report and just had to read it. I love reading about RunDisney events, especially the Princess as it was my first ever half, and first Disney race! I too, did the Tower of Terror last year!!1

I can't wait to hear how the race goes...I sure hope that you were feeling better!

I know you mentioned that you'd signed up for next year's Marathon weekend in January, but do you think you'll be doing the Princess again?

 

[Eight]

Hi, there! I just came across your report and just had to read it. I love reading about RunDisney events, especially the Princess as it was my first ever half, and first Disney race! I too, did the Tower of Terror last year!!1

I can't wait to hear how the race goes...I sure hope that you were feeling better!

I know you mentioned that you'd signed up for next year's Marathon weekend in January, but do you think you'll be doing the Princess again?

Hello! How did you like the Tower of Terror? I like to ask, because it seemed like a race people either loved or hated. I'm hoping to do it again this year, but I am not sure if it'll work out yet. Crossing my fingers that it will though!

I'm posting the next update shortly after this, so you'll find out soon!

I'm not sure. I would definitely love to do it again, especially now that they added the Glass Slipper Challenge (although ask me after I do Dumbo if I really want to do that again or not..), but I'm not sure what the future holds for the next winter, and I don't know if it'll be possible.

 

[Eight]

Alright, we've finally made it to the part where I actually run! Enjoy!

Also, just wanted to add that I did my first non runDisney half marathon this weekend, and managed to shave nearly 15 minutes off my time from the Tinker Bell half (I was about two minutes slower for the Princess half)! I was pretty happy with that.



Surprisingly, getting up at 2:50AM was not as difficult as I anticipated. I was super excited!

While I still felt sick, I didn’t feel like I couldn’t run, so I quickly got dressed and walked over the bus stop at 3:20. There was a bus waiting when we got there, and shortly after we got on, we were off!

I was hoping to get there in time for a group picture for the charity, but alas, I was too late. My mom and I decided that the charity tent would be our meeting place after the race though.

Then, we attempted to get to the main staging area, but for whatever reason, you had to walk through this tight area to get in there. So combine 26,000 or so runners, plus their family and friends if they were there, trying to funnel through a small area, and then just for good measure, add in photographers who will take your picture, and you get an awful traffic jam. It didn’t take too long to get through, but it didn’t feel like they thought that one through.

My mom took a few pictures, and then I decided to go the corral. Probably a little earlier than I needed to, but I had heard it was a walk to the corral, and I’m compulsive about getting places early.

It was a bit of a walk, but I don’t know, I kind of enjoyed it. It was nice to stretch out my legs, breathe, and listen the excited chatter of the runners around me. There was a road sign that said, “Have A Magical Race”. I wish I had taken a picture of it!

I made it to the corral, where I waited around for a pretty long time. I probably got to the corral around 4:40AM based on the time of a text I sent to my mom. The first runners wouldn’t start until 5:30, and I wouldn’t start until a little after 6 because I was in one of the later corrals.

So I had a lot of time to just sit around and wait. They had hosts and they were kind of cheesy but fun to listen to. I texted my mom a lot, and took a few pictures.

All the people behind me.

Not entirely sure where my mom was standing, but she took this picture of the starting line.

Finally, everyone started standing up, and shortly after that, the first runners were off! They shoot off fireworks with every corral start, which is such a Disney touch. I love it.

There was a woman behind me, who was getting pretty emotional. It was her first half marathon. “I’m going to cry when I start, and I’m going to cry when I finish,” she said. I don’t know how her run went, but I really hope she finished and was proud of herself.

And then, before I knew, Corral E was starting!

My plan was to run as much as I could before switching to a 1/1 run/walk ratio. My logic behind this was that since there was a heat advisory, I could go faster at the beginning when it was cooler to make up time for going slower when the sun was out. Spoiler alert: it never got sunny, although it was still very warm and humid.

I ended up running the first three or so miles, without any walk breaks, which was more than I anticipated since I didn’t feel my best. But I was feeling strong, so I went with it.

My mom had texted me earlier saying that she might try and see if she could view me from the TTC, so when I got close to there, I started watching the spectators very closely. And then I saw her! I was so excited, as you can see in the photo. It felt great to know someone was there, cheering for you. But I didn’t stay too long; I still had like 9 miles to go!

Another picture my mom took to show you how many people there were.

I stopped at the TTC bathrooms since I’m not a fan of the portable kind, and there was a line. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be though, so I waited. I remember it was more humid in that bathroom than it was outside. The mirrors were even fogging up!

We passed the Contemporary, where there was a killer hill, and shortly after that, we took a backstage entrance in to the Magic Kingdom, and then we were on Main Street!

That was by far the best moment of the half marathon. For months, I had been visualizing this moment whenever I had a difficult training run and it was just as good, if not better, than how I had pictured it.

There were a few volunteers on the side, so I pulled over and had one of them take my picture. I’m so glad I did. I almost didn’t, but then I thought, I didn’t come all the way to Florida to not a get picture of me in front of the castle during the Princess Half Marathon! It may not be the best picture of me ever, but it’s my favorite from this trip.

We took a right in to Tomorrowland, and then we ran through Fantasyland and through the castle! I had another picture taken in front of the castle but that didn’t turn out as great because of the angle, in my opinion.

In Liberty Square, Tiana and Naveen were out, and that was my one planned picture stop since I was rocking a Tiana bib after all. (during the registration, you could choose a princess for you bib, which determined the color of bib you got and the name of the princess was on it.) I was hoping Louis might be out too, but he wasn’t.

This was the longest line I waited in, aside from the bathroom maybe. I think it took three or four minutes, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is when you’re being timed. There was a person from Marathonfoto (the photo service Disney uses for the runDisney events and you have to pay for the photos) and a cast member who would use your camera.

Pretty soon (too soon, in my opinion), we were exiting the Magic Kingdom and back on the streets. I don’t want to say the rest of the race wasn’t fun, but it certainly wasn’t as much fun as going through the Magic Kingdom.

Around mile 7, they had the Princess Anthem playing. A few days before on Facebook, you could vote for which song you wanted to hear. The choices were, Girl on Fire, Alicia Keys, Touch the Sky – Brave Soundtrack, Catch My Breath – Kelly Clarkson, Stronger – Kelly Clarkson (the 2012 winner), and Feel This Moment – Pitbull featuring Christina Aguilera. I voted for Touch the Sky, but would have also liked either of the Kelly Clarkson songs. At the time, I wasn’t familiar with Feel this Moment, and Girl on Fire is a good song, but I didn’t think it was upbeat enough.

Well, Girl on Fire was the winner, and I was right, it really wasn’t upbeat or motivating enough for me. I heard a few other people around me commenting on this as well. Oh well.

I’m not sure if I got my picture taken with Lilo and Stitch before or after that, but when I saw them, I had to stop since Stitch is my favorite character!

Then around mile 8, I started feeling not so great. I was tired, it was very humid, and my cold was starting to catch up to me. Miles 8 through 12 were pretty hard for me, though I think the difficulties were more mental than physical in a way. I switched to a 30 second/30 second run/walk ratio. I was so tempted to call my mom and just be like, “just tell me I can do this because I am having doubts in myself right now”. But I sucked it up, and powered through it.

Mile 12 is close to Epcot and mile 12 means there were only 1.3 miles between me in that finish line. I was so excited, I knew I was definitely going to finish!

One of my favorite parts was running by the gospel choir. I had always heard about them in other trip reports, and that they were close to the end, so when I saw them, I knew I was almost there. Plus, they really were as good as everyone says.

Finally the finish line was in sight, and unlike Tinker Bell, it was a straight shot to the end! I sprinted, high fived Mickey, and crossed that finish line with a smile on my face.

 

[KatyTheFairyPrincess]

Thank you so much for doing this trip report! I'm thinking of doing this race next year, and your trip report is the first one I've read about it.
I'm doing my first 5k on June 2nd but its a charity event so not all "serious runners". I only started jogging 5 weeks ago for the first time since school (and I used to skip sport at school so I was probably about 12 last time I ran), and I'm finding it tough but the whole time I'm training I'm thinking of running up Main Street USA.

I'm going to go read your TR on the Tink half marathon now because I'm trying to decide between the two, but realistically DL is the wrong side of the US for me

Really enjoyed reading!

 

[tink65]

I am loving your TR. I am also a runner. I ran the Wine & Dine 1/2 in 2011 and had a blast. I would love to run the Princess 1/2! It looks like a ton of fun! Can't wait to read more!

 

[jwgm2012]

Love your TR!

Our stories are similar... I've never considered myself a "runner" by any means but last September I decided I wanted to start running in hopes that someday I'd do a 5K. Then I saw the RunDisney races and thought a 5K would be the first step if I would ever think to accomplish running in a Disney Run. I still don't like running, but did a 5K in March and now I know a Disney run isn't too far off! Plus, I want a runDisney shirt...

Thanks for the details and updates - can't wait to read the rest! Congrats on finishing!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Congrats on finishing, especially considering that you weren't feeling so well towards the end! I remember very well how hard it was for me after exiting the MK...that road seemed so long and narrow!!

As for the Tower of Terror--we did like it. I know a lot of people didn't though. And while I did feel like they could have improved on the entertainment, I would definitely do it again one day. I liked running in parts of Disney that I'd never seen before (mainly around Wide World of Sports). The one thing I didn't like though was the after party-- I thought it was terribly crowded and I HATED having to go down and then climb back up the steps at bag check. I was SO sore after the race, and those steps were awful!! Overall, we really enjoyed it, and we loved the medals which made it even better!

I sure hope you write a report about the Dopey...that's something I'd definitely love to read about!

 

[Eight]

Thank you so much for doing this trip report! I'm thinking of doing this race next year, and your trip report is the first one I've read about it.
I'm doing my first 5k on June 2nd but its a charity event so not all "serious runners". I only started jogging 5 weeks ago for the first time since school (and I used to skip sport at school so I was probably about 12 last time I ran), and I'm finding it tough but the whole time I'm training I'm thinking of running up Main Street USA.

I'm going to go read your TR on the Tink half marathon now because I'm trying to decide between the two, but realistically DL is the wrong side of the US for me

Really enjoyed reading!

Thank you for reading!
Good luck with your 5K! I think visualization is a great technique, at least for me, on those days where I'm not having a great run.

I hope you enjoy the Tink report. I wrote that one a lot faster, so I feel as though it has a different style to it. I actually think I liked that half marathon better than the Princess in some ways, but it's hard to choose. Maybe I'll add a post at the end comparing the two.

I am loving your TR. I am also a runner. I ran the Wine & Dine 1/2 in 2011 and had a blast. I would love to run the Princess 1/2! It looks like a ton of fun! Can't wait to read more!

I'm glad you are enjoying it so far! I'd love to do the Wine and Dine! I'm hoping I'll be able to do it in 2014.

Love your TR!

Our stories are similar... I've never considered myself a "runner" by any means but last September I decided I wanted to start running in hopes that someday I'd do a 5K. Then I saw the RunDisney races and thought a 5K would be the first step if I would ever think to accomplish running in a Disney Run. I still don't like running, but did a 5K in March and now I know a Disney run isn't too far off! Plus, I want a runDisney shirt...

Thanks for the details and updates - can't wait to read the rest! Congrats on finishing!

That's awesome! Which runDisney even do you want to do the most? I get what you mean, I am all about the tshirts you get, but especially the medals!

Thank you!!

Congrats on finishing, especially considering that you weren't feeling so well towards the end! I remember very well how hard it was for me after exiting the MK...that road seemed so long and narrow!!

As for the Tower of Terror--we did like it. I know a lot of people didn't though. And while I did feel like they could have improved on the entertainment, I would definitely do it again one day. I liked running in parts of Disney that I'd never seen before (mainly around Wide World of Sports). The one thing I didn't like though was the after party-- I thought it was terribly crowded and I HATED having to go down and then climb back up the steps at bag check. I was SO sore after the race, and those steps were awful!! Overall, we really enjoyed it, and we loved the medals which made it even better!

I sure hope you write a report about the Dopey...that's something I'd definitely love to read about!

Thank you! And it did seem long! Much longer than when I was running toward the Magic Kingdom..

I agree about the entertainment, though to this day, I still sort of regret not stopping for a picture with the hyenas from the Lion King.
I didn't stay long at the after party, so I can't comment on that or the bag check, as I didn't check a bag. Where was the bag check?

I'm not doing Dopey, as I don't think that would be the best way to do my first marathon. But I am registered for the full marathon in January, as well as the Dumbo Challenge at the Disneyland Half (which I am super excited about!).

 

[emilyindisney]

First off, congrats on finishing your first non-Disney half. Having someone give you a medal after you cross the finish line is always magical!

That's awesome that you were able to pick your mom out of the crowd at TTC. What a boost!

Love that you stopped for Tiana and Naveen- they're two of my favorites! Thanks for the heads up about being able to pick the princess on your bib. That's pretty cool!

I love Touch the Sky! Too bad that didn't win!

Stitch is my favorite too!

What a great finishing shot! Congrats on a good race! Glad you were able to push through and make it.

 

[Eight]

First off, congrats on finishing your first non-Disney half. Having someone give you a medal after you cross the finish line is always magical!

That's awesome that you were able to pick your mom out of the crowd at TTC. What a boost!

Love that you stopped for Tiana and Naveen- they're two of my favorites! Thanks for the heads up about being able to pick the princess on your bib. That's pretty cool!

I love Touch the Sky! Too bad that didn't win!

Stitch is my favorite too!

What a great finishing shot! Congrats on a good race! Glad you were able to push through and make it.

Thank you! And yes, it really is!

It was such a boost! Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm pretty sure I told someone in line for the bathroom right after that how excited I was to see my mom. I'm such a nerd.

I want to say there were only 8 choices of princesses, if I'm remembering correctly, you couldn't choose Pocahontas and maybe one other? Might have been Merida because I believe all the teams had Merida bibs. I'm probably wrong, but it was interesting to see what Princess bib you saw the most.

Me too. I still think it would have been more motivating that Girl on Fire, but oh well.

Thanks! Except for not feeling my best, it was definitely a great experience!