Hey Ducks!
Im finally home for a breather. Ive been on the road so much this year. Im really growing tired of the travel. And just when I think its gonna let up, it hits again. Ill fly out this Wednesday again and will be on the road for another three weeks. Illinois, Canada, Louisiana.
Anyhoo, heres my Princess Half Marathon short report, a month late:
Overall, we had a BLAST! Dressing up as the Fairy Godmothers and wearing wings, hats, and carrying wands wasnt an issue at all. I really thought it would be distracting and uncomfortable, but not at all! I was Meriweather, my niece was Flora, and my sister was Fauna. I put a picture up over on FB. Im not bragging, but we were cute, thanks to my sisters creative abilities.
We were all corralled in A, so that gave us plenty of time for picture stopping. The marching band we passed in the first mile playing Rocky was cool! We got our pics with Captain Jack and the big gaggle of boys on the way to the MK. As we departed them, the guys kept throwing kisses at us. My niece and sister kept fighting over who the kisses were being thrown at. The crowds at the T&TC all recognized us, waved, and even called to us by name. We snapped a few shots going down Main Street and a few in Tomorrowland. Got a photo with the Mad Hatter in Fantasyland. Around the corner, we snapped a picture of Minnie right behind the castle. Then we ran through the castle. Lined up for a pic in front of the castle. And thats when it happened. Our camera broke! The lens wouldnt come out anymore. It wouldnt power up. Arghhhhh!!! RIGHT in front of the castle! Can you believe it?!? We were soooo bummed after that. It kinda took the wind out of our sails for most of the race. We really tried hard to brush it off, but it just wasnt happening. We snapped a few pics with characters with the Brightroom guys. But it just wasnt the same.
At mile 7 or 8, back behind the monorail resorts, there was a little obscure accordion band on the side of the road. Maybe 10-14 players. Some sitting in folding chairs. Some standing. They just seemed out of place. But not to me and my sister. You see, our Dad played the accordion all his life. It was the joke and punch line in our family. And there was this band. Out of nowhere. If you recall, Dad died in early November last year. There was one gentleman in the band with his white shirt sleeves rolled up, just like Dad used to roll them when he played. My sister and I had a good cry for about ¼ mile in that section.
Then we got to mile 12-1/2, near Mousegears in Epcot. And for some reason, all of a sudden, my skirt elastic gave out! I had six extra inches of waistline that I didnt know what to do with. I tried tucking it in the back of my running shorts, but it would only stay for more than 10-15 running steps. I fought with that skirt all the way to the finish line. At the end, my sister said, Okay, so maybe I shouldnt have used that elastic left over from Grandmas sewing supply stash. Yes, Grandma died in 1998. The elastic was probably 20-30 years old when she died. So I was running with 40 year old elastic, holding up my skirt! We laughed pretty hard over that one. Funny thing is, after we washed them and air dried them back at the villa, it fit perfectly again. So Im still not sure what happened. I must admit, my finish line photos are pretty funny. I just let go of it for the last few hundred feet and prayed that it wouldnt be wrapped around my ankles by the finish line. It wasnt, but it certainly was riding pretty low when we crossed. Too funny!
On Tuesday, we all decided to wear our matching Princess race shirts and our Fairy Godmother hats to Animal Kingdom for the day. Again, everyone recognized us and laughed with us. The first ride we got on was EE. Neither my sister nor my niece had ever ridden it. When we got to the dark, backward section, my blue Meriweather hat blew off my head. Never to be seen again. I guess I didnt have enough hair to hold the clips well. We grieved over that loss for a while and reported it missing to a few CMs. My sister and niece wore their hats until they couldnt stand the incessant question: Where is Meriweather?!? from people. So they finally took their matching hats off. I felt so bad. The hat didnt survive, because it was never returned to me. WDW would have called or shipped it, had they found it. But it hasnt shown up. Im hoping my sister makes me another one for my birthday this year, just for the memories.
So that was our trip. So much fun. A little drama. Great memories. A few heartaches. But isnt that what most Disney trips are made of?
Next one on the books for me? W&D Half in November, followed closely behind it with a cruise on the Magic with Mom right after Thanksgiving.
Immediately after the Princess, I started having problems with my IT band. Im still struggling, but have stopped running for a few weeks. Using rest, ibuprofen, and the side roller as treatment. I think its working. Ive got plenty of time to get ready for the W&D, so Im not worried.
Need to go get ready for my next round of travels. Ill keep in touch and continue to lurk this thread. Keep up the good work, Ducks!
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Rooms at BWV are booked. Now all we have to do is train. Using Hal Higdon again - modifying his Half program. 
My husband and boys haven't been back since our last trip in early 2009. We always said we'd go when my husband retired from the Navy, which he does next year. We got the news that he'll be deploying in the next few months (and gone most of the time before that as they prepare) so we've decided to plan a trip for when he returns. It gives us something to look forward to and something fun to do while he's gone.
I really hope to do a Disney Half (either W&D or Marathon Weekend ) so I need to figure out how to live with this for the time being and still be able to run. I see you guys have discussed interval training - that is my plan for now - run/walk along with the occasional shot of albuterol!
I will try to post some pics on FB!
One of my sons has asthma so I know about it. He's having to use his inhaler these days due to his usual bad spring allergies. (He rarely needs to use it in the winter and summer...it's just spring and a little in the fall when the outdoor allergens are going strong.)
