Official 2011 Princess Half Marathon Thread - Link to new thread Post 3703!

[MUNUMom]

Hi all - I am thinking about making the Princess half marathon my training goal. It will be my first half marathon and am wondering if it is a good place to start. Having never done one, I am a little intimidated. Can anyone offer some info.....thanks!

 

[KarenAylwood]

Just saw this thread was started!!

I ran my first 8K on March 20th and was hooked... so now I'm excited about actually doing this. It took me a LONG time to be able to run 5 miles without stopping, and I did a lot better than I thought I would. Goal was under an hour and I made it in 53:08!

Now I want to try a half and the Princess looks awesome!! I got my mom on board (to go with, not run!, she's 62) and we're both doing the 5K (walking) and I'll do the Princess the next day.

I actually just bought new running shoes and some other stuff at the running store tonight, and ordered a Garmin 305 yesterday!

(DBF likes to say he created a monster with encouraging my 8K )

 

[dsnyfan21]

For those that did the Princess last year...what were some of the things that you saw or did yourself that you would recommend people didn't do next year? One thing I can think of is not carrying any extra water or sports drinks. I thought that Disney did a great job at spacing the water stations and it wasn't necessary to have the extra fluid. Plus, it was just one more thing to carry...

Disney, IMHO, had always done a great job of having plenty of water/powerade stations. So, I would have to agree. Plus you will most likey want to carry a camera in your hand, so the less stuff the better

As for a weather comparison. This year was WAY colder for the Princess. Last year I had a running skirt and my v-neck top and a light throw away jacket. We drove to the start that year, so more time in the car. I was just a little bit chilled at the start, but not too bad. This year was capris, L/S tech shirt with WISH vneck shirt on top, gloves and a throw away poncho.

Hoping to stay "Perfectly Princess" even though as Carrie and Mel have stated, I don't consider myself Princessly what so ever. The company, however, is nice. Nice to be around women who all have the same goal ahead of them.

Tracy

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

Hi all - I am thinking about making the Princess half marathon my training goal. It will be my first half marathon and am wondering if it is a good place to start. Having never done one, I am a little intimidated. Can anyone offer some info.....thanks!

It is a perfect race to start with! It was my first half and I would highly recommend it. The thing about this race as compared with others is that it is walker friendly so this isn't one you have to run the entire time unless you want to. I would recommend the Hal Higdon Half Marathon training plans. He has them for walkers, and for runners of all different levels. Oh, and as far as shoes, make sure you go to a running specialty store to get your running evaluated. That way, you get the best shoes that work with you. The right shoes make a big difference!

I was intimidated too - but Disney is so much fun that the last thing you need to be is intimidated! You have plenty of time to prepare!!

 

[suzannews]

I'm in for #2!

 

[jbm02]

Planning to be there for 2011...!!! This will be first 1/2....

 

[KarenAylwood]

It is a perfect race to start with! It was my first half and I would highly recommend it. The thing about this race as compared with others is that it is walker friendly so this isn't one you have to run the entire time unless you want to. I would recommend the Hal Higdon Half Marathon training plans. He has them for walkers, and for runners of all different levels. Oh, and as far as shoes, make sure you go to a running specialty store to get your running evaluated. That way, you get the best shoes that work with you. The right shoes make a big difference!

I was intimidated too - but Disney is so much fun that the last thing you need to be is intimidated! You have plenty of time to prepare!!

I bought running shoes at a running store last night and OMG do they feel different!!! I can't wait to start running in them!

 

[wtpclc]

Hi all - I am thinking about making the Princess half marathon my training goal. It will be my first half marathon and am wondering if it is a good place to start. Having never done one, I am a little intimidated. Can anyone offer some info.....thanks!

Most people around here use, Higdon, Galloway or John Bingham's MArathoning for Mortals (MfM). I swear by MfM. DOn't know much about Galloway, but Higdon's plans seem a bit much for me. I am only about gettign to the finish line, though. Probably teh laziest amrathoner you will ever meet.

As for water, it all depends on how you train. I take water every half mile. (I know, extreme for most people.) Therefore, I must carry water. If you can go fo 1.5 to 2 miles w/o, you should be ok. However, while it should never happene again, there have been marathons adn half marathons that have run out of water. Never hurts to be prepared. JMO.

 

[mla1977]

I have a fuel belt, but it has always been a little more than snug on me. After the race in January (my third wearing the belt, I decided to try a hand carried bottle. It is the kind from the fuel belt company with a little strap and a zippered pocket for a gel. I ran out of water with it, but that was because I like to carry a few pretzels to snack on and I need to wash them down. Not wearing the fuel belt made a big difference in how I felt. I may try it again when I lose weight, but in the mean time, it has been put away. There were enough waterstops during the race so I wasn't concerned about the water I was carrying. If it were an exceptionally hot day, I may reconsider and carry more water though.

 

[UGAFan0829]

I too, carried my own water. I actually used a Camelbak belt that was pretty handy that carried a good size water bottle. I was afraid that I would get too thirsty in between the stations, so I wanted to be safe. It worked out well for me as the one that I have has a zippered compartment which was great for carrying my camera and extra gels, and another elastic comparment to hold more gels. I think I will definitely run with it again next year as it turned out to be quite handy and was pretty comfy to run it. I had never trained with one, and waited until the week before the marathon to even buy it. So, I was a little nervous about it "weighing" me down, but it ended up working fine.

 

[palmettocharm]

I plan on being there. This will be my first 1/2 as well as my first Disney race. I am on Week 8 of C25K, and plan on starting the Marathoning for Mortals program once I finish.

I will also be turning 40 that weekend next year! What better way to celebrate??????

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I plan on being there. This will be my first 1/2 as well as my first Disney race. I am on Week 8 of C25K, and plan on starting the Marathoning for Mortals program once I finish.

I will also be turning 40 that weekend next year! What better way to celebrate??????

That's definitely a great birthday party!

Re: water... I usually run/walk in my training for about an hour without water, or every 4-5 miles. So I'm not planning to carry water, but will rely on Disney's water stations.

 

[ladytink75]

I will also be turning 40 that weekend next year! What better way to celebrate??????

My birthday will be the day after the marathon... I will be turning 36 on the 7th of March... Maybe we can celebrate together when we finish the half...

 

[palmettocharm]

My birthday will be the day after the marathon... I will be turning 36 on the 7th of March... Maybe we can celebrate together when we finish the half...

Mine is the day before - the 5th! I will definitely be ready to celebrate, that's for sure!!!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I turn 31 on 3/24 (I'm still getting used to being 30, though.)

 

[palmettocharm]

My birthday will be the day after the marathon... I will be turning 36 on the 7th of March... Maybe we can celebrate together when we finish the half...

Mine will be the day before - the 5th! I will definitely be ready to celebrate, for sure!!!

 

[palmettocharm]

(Sorry for the double-post...it didn't look like it went through the first time!)

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

My birthday will be the day after the marathon... I will be turning 36 on the 7th of March... Maybe we can celebrate together when we finish the half...

Mine is the day before - the 5th! I will definitely be ready to celebrate, that's for sure!!!

I turn 31 on 3/24 (I'm still getting used to being 30, though.)

I will be turning 36 a few days after the marathon (3/12). I can't wait to cross that finish line. Finish something that I never even imagined I would start would be a great way to celebrate!

 

[ADPiSpaz16]

OK, so my big debate for my very first half was between the one in January and the Princess but this thread just made up my mind... I'm in for the Princess!! I'm currently in week 3 of C210K and will be running my first 10K in June. I lost 100lbs after having my son in July 2007 (and my little girl is almost 6 months old) so looking back, I can't believe I WANT to run this!

 

[DisGirlAllie]

My best friend and I are considering doing it. The only problem is we'd have to miss some school for it but we're working on convincing our parents. it's a good cause, it's healthy, it'll be tons of fun, we'll be perfectly safe, we'll talk to our teachers in advance, yada yada yada. I think my dad actually might end up doing it with us so we'll see!