Calling all Princesses! (2014 Princess half marathon board)

[JessM]

What are you Saturday plans? Right now we are all kinds of open, other than going to the Expo. No parks, no ADR. Maybe walking around Downtown Disney. Likely have early dinner at AoA food court.

Since we have 3 other Park and ADR days, I thought it would be good to have absolutely no structure the day before Half. But now I'm starting to 2nd guess......those Downtown Disney restaurants are calling my name.

We are going to grab breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery Saturday after the 10k and then hit up AK. I love the shows there so I figured that would be the best place to stay off my feet. We have an ADR for dinner at Chefs de France (staying at the BWI) and then its early to bed!

 

[hpygrll]

Just made reservations at California Grill for Sunday - 7:35 so I hope we'll get to catch the fireworks!

Jenny

 

[STILLWISHING]

I did the retreat for the Full in January since it was my first full and I really wanted to be as relaxed as possible. I had never done the retreat for any other Disney races since it is pretty expensive IMHO. For the Full it was exactly what I wanted/expected.

99% of the time, I will skip the retreats and just about all other "extras" for the Disney races. I would rather go to more races, so cut my expenses by skipping the retreat, pasta in the park, etc.

That said, I have elected to get the retreat this year at the PHM for my DN and I who are running together. We had not planned on doing the PHM again, but decided to go one last time in order to do the GSC.

Quite honestly, the last time we did the PHM was in 2011 and we thought it was overcrowded and stressful back then, so decided we were done with the Princess races. Elected to work our way through the other Disney races rather than repeating those we had already experienced.

I hope having the retreat will allow us to escape some of the craziness we didn't like pre and post race in 2011. We are only getting it for the Half.

I actually just got it this morning when I noticed it was at 84%.

Not sure what you mean by "is everything post-race within the retreat"? I'm probably just being dense, but can you give us a specific of what you mean?

Thanks! Think I will register just in case weather is bad - has been before. Plus I like after race amenities - that is kind of what I meant. I've been to races with lots of TLC after and some with very little.

 

[disneyhorselover]

What are you Saturday plans? Right now we are all kinds of open, other than going to the Expo. No parks, no ADR. Maybe walking around Downtown Disney. Likely have early dinner at AoA food court.

Since we have 3 other Park and ADR days, I thought it would be good to have absolutely no structure the day before Half. But now I'm starting to 2nd guess......those Downtown Disney restaurants are calling my name.

My Saturday plans are mostly open. My sister and I are running the 10k, having a late brunch at Cape May Cafe, then joining the rest of our group for DTD and maybe some mini golf or pool time depending on the weather. Going to try to stay off our feet to prepare for Sunday but its Disney, that's so hard!!!

 

[disneyhorselover]

As little as possible! After the 10k, we'll get some food and rest a bit...I'll have a 12 year old on the trip with me who's running the 10k and missing school for the trip so in order for me to be off my feet as much as I'll need for the half on sunday, I've designated saturday as "do your make up work" day for her. She can do homework and I can rest...We're staying at AoA, and I like their food court options, so I'm planning to just eat an early dinner there and possibly work in some pool or hot tub time (is there even a hot tub at AoA?) depending on the weather. I second guess my food court fo dinner choice. I keep wondering if it would be better to get an ADR somewhere to force me out for a while...while I don't want to be on my feet much before the half, I'll likely need to do SOME walking to stay loose from the 10k that morning...I may have to make some changes after I'm further along in the training with back to back runs and can see how my legs are reacting to that.

The food court at AoA is definitely a good choice, the make your own pasta was amazing. There is no hot tub there, but the pools are gorgeous, and the resort is very large, if you wanted to stretch your legs you could check out all the sections of the resort or even walk over to pop century.

 

[kappyfamily]

Just made reservations at California Grill for Sunday - 7:35 so I hope we'll get to catch the fireworks!

Jenny

I will see you there! I'm at 7:30!

 

[PrincessV]

Thanks! Think I will register just in case weather is bad - has been before. Plus I like after race amenities - that is kind of what I meant. I've been to races with lots of TLC after and some with very little.

Personally, I didn't enjoy RR for after the race at all. What I really wanted was a quiet place to recover, reflect and chill. RR was packed to the gills, loud and busy. I was more than happy to get out once all of my group's runners had finished. Just something to consider - I know LOTS of folks really enjoyed the RR amenities!

 

[Cripey]

If you can't get a reservation, you can do a walk up and eat at the bar. They serve the full menu there. DH and I love to do that!

Problem solved! Snagged a lunch ADR for the day after Thanksgiving. Mmmm-Mmmm-Meatloaf! We'll probably skip it in February though...there was a special request for Mama Melrose during our day at HS during that trip.

 

[Ettalynn]

Does anyone know what time the after party in downtown Disney begins?

According to the schedule on the rD site/runner info tab, it's 4:00 – 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

 

[BlazerFan]

According to the schedule on the rD site/runner info tab, it's 4:00 – 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

Is the after party worth attending? I was planning to spend Sunday evening in either MK or EPCOT since we leave the next morning.

 

[swimfly]

Is the after party worth attending? I was planning to spend Sunday evening in either MK or EPCOT since we leave the next morning.

Not in my opinion. I'd rather be in the parks.

 

[pirate_smiles]

Just made reservations at California Grill for Sunday - 7:35 so I hope we'll get to catch the fireworks!

Jenny

I will see you there! I'm at 7:30!

Great minds think alike! We are at 5:30

 

[Dreamer2012]

I'm so excited to report that we got an ADR for California Grill on 2/26 @ 7pm
ON MY BIRTHDAY!!! Yippee!!

 

[hpygrll]

Great minds think alike! We are at 5:30

We'll have to all wear our medals!!!!
Jenny

 

[Ladydonna1965]

Hi All ,

This is my 1st marathon ever. I decided in late June that I wanted to run this race as a life goal that I have set for myself. I started Weight Watchers and am at the gym 5 days a week for 2 hours a day which is part of the new "me" journey. I am signed up to run 3 5K's by the end of the year. I haven't run for many years and my friends joke with me that this is my "mid-life" crisis, but I can't believe the joy I get from running. I still feel like I'm a turtle, but I know that one day I will be miles ahead Is there any advice that anyone could give about carbs and running? I am a Type 2 diabetic and there isn't a whole lot of info about this issue for carb load days.
Thanks

 

[TiggerFan3590]

Was able to book reservations for Citrico's on Sunday night.... So excited to celebrate here!!!

 

[cantwaitvaca09]

Hi All ,

This is my 1st marathon ever. I decided in late June that I wanted to run this race as a life goal that I have set for myself. I started Weight Watchers and am at the gym 5 days a week for 2 hours a day which is part of the new "me" journey. I am signed up to run 3 5K's by the end of the year. I haven't run for many years and my friends joke with me that this is my "mid-life" crisis, but I can't believe the joy I get from running. I still feel like I'm a turtle, but I know that one day I will be miles ahead Is there any advice that anyone could give about carbs and running? I am a Type 2 diabetic and there isn't a whole lot of info about this issue for carb load days.
Thanks

I have no advice for diabetics but Congrats on starting! I was you 4 almost 4 years ago. I am still slow (I run walk) but 2014 will be my 4th princess and I will be doing my 7th half next month. Don't let what anyone says take your joy away!!!

 

[PrincessV]

Hi All ,

This is my 1st marathon ever. I decided in late June that I wanted to run this race as a life goal that I have set for myself. I started Weight Watchers and am at the gym 5 days a week for 2 hours a day which is part of the new "me" journey. I am signed up to run 3 5K's by the end of the year. I haven't run for many years and my friends joke with me that this is my "mid-life" crisis, but I can't believe the joy I get from running. I still feel like I'm a turtle, but I know that one day I will be miles ahead Is there any advice that anyone could give about carbs and running? I am a Type 2 diabetic and there isn't a whole lot of info about this issue for carb load days.
Thanks

Ladydonna, your post made me feel warm and fuzzy all over! Crisis, schmisis - I think you ROCK!

I'm pretty clueless on the intricacies of managing diabetes, but I can speak in general terms about distance running and food from the perspective of one who deals with blood sugar issues. I'm chronically hypoglycemic and exercise makes my glucose crash HARD. I absolutely do not carbo load because doing so would just land me in insulin shock. My everyday diet includes a good blend of lean protein and complex carbs and I don't stray from that pre-race. What I do in the days before a race is stick to easily digestible food items that aren't overly spicy, fatty or fibrous. Alfredo sauce is the devil, FYI. Don't ask. I might have some pasta, but as a side dish with chicken and veggies. Baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, brown rice, wheat toast/bagels, peanut butter, eggs, fish, chicken, fruit, veggies, yogurt, cottage cheese - all staples for me leading up to long runs.

 

[Missing]

Hi All ,
I am a Type 2 diabetic and there isn't a whole lot of info about this issue for carb load days.
Thanks

I don't have diabetes, but I do run longer distances while sticking eating low carb. Usually, I eat 20-25g of net carbs a day with most my calories coming from fat (initially to lose weight but continuing now that I met my goal because I enjoy it). I usually just have coffee with cream and mct oil about an hour before runs. I've also tried having about 20g of carbs (through gels or honey usually) every hour for runs longer than an hour. I don't have issue with this, at least up to half marathon distance.

I'd recommend talking to your doctor and see what he or she suggests. But it can definitely be done on minimal carbs!

 

[Ziggyduck]

I am excited to make the Disney Princess Half Marathon 2014 my very first half marathon! I will be running for charity (TAPS program). So not only am I doing it for me but for all fallen American heroes! Any tips that well-experienced runners can offer would be greatly appreciated!!