My Princess Half story

cannmom

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 10, 2008
This is my 2015 Princess Half story. I wanted to share it because reading the posts of so many other people has encouraged and helped me immeasurably.:disrocks:

I'm a 46 overweight decidedly non-athletic woman who loves Disney. Why I started reading the the Events/Competitions forum I have no idea; but I loved reading about the races and how people were training. I read these boards for years secretly wishing I had the nerve to try to train for a race. We were visiting Disney one year during Marathon weekend and I loved seeing everyone's medals and shirts. My husband is not a big Disney fan and he jokingly told me we could come back if I ran a half marathon here. Well, that was the carrot I needed. I convinced another non-runner friend to join me and a year ago we started run/walking. Now, I would love to say I discovered my inner Kenyan and that running was effortless. NOT !!! I trained fairly regularly up to registration day in July. After that I become somewhat more sporadic. I guess I felt like I had plenty of time. Starting October/November I definitely got more serious because February was looming, you know. :scared:

All along my husband was giving me advice and pushing me to train harder. In all fairness he did run cross-country in college, so it's not like he had no idea what he was talking about. Sometimes it's hard to take advice from those we are closest to. I have already admitted to him that he was right and I was wrong. You have to respect the distance. 13.1 miles is a long way. Did I share that the Princess half was my first race ever? I work weekends and I had trouble fitting in some other race beforehand. My friend and I would share details about our training and runs, but never really got to run together because of scheduling conflicts. It was great having someone else to share the ups and downs of this journey. Continued in next post....
 
February arrived and it was almost race time. My last long runs did not go as well as I would have hoped. I knew I would need every second of cushion I could get. I anxiously waited for the bib #s and corrals to be posted. I landed in L and my friend was in J. She agreed to move back so we could do this thing together. I was so grateful she moved back with me. I can't tell you the times I calculated how much of a head start I thought we would have on the balloon ladies. We arrived in Fl on Thursday and I went to the Expo with my DH and DS on Friday morning. The nerves really hit then. Stuff just got real people. My DH And DS had fun teasing me and calling me princess all weekend before the race. I just tried to be calm.

Saturday we ate lunch in Downtown Disney and relaxed in the hot tub a little before bed. My friend was at Saratoga Springs in a 2 bedroom while we were at POR. She had me come spend the night with her so I didn't have to wake everyone up at 2:45 AM. We laid all our gear out and tried to sleep. I was up like a shot when the alarm went off. We dressed quickly and made it out to the buses. Once we were on the bus I realized I had forgotten my Garmin watch. I decided not to let it bother me and maybe it would be better not to be constantly looking at it. The wait for the start of the race went really quickly. We used the port-a-potties and headed to the corrals. The walk wasn't too bad. Before I knew it the race was starting.... and the time between corral releases was less than I was expecting. I thought it would be 5 min and it was 3 min. O.K. there go the nerves again. It was our turn and I knew my time had come. It was time to put up or shut up.

The first 5K was not too bad for me except for having to stop for the port-a potty. The 2nd 5K I felt like I just couldn't get in a groove. I was walking more than I wanted to. We made it through Mk and it felt as if everything fell apart. Miles 7-10 were bad. We were almost swept right before 10 and my friend practically dragged me to mile marker 10. I'm so thankful for her. My Dh and DS were at the last bridge before Epcot and cheered me on to the finish. The last mile in Epcot was the longest mile ever. Continued in next post ...
 
I was pretty far back in the pack at the finish. I wasn't last but mighty close. My only goal was to finish so I'm O.K. with that, especially with realizing how under-trained I really was. Walking across the finish line felt good. I was proud to have actually done this thing that had seemed impossible a few years ago and very glad just to be done. It felt great to finally have that beautiful medal hanging around my neck. That walk down the finisher chute felt almost as long as the last mile though. I really wanted to sit down, but I was I afraid I wouldn't be able to get back up if I did.:faint: I found some railing to lean on and called my DH to tell him where to find me. I wasn't about to walk around looking for him. My family got me back to the car and had a cold beer waiting on me. My husband swore it would make me feel better and he was right it did. I hobbled to our room and DH and DS told me how proud they were of me.:goodvibes

Final thoughts

Will I do this again? Definitely yes, but with a better understanding of the training needed. This is a life-changer for me. I'm going to become a runner!

Best parts of the race experience - Really, the best thing was how encouraging everyone was on the course and how great the volunteers were. It was great talking with the other racers and the volunteers were fantastic.

Best thing after the race - Wearing my medal and having my family tell me how proud they were.

Advice for others - Do it!!! Although it could have been a better experience for me if I had trained more I so glad I did this. Believe in yourself and get out there and do what you have to accomplish your goals. I did many things way out of my comfort zone getting ready for this race and I'm a better person for it.

Body Glide - it's a good thing. Get some.

Don't wear a new shirt race day. No matter how cute.

Do this with a friend if you can. It was great having someone else along.

Keep moving after the race. We went to parks afterward and even though I was moving slowly it helped me to not stiffen up too much.


My next goal is to keep training and maybe run another half this fall. I'm so glad I worked up the nerve to actually sign up for and participate in this half marathon and I can't thank the posters on this board enough for sharing all their experiences. If it wasn't for reading this board I would never have done this great thing. Thank you all.:lovestruc:lovestruc:lovestruc
 


congrats on your accomplishment covering 13.1 miles is a great thing no matter what it took to get there
 
Great job!!! I hear you on miles 7-10, they are mentally the most challenging miles for me too. It was very quiet through there.
 
Wow. If it's not too personal, how much did you weigh before you started running? You describe yourself as overweight... well I'm still over 200 lbs, and running a half seems impossible for me, though I have a great support system. Both of my parents are avid runners, but I never got the bug. I am registering for a couple of 5ks this May/June, and my husband is running a half in June as well. If ANYTHING would motivate me to run a half, it would be Disney. Heck, that's what finally got me to try and get in shape at all (headed to Disney next fall).
 


Wow. If it's not too personal, how much did you weigh before you started running? You describe yourself as overweight... well I'm still over 200 lbs, and running a half seems impossible for me, though I have a great support system. Both of my parents are avid runners, but I never got the bug. I am registering for a couple of 5ks this May/June, and my husband is running a half in June as well. If ANYTHING would motivate me to run a half, it would be Disney. Heck, that's what finally got me to try and get in shape at all (headed to Disney next fall).

I'm over 200 lbs. Working on getting it down. I found that there was a wide variety of body types at the race. I certainly didn't feel out of place. If you want to run a half I'm sure you can do it. :cheer2:Get your training in and you will be sucessful.
 
wow. If it's not too personal, how much did you weigh before you started running? You describe yourself as overweight... well I'm still over 200 lbs, and running a half seems impossible for me, though I have a great support system. Both of my parents are avid runners, but I never got the bug. I am registering for a couple of 5ks this May/June, and my husband is running a half in June as well. If ANYTHING would motivate me to run a half, it would be Disney. Heck, that's what finally got me to try and get in shape at all (headed to Disney next fall).

I can assure you I have seen all body types at the races Ive run including the half, all you have to do is put in the work and you can do it
 
I'm over 200 lbs. Working on getting it down. I found that there was a wide variety of body types at the race. I certainly didn't feel out of place. If you want to run a half I'm sure you can do it. :cheer2:Get your training in and you will be sucessful.

I can assure you I have seen all body types at the races Ive run including the half, all you have to do is put in the work and you can do it

Thanks, both of you! I don't think I'll try for at least another year, get some shorter runs under my belt, but it's good to know it's possible for us larger types. :)
 
I weigh over 300 lbs and I am training to run my first race ever this fall: the Jingle Jungle 5K. My husband said that we could go back to Disney but only if I would agree to run the 5K. Of course that's the motivation I need in order to get healthy AND go back to Disney World! I've been training since January 13th and I have gone from doing just 15 minutes on a stationary bike to riding for over an hour in addition to walking on our treadmill for 1/2 hour. My other goal is for next January to run the 10K. They are both lofty goals for me but I'm up for the challenge!
 
pixiedust:This is wonderful!! Congrats to you OP! Very inspiring and just goes to show that you can do anything that you set your heart/mind to!

DS15 and I will be running in the Jingle Jungle 5K in November.... I planned on and have always wanted to run a Disney 1/2 and thought for my 40th birthday (coming up in 2016) that it would be a fun goal and a great way to celebrate the BIG 4 0! DS wouldnt run the 13.1 with me, but he would do the 5K.

I am looking for more threads like this and on RunDisney - but am still getting the new layout figured out!
 
Man, such great inspirational stories. Congrats to everyone. I've done some 5K's but the DLR Half will be my first 10K. I told my wife (who does halfs like they are nothing) that if I ever get that far my first half HAD to be a Disney race It's amazing how the thought of Disney motivates :).
 
Man, such great inspirational stories. Congrats to everyone. I've done some 5K's but the DLR Half will be my first 10K. I told my wife (who does halfs like they are nothing) that if I ever get that far my first half HAD to be a Disney race It's amazing how the thought of Disney motivates :).

LOL. My dad is a runner, and I told him the same thing! The ONLY way you're getting me to run 13.1 mi is if it is in Disney. :earboy2:

I have a friend who heard there is going to be a new half race starting in Jan of 2017. Anyone hear that? If so, that may be the one I try for. Two of my friends would be running it with me.
 
Congratulations, OP! Thanks for sharing your story. :goodvibes

I'm hoping to run my first half for the 2016 Princess, and this honest, motivational post is just the sort of thing I need to read.
 
:cheer2::cheer2::cheer2: I can't believe your first event was a half!! you are so correct, 13.1 is a distance to be respected! It's been too long since I was able to complete a half- but reading your story sure stirred up a lot of memories for me. thanks for sharing. have you read Marathons for Mortals by John Bingham, my preferred training schedule. a great book!
 
Thanks everyone for all the nice comments. I read all the Princess half reports I could find while training and I wanted to pay it back by writing my own. I hoped it would be helpful for new runners. I'm proud that it was also motivational to some. Good luck to everyone in your future running challenges. I'm planning on some local races this year and maybe W&D in 2016.:-)
 
That's awesome! About a year ago I decided to combine my love of Disney with the need to get healthy and set a goal for myself to run in the Half. I began training and ran this past January. Now my love for running has allowed me to begin training for the Dopey(if I can click fast enough). Cheering for the people running on Sunday really inspired me to push myself to train harder, and eat healthier. I look forward to running with you at a race in the near future.
 
That's awesome! About a year ago I decided to combine my love of Disney with the need to get healthy and set a goal for myself to run in the Half. I began training and ran this past January. Now my love for running has allowed me to begin training for the Dopey(if I can click fast enough). Cheering for the people running on Sunday really inspired me to push myself to train harder, and eat healthier. I look forward to running with you at a race in the near future.
How out of shape were you when you started ? I am very out of shape but much better then this time last year. I am hoping to do the princess half next year. I am hoping I am not over reaching. I am very much afraid of the balloon ladies.
 

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