COMPLETE- "We're Never Coming Back!...Until October" FEB '14 Princess Half Marathon

[JessM]

So glad you ladies decided to stop and see the characters you got some great photos!

I also really enjoyed the part of the race after the MK. It was a little narrow and crowded back there but I loved all the characters that were out. It did feel like the grumpiest part of the race for most though, everyone around me seemed less than impressed that we were only at mile 7 haha.

The Princes were AWESOME! I kind of wish I had stopped for them both times haha. Flynn was so cute and I loved that Hercules was out! Basically they had the dreamest guys out, it was great!

 

[KelleyK75]

Great update! Love your questions for the Genie and Jack Sparrow! The picture with the Heroes is great!!

 

[emilyindisney]

You gals are making great time and seeing lots of characters! I think that is the dream for me! A balance of the two. Sadly, I have to either take making good time or stopping... I can't get both just yet.

The gal with the basket... there was a Belle last year who ran with bread loaf in her basket. People get so creative at these races!!!

This girl has something wrapped up, so maybe she brought bread too! It amazes me what people think of!

WOW!!! What a FUN run!!!

Fun indeed!

Great update and wonderful pictures. You are getting a lot of character stops in which is amazing. I also got a shot with Rapunzel and Flynn during the marathon and I was so ridiculously happy about that.

I'd love to meet Flynn and Rapunzel together and I know Cait definitely would too! That's an awesome stop!

Oh many, I would be freaking out when I heard Let It Go! I definitely have Frozen fever.

That glass slipper is beautiful! You should have run off with it, what are the odds those guys could catch you?

Mrs. Incredible is an awesome meet! I'm jealous.

AHHH how perfect you got your picture with Eric and Flynn! Herc's not looking too bad, either. And Aladdin is my fave Disney guy so that's an all-around win.

that is an awesome question for Jack Sparrow!

I bet you we could have out run them, haha! They were all quite handsome but I would have loved to see a potential suitor a little closer to my age, lol

The Princess was my favorite picture stop, but Jack was by far our best interaction. He would such a good character to 'be friends' with, I think!

 

[emilyindisney]

So glad you ladies decided to stop and see the characters you got some great photos!

I also really enjoyed the part of the race after the MK. It was a little narrow and crowded back there but I loved all the characters that were out. It did feel like the grumpiest part of the race for most though, everyone around me seemed less than impressed that we were only at mile 7 haha.

The Princes were AWESOME! I kind of wish I had stopped for them both times haha. Flynn was so cute and I loved that Hercules was out! Basically they had the dreamest guys out, it was great!

Once we got past the resorts, I think people were a little under impressed with 4-5 miles to go!

I agree- definitely the best four guys to pick! Some of the older princes are less impressive/fun in my book and I think all these guys are awesome stand alone characters!

Great update! Love your questions for the Genie and Jack Sparrow! The picture with the Heroes is great!!

The character interaction was a ton of fun during this race!

 

[emilyindisney]

Princess Half Marathon part 5

We earned our glass slippers!



IMG_2362 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

The mile 10 marker was underneath an overpass that we could see runners on so we knew a turn was coming up soon. We started to loop towards the overpass and ran into Sarge on the way.

I was feeling pretty good at this point and hoping that Sarge would be making people do push ups because I was sooo ready to join in! No such luck however, so we snapped a picture, got some encouraging words, and kept moving.

After that, we crossed the overpass and started our final trek to Epcot. I won’t lie- this part of the course was tough for me. These last couple miles (10ish-12ish) are always mentally tough for me in a half marathon and this one was no different. To top that off, there was very little entertainment in these miles to act as distraction. Cait kept prompting me to stop for mile marker signs to keep me going and distracted.


IMG_2364 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_2365 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

By Mile 12 we were making our way through the Epcot parking lot and I started to perk up a little. Right outside the Epcot gates we saw runDisney’s famed fan Peggy Sue, who cheers runners on at every runDisney event with a sign that says ‘I’m proud of you, total stranger’.

Coming around the turn into Epcot we saw Sophia the First. Caitlin had no clue who this was but I knew from nannying and there was no line so we stopped.


IMG_2366 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

For some reason I was thinking we had to loop World Showcase again so I was pleasantly surprised that once we hit the Fountain of Nations I could see the turnaround point.


IMG_2368 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Fairy Godmother was out cheering us on so we stopped and asked for a little pixie dust.


IMG_2369 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

At her, we kept running through the turn around (by the start of the World Showcase loop), back around under Spaceship Earth, past the mile 13 sign, and to the finish line! I was surprised I didn’t find myself getting emotional at any points during the course, but I did start to tear up a little when I couldn’t get my stupid cool-towel bag open. After running 22.4 miles in three days, its the small stuff that gets you I guess. Luckily an awesome volunteer helped me, I got both my medals and kept moving for water, powerade, and food. I was so appreciative of the purple drawstring bags they gave out because it definitely made me feel like less of a pack mule with all the stuff they kept handing to me, haha!

We asked a volunteer for a final ‘we did it’ photo.


IMG_2373 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


100_7255 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


100_7256 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

We didn’t really want to hang around so we walked over to the bus, stretched for a minute and hopped on to head back to the BW.

MJ greeted us at the BW once again, and we slowly made our way back to the room and got showered and changed. We headed down to the BW bakery for a mug refill and an egg sandwich for breakfast, and ate them by the pool so that we could sit in the hot tub after eating. We met several other princesses there-everybody had the right idea about how to relax after the race!

After some time nursing our sore muscles, we headed back to the room. Emily napped, and I relaxed and watched tv for a while. I know, I know….who watches tv in DISNEY!? And it wasn’t even Stacey! I don’t have cable at some, so channel surfing really is a vacation luxury for me, lol. My lack of a nap would turn out to be a problem, but we’ll get to that a little later. MJ read on the balcony for a little bit before heading down to the pool and reading there. She said she really liked relaxing and didn’t mind waiting to go to the park.​

 

[ZellyB]

Congratulations!! I love the GS medal. So nice to get that Inaugural one.

 

[courtneybelle]

The Green Army Men rock! So glad you got to meet a talking Sarge too

YEAHHHH!! Great job! Those medals are absolutely beautiful.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Congratulations on completing the run!!

I'm pretty sure that if it weren't for my kids, I wouldn't have had a clue who the heck Sofia was.

 

[extremesoccermom]

Ok, after reading your and JessM's TR. I am in for next year. I think I have my DD20 talked into doing the 10K portion with me. Then I will do the 1/2 marathon by myself unless I can find a friend to drag to Disney with me. Thank you for the great report. I have really enjoyed it so far.

 

[JessM]

Congrats on finishing ladies!

I agree those last few miles were tough, not much going on and those overpasses... eww haha.

Sarge was great though!

The pool afternoon sounds fun, I did the same thing! I can't believe I didn't run into you

 

[KelleyK75]

Congratulations on finishing! The medals are awesome!!

 

[Credit Man]

Congratulations on your amazing run!

 

[annmarieda]

Congratulations! You two did awesome! I love that they gave out the mesh bags at the finish. They were handed out at the expo the year before and I definitely would have found them far more useful after the race!

Love the medals!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Congrats! It was just such an amazing weekend! I cannot wait for next year!

 

[emilyindisney]

Congratulations!! I love the GS medal. So nice to get that Inaugural one.

Thank you!

The Green Army Men rock! So glad you got to meet a talking Sarge too

YEAHHHH!! Great job! Those medals are absolutely beautiful.

He was really fun! Before everyone took a picture he would call out "ready...aim" ('course he didn't say fire because that's probably a bad thing to shout in a crowd.)

Congratulations on completing the run!!

I'm pretty sure that if it weren't for my kids, I wouldn't have had a clue who the heck Sofia was.

I'm embarrassed to admit that nannying has made me more familiar with Playhouse Disney characters than I'd like to say, haha!

Ok, after reading your and JessM's TR. I am in for next year. I think I have my DD20 talked into doing the 10K portion with me. Then I will do the 1/2 marathon by myself unless I can find a friend to drag to Disney with me. Thank you for the great report. I have really enjoyed it so far.

You're welcome! I'm glad you're thinking of doing it next year because it was a ton of fun, and a very supportive crowd!

Congrats on finishing ladies!

I agree those last few miles were tough, not much going on and those overpasses... eww haha.

Sarge was great though!

The pool afternoon sounds fun, I did the same thing! I can't believe I didn't run into you

Agreed! I run in a hilly area, so I was well prepared for a few overpasses, but after 12 miles it wasn't as easy as I was hoping it would be!

Congratulations on finishing! The medals are awesome!!

Thanks!

Congratulations on your amazing run!

Thank you!

Congratulations! You two did awesome! I love that they gave out the mesh bags at the finish. They were handed out at the expo the year before and I definitely would have found them far more useful after the race!

Love the medals!!!

It was literally their best idea of the weekend. I was definitely overwhelmed by the end of the race and the last thing I wanted to do was pile all the post-race 'stuff' into my arms.

Congrats! It was just such an amazing weekend! I cannot wait for next year!

Are you already planning on going back?! That's awesome!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Are you already planning on going back?! That's awesome!

Oh yes! This year I went and did "only" the PHM because it was my first half. I knew going in that I would likely do the GSC in 2015 and I was right! Hooked!

 

[emilyindisney]

We did actually go to a park, I swear!​

Finally, we decided we should head to the park, after all, we had FP+ reservations waiting for us, and this was Emily’s first chance to test out the new system! We walked right over to the international gateway (LOVED LOVED LOVED staying within walking distance!) and soon enough, we had traveled halfway across the world to England! Being in World Showcase was a bit of deja-vu, since we had already walked/run through here twice this weekend!


DSCN0045 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

We browsed the shops here for a while, hoping to find a souvenir for our father-anyone else’s Dad super hard to shop for? No such luck, but we stopped for a photo op before moving on to Canada!


IMG_2380 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Cait and I already had a lot of photos of ourselves in Epcot so we had fun making MJ jump in on a lot of the pictures, photo booth included! At this point I was also quite tired, and I am much less agreeable to smiling for photos when I’m tired, which is why the photos decline a little in this part of the day…

We browsed a few more shops in Canada. I actually traveled to Canada this past summer, and was excited to see some of my favorite Canadian candy for sale in one of the shops-I passed it up though, in favor of a better treat coming soon…


100_7214 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


100_7213 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

We stopped in Mouse Gear where we did some more pin trading-I got this AWESOME Hercules pin from a CM there. I traded for a Ugly Step Sisters pin!


IMG_2409 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


photo (3) by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

I was so excited to find that, especially after we got to meet Herc that morning! All the CMs who saw that pin complimented it, and many were quite envious when I told them we met the hero himself on the half marathon course-apparently he is very hard to find!

Next up, we were on a mission! MJ had never eaten a Mickey bar…..clearly she was missing out! We found a cart in Future World (with the SLOWEST CM EVER (VACATION RUINED ), and after what felt like forever, I finally had my favorite snack in hand...and in mouth..and in stomach!


100_7215 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


100_7216 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

I’m not nearly as obsessed with Mickey Bars as Caitlin is. I really just don’t think they taste much different than a standard ice cream bar. However- I wasn’t going to pass up ice cream after a 13 mile run!

Then it was time for our first FP+ reservation, and we headed to Spaceship Earth! Our FP allowed us to skip a short stand by line and walk right on.


100_7217 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

While I was uploading this to post I noticed the Cavemen under the Astronauts in this picture. That's pretty cool how they're blended in, and also a little strange (Cavemen in Space...? Sounds like something from the Sci-Fi Drive-In previews!)


100_7218 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

I love this ride, especially the pick your future part at the end.​

 

[emilyindisney]

Oh yes! This year I went and did "only" the PHM because it was my first half. I knew going in that I would likely do the GSC in 2015 and I was right! Hooked!

13.1 is never an only race!

That's a perfect way to build up though! Definitely gives you something exciting to look forward too. I don't know that I'll go back to the PHM weekend anytime soon and I actually think it's because we sort of did it all in one shot

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

13.1 is never an only race!

That's a perfect way to build up though! Definitely gives you something exciting to look forward too. I don't know that I'll go back to the PHM weekend anytime soon and I actually think it's because we sort of did it all in one shot

That's actually why I only did the half this year! I read a lot of blogs and it seems to me that sometimes as runners, we tend to want to do it all at once and then are left in a bit of a funk/loss of what to do next. I probably would have been fine doing the GSC this year but I decided that I would wait and do it in 2015...gives me another excuse to go to Disney and drags it out a bit!

 

[emilyindisney]

That's actually why I only did the half this year! I read a lot of blogs and it seems to me that sometimes as runners, we tend to want to do it all at once and then are left in a bit of a funk/loss of what to do next. I probably would have been fine doing the GSC this year but I decided that I would wait and do it in 2015...gives me another excuse to go to Disney and drags it out a bit!

I totally agree! How else would Disney make so much money off of Dopey? Doing GSC definitely put me into a running funk. I actually haven't run for all of March, or April but am planning on starting up my PT and my runs by the start of May. As you said, it was sort of a "what do I do now?" feeling.