Official 2011 Princess Half Thread Part II!!!

[disneyaway]

Thanks for the tip marathonmommy. They must have changed the dates on this because on 2/14/11 I was on the Friendship Boats to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and resorts. The boats ran all day and night long.

I hope they make an exception and have them running again during the race weekend. It's so much nice than buses.

Not sure where you are staying, but my understanding is that only the dock at the boardwalk hotels was closed. I thought that the dock at the Boardwalk and Swan/Dolphin were still operational. So you could walk and catch the boat.

Make sure to pack the following, ignoring things you don't normally wear of course!:
Shoes
Race Outfit
Throwaway sweatshirt/pants/blanket
Cheap throwaway gloves/hand warmers
Sunscreen
Hat/Visor/Bondi Band/hair ties
Running belt
Race fuel - sports beans, gus, etc.
Body Glide (or equivalent)
Bandaids/blister block/moleskin
Advil/Tylenol/Aleve
Ziplock baggies for ice packs

Thanks! This is going to get printed and kept with my packing checklist. Trying to pack for myself, for this race, and DD is getting me all confused.

rnronda: Just wanted to add my congrats to your accomplishment! That is so awesome. And doing stuff in honor of yourself is often more difficult than doing it for other people. You are a real inspiration!

So I just have to say I have some exciting news about this trip... This will be my first trip as a pending cast member!
.

Congrats! That sounds like fun!

I am excited to read about all of the speculation regarding the ribbon and medal. Pink would be awesome. Is the style and design of the tshirt always the same even if the color changes?

I envy all of you bringing in only carry-ons. With the three of us staying for 6 days, there is no way to accomplish that. Not that I am complaining about staying in Disney for 6 days

 

[slp1650]

Eek! I had a terrible dream last night. In my dream I didn't wake up in time for the race and I didn't make it to Epcot until 11am, wearing my number and crying because there was no place to park and the race was over. Some nice cast member gave me a banana and made me a "medal" out of trash on the ground and said if I cleaned up all of the trash on the ground I could get my picture taken with Mickey Mouse.

I will be double/triple checking my alarm so that I'm not on trash duty on running day!

I had a dream about it too! Except I had some sort of stupid little injury that I totally could have run with, but I decided or was prevented from running and I spent the rest of the dream trying to convince someone to let me run... Definitely not a good dream.

 

[MISSINWDW]

Eek! I had a terrible dream last night. In my dream I didn't wake up in time for the race and I didn't make it to Epcot until 11am, wearing my number and crying because there was no place to park and the race was over. Some nice cast member gave me a banana and made me a "medal" out of trash on the ground and said if I cleaned up all of the trash on the ground I could get my picture taken with Mickey Mouse.

I will be double/triple checking my alarm so that I'm not on trash duty on running day!

YOU are hysterical! I have stress dreams about the race all the time! The medal out of trash was my fav part!!! I have dreamed in the last week that I forgot my AP, that my kids were there whining and tugging on me and I couldn't run because there was no one to watch them, and that I missed rope drop at the Magic Kingdom. What next?

 

[MISSINWDW]

Roll your clothes instead of folding them. You'll be able to cram...I mean, fit...more in And if you take mostly tech stuff, it won't wrinkle. Yay, synthetic fibers!

I was so porud of myself -- I bought a fuzzy robe from The Salvation Army Thirft Store today ($3!!!) for the corral and was thinking how nice and toasty I'll be. NOW I realize that thing is gonna take up most of one carry-on bag!! <headslap>

I dare you to wear it on the plane!

 

[ban26ana]

I've been thinking about how to get to the Expo. I'll admit, dh always gets us everywhere at WDW, and I hadn't given transportation any real thought. But I can get lost in a paper bag! So please just make sure I have this right. I'm staying at YC. So I should walk to DHS, take a bus to ASMu (or any of them), and then a bus to WWOS. Is that right?

 

[Swmr359]

I've been thinking about how to get to the Expo. I'll admit, dh always gets us everywhere at WDW, and I hadn't given transportation any real thought. But I can get lost in a paper bag! So please just make sure I have this right. I'm staying at YC. So I should walk to DHS, take a bus to ASMu (or any of them), and then a bus to WWOS. Is that right?

That should work! I'm planning on going to the Animal Kingdom Saturday morning then heading over to Animal Kingdom Lodge to look around and then getting to the expo from there.

 

[stitchfan18]

I've been thinking about how to get to the Expo. I'll admit, dh always gets us everywhere at WDW, and I hadn't given transportation any real thought. But I can get lost in a paper bag! So please just make sure I have this right. I'm staying at YC. So I should walk to DHS, take a bus to ASMu (or any of them), and then a bus to WWOS. Is that right?

I think we're just going to take a taxi to the expo now, but originally we planned to go to MK, then take the monorail to the poly. You might want to write down all the host resorts, so if you get to HS and see one of the host resort buses coming you can hop on. I believe the buses to the expo only leave every 1/2 hour, so if you get there 5 minutes after a bus leaves you could bum around near the bus stop for a little bit.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

is anyone here going to the WISH meet up on saturday at 4pm at All Star Sports? i think i'm going to to go. i'm solo so it'll be nice to see some people who i "know".

i was daydreaming about the race during my short run on tuesday. i try to get my brain thinking on different subjects - anything to let the time pass! usually i'm just thinking, "i hate this. i want to stop. i hate this. i want to stop!!" anyway, i was thinking about which parks i'd hit up before and after the race. i'm getting in friday morning so i figured after checking in i'd go straight to the expo. i'm staying at ASMo so it should be easy to get there. then i'd go to a park. i was thinking it would be kind of cool to avoid MK. It would let the first time i see MK be when i'm running the race! but here's my "problem" (LOL!!) - my flight sunday going home is at 7 meaning ME will prob pick me up at 4. I REALLY want to treat myself to a fiesta margarita and a germany bier and pretzel after the race. but i don't want my only time at MK to be running through. oh the problems i make up for myself!! so, i might do MK on friday then avoid it on saturday and then see it on sunday during the race. all so i can have my post-race margarita.....

anywho, thanks for letting me muse....

 

[marathonmommy]

Okay ladies...some minor nightmares coming true. Was diagnosed with the flu, I guess about a month ago. Took a good week or two to get over it. Two days ago, I start to feel God-awful again. I go to the doctor's yesterday, and now I have strep! Ugh...please send some pixie dust my way.

 

[chernabogfamily]

Okay ladies...some minor nightmares coming true. Was diagnosed with the flu, I guess about a month ago. Took a good week or two to get over it. Two days ago, I start to feel God-awful again. I go to the doctor's yesterday, and now I have strep! Ugh...please send some pixie dust my way.

I'm sure if you're on some good meds you'll be feeling much better in only a few days. Seriously, just take it easy and get the rest your body is needing. You've trained for this race, your body will remember that- so give it some TLC and you'll be the most rested and ready one of us at the start!

 

[Kensgirl519]

Yes, the pre-race nightmares are starting for me as well.... forgetting shoes, forgetting outfit, hurting myself before mile 1, everyone laughing at me.... and they go on and on.....

It doesn't help that I think I have heard over a hundred times this past week from co-workers, friends, family, etc.... "Do you EVEN know how FAR a half marathon is????" Ugh... as if i didn't already have enough self doubt, i feel like i'm getting extra doses from everyone I know!

My garmin has been telling me I'm doing 14 min miles or less (but not much less) pretty regularly, but due to injuries and illness, I haven't gotten even close to the distance that I wanted to be at by this point so I am stressed. I'm not pushing myself now because the last thing i want to do is hurt myself the week before...

I am so afraid of the slow bus......

 

[mermaid&cinderella]

Okay you are all freaking me out with your dreams

Luckily I haven't had any, I have run halfs before so I know what to expect and even though I know I won't PR because I will be stopping to take pics with characters I am soooo fine with that. But I am worried about standing in corral all alone for so long and everyone around me chatting and nobody chatting to me Looks like there are alot of people going together or in teams so if you see lonely me, please come chat

Oh and I always wear my running shoes on the plane with me, I can not imagine lossing my running shoes before a race.

WOOHOO....we leave in 3 days for sunny Florida

 

[Danhockey04]

I'm going to be running alone, so I won't have anyone to chat with either, but during the half in Jan, I just started up a conversation with others. Maybe me wearing my princess costume and being a guy will help start up a chat with people, if not, I will just wait till I go off, at least I should be corral B with the number I got. But I will probably just chat with some people since I can't stand there not talking, hope I dont get bad views from some of the women there, since a guy running in the race, and maybe my outfit might make some offended for some reason. It is a princess outfit, nothing exposing, just having fun and running within the theme.

Also, did a "run" today, couldn't get going, my knee was sore from the 15 miles I did over the weekend, so I am going to just rest up my knee so I don't get any painful sensations running through my body when I try to push through it. I would rather be running as close to 100% and not run this last week than try to get a couple more runs in and be at 75%. I will keep walking to loosen up the tightness, probably go to EPCOT this weekend, but rest is mainly what I need to have a successful and non-eventful race.

Make sure you all pack everything you need, and if you forget anything, there are plenty of places to pick things up cheap. And be sure to eat a good meal the night before, I'm going to have homemade pasta and marinara sauce, which I will make for dinner, and Friday night after the Expo, might go to Carrabba's.

Anyways, keep training, or rest if your sick, get healthy and let's all have a great time running. Only 10 more days!

 

[mla1977]

I got my carryon packed last night. Shoes, sports bra, capris, top, jacket and body glide. I leave on Sunday so I will be getting in my final runs in Florida.

 

[JDruns]

I dare you to wear it on the plane!

OOOh, that's a great last resort. Although Hubby will refuse to stand anywhere near me....

 

[JDruns]

Okay, I'll make a deal with you - I'll bring you a coffee from home (I live 10 min away!) if you give me a wake-up! Just kidding - I'm not a coffee drinker, you wouldn't want anything that I make!

I envy you living 10 minutes away. Hubby's folks live in Tamp Bay. We hope to move to FL. Hubby and I both moved a bit as kids and, after nearly 11 years in TX, we're getting the wanderlust again.

 

[mermaid&cinderella]

I envy you living 10 minutes away. Hubby's folks live in Tamp Bay. We hope to move to FL. Hubby and I both moved a bit as kids and, after nearly 11 years in TX, we're getting the wanderlust again.

I'll second that envy! I am all the way up in cold Canada......but hopefully one day we will move to Florida

 

[JDruns]

So, Princesses, are we packing jeans or shorts for park-hopping? I had planned to just take jeans and multiple Ts and light sweater/jacket but I'm afraid it's going to be too warm for jeans all day.

 

[haleofafamily]

I had another race dream/nightmare last night. It was super long but the end was hilarious - After the race the organizers lined us all up so people could come by and congratulate was. The line stretched from Epcot to MK (along the course we had just run). All the women around me were in full princess costumes and waving to people like Miss America contestants AND singing Disney songs. I was just in normal clothes and embarrassed. In my dream I couldn't figure out if I was embarrassed because I wasn't dressed like every else or embarrassed for every one else.

I asked my sister-in-law what will consume our thoughts and time when we are done with this?

 

[mermaid&cinderella]

So, Princesses, are we packing jeans or shorts for park-hopping? I had planned to just take jeans and multiple Ts and light sweater/jacket but I'm afraid it's going to be too warm for jeans all day.

Seriously I have to unpack what I packed b/c we fly out Sunday and I looked at Monday and Tuesday the weather is 25-26C (77-78) feeling like 31-32C (87-89). WOOHOO....better than our freezing cold weather here. So I need to pack some tank tops now. I say pack some shorts