Official 2012 Princess Half Marathon Thread!

[orlandogirl81]

I have a question. I can't seem to find any details on what exactly the "2 Person Team" is .... is it a relay or could a friend and I sign up as a 2 Person team? what are the benefits? I noticed there isn't any price difference for signing up as a team. Just not sure I understand what it is or how it works.

thank you

 

[Red Rose]

My friend and i signed signed up as a team. We named ourselves Northern Princesses as we are from Canada. We are going to be in all red and white just to show that Canadians can also be princesses too!

 

[stitchfan18]

I have a question. I can't seem to find any details on what exactly the "2 Person Team" is .... is it a relay or could a friend and I sign up as a 2 Person team? what are the benefits? I noticed there isn't any price difference for signing up as a team. Just not sure I understand what it is or how it works.

thank you

The team means that both parties run the entire 1/2, but are on a team and eligible for team awards. I think the only difference is that you get an extra bib with your team name on it.

 

[KathleensKid]

Background: My 3 friends and I are flying in from out of state. We will not have a car and will stay on property. I have been to WDW before and am a bit obsessed. 2 friends have not been since they were children and one has never been. We are women in our 40s who are healthy but not runners.

Which of these 3 vacation strategies do you think is better based on how you felt you needed to act before and after a race. We will have 3 day tickets. Probably w/hoppers. We will explore the parks, go on rides and eat at interesting places. We will not be commando in the park. The plan will be to give my friends a taste of the parks that they remember from their childhoods & give them an idea of what it will be like to come back w/their kids.

1. Fly in Thursday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Friday. Pick up race packet.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed
- Up at 3 am . Race. Fly home.

2. Fly in Friday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Pick up race packet. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed.
- Up at 3 am . Race. Park day (will we have the energy for this?)
- Monday breakfast @ resort. Fly home.

3. (Same as # 2 except no park day after race)
-Fly in Friday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Pick up race packet. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed.
- Up at 3 am . Race. Relax and recover at resort. Evening in DTD.
- Monday breakfast in park. Short park day. Fly home.

Thank you for any advice based on your experience!

 

[cewait]

Background: My 3 friends and I are flying in from out of state. We will not have a car and will stay on property. I have been to WDW before and am a bit obsessed. 2 friends have not been since they were children and one has never been. We are women in our 40s who are healthy but not runners.

Which of these 3 vacation strategies do you think is better based on how you felt you needed to act before and after a race. We will have 3 day tickets. Probably w/hoppers. We will explore the parks, go on rides and eat at interesting places. We will not be commando in the park. The plan will be to give my friends a taste of the parks that they remember from their childhoods & give them an idea of what it will be like to come back w/their kids.

1. Fly in Thursday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Friday. Pick up race packet.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed
- Up at 3 am . Race. Fly home.

2. Fly in Friday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Pick up race packet. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed.
- Up at 3 am . Race. Park day (will we have the energy for this?)
- Monday breakfast @ resort. Fly home.

3. (Same as # 2 except no park day after race)
-Fly in Friday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Pick up race packet. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed.
- Up at 3 am . Race. Relax and recover at resort. Evening in DTD.
- Monday breakfast in park. Short park day. Fly home.

Thank you for any advice based on your experience!

I think it a combination of 2/3 with a few caveats...

Understand that Friday night is an important night for rest. You will not sleep well Saturday night PLUS you have the early wake up. Take it easy Friday night and do not feel obligated to push late..... even though late is about 9 PM in Feb.

Take it easy in the park on Saturday. You may even want to come back to the room for a nap then head out for dinner.

Post race really depends on you. Preferably, one would go out and walk the park post race to help keep the legs loose. You do not want to sleep the afternoon away - keep moving. However, keep flexible as some in the group may not feel up to walking the park. When in the park, wear your medal!

Hope this helps

 

[HockeyKat]

KathleensKid - I would not come in Thursday and use Friday as a park day. That week is President's Day week and speaking from experience, it is *very* crowded, plus Thurs night will be peak season rates. If you were going to add an extra night, I recommend Monday night.

I would definitely tour the park for a while after the race. As said above, it will loosen up your legs. However, you will bonk and want to go back to the resort/pool by mid-afternoon.

3 would be the best option.

 

[haleofafamily]

Background: My 3 friends and I are flying in from out of state. We will not have a car and will stay on property. I have been to WDW before and am a bit obsessed. 2 friends have not been since they were children and one has never been. We are women in our 40s who are healthy but not runners.

Which of these 3 vacation strategies do you think is better based on how you felt you needed to act before and after a race. We will have 3 day tickets. Probably w/hoppers. We will explore the parks, go on rides and eat at interesting places. We will not be commando in the park. The plan will be to give my friends a taste of the parks that they remember from their childhoods & give them an idea of what it will be like to come back w/their kids.

1. Fly in Thursday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Friday. Pick up race packet.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed
- Up at 3 am . Race. Fly home.

2. Fly in Friday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Pick up race packet. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed.
- Up at 3 am . Race. Park day (will we have the energy for this?)
- Monday breakfast @ resort. Fly home.

3. (Same as # 2 except no park day after race)
-Fly in Friday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Pick up race packet. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed.
- Up at 3 am . Race. Relax and recover at resort. Evening in DTD.
- Monday breakfast in park. Short park day. Fly home.

Thank you for any advice based on your experience!

Last year we went Thurs - Tues. This year we are going Fri - Wed. I would rather have my park days after the race. Going into the parks before the race was fine but I couldn't enjoy it as much as I usually do because the race was on my mind. I was wondering if what I was eating would affect my race, if I was walking too much...things like that. It bothered my sister-in-law quite a bit and she would definitely do parks after the race.

Merci

 

[Cripey]

Background: My 3 friends and I are flying in from out of state. We will not have a car and will stay on property. I have been to WDW before and am a bit obsessed. 2 friends have not been since they were children and one has never been. We are women in our 40s who are healthy but not runners.

Which of these 3 vacation strategies do you think is better based on how you felt you needed to act before and after a race. We will have 3 day tickets. Probably w/hoppers. We will explore the parks, go on rides and eat at interesting places. We will not be commando in the park. The plan will be to give my friends a taste of the parks that they remember from their childhoods & give them an idea of what it will be like to come back w/their kids.

1. Fly in Thursday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Friday. Pick up race packet.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed
- Up at 3 am . Race. Fly home.

2. Fly in Friday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Pick up race packet. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed.
- Up at 3 am . Race. Park day (will we have the energy for this?)
- Monday breakfast @ resort. Fly home.

3. (Same as # 2 except no park day after race)
-Fly in Friday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Pick up race packet. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed.
- Up at 3 am . Race. Relax and recover at resort. Evening in DTD.
- Monday breakfast in park. Short park day. Fly home.

Thank you for any advice based on your experience!

If it's at all possible to fly in later in the week and then stay longer I would do that. This year I flew in late friday night and we stayed through Wednesday evening. Saturday was for expo, rest, early dinner, early bed time. I raced on sunday, went back to the hotel for just a few hours to shower and wind down. We got back out that afternoon for lunch and closed down the park that night. (FYI - I was delirious by the time we got in bed that night from sheer exhaustion, but it was soooo much fun!) Then Monday-wednesday were all park days. My soreness was minimal, and I really think that was due to staying mobile after the race. Also, as others have mentioned, the days prior to the race are President's Day week and super crowded...the crowds were very low the days after the race. Lines were short and we literally walked on several rides during those days...a few in my party rode ToT back to back with no wait. So, I'd recommend tacking on park days after the race if it's possible. It worked great for me.

 

[KathleensKid]

Thank you all so much for the feedback. What you are saying makes sense. I wasn't even thinking about park crowd levels on Thursday/Friday combined with the mental stress of prepping for a race.

So how about this:
Fly in Friday eve. Dinner at resort.
Saturday: Pick up packet. Low key park day. Early dinner/bed.
Sunday: Race. Afternoon in the parks. Maybe stay up late on sheer adrenaline.
Monday park day.
Tuesday park day. Evening flight home.

Better?

 

[haleofafamily]

Thank you all so much for the feedback. What you are saying makes sense. I wasn't even thinking about park crowd levels on Thursday/Friday combined with the mental stress of prepping for a race.

So how about this:
Fly in Friday eve. Dinner at resort.
Saturday: Pick up packet. Low key park day. Early dinner/bed.
Sunday: Race. Afternoon in the parks. Maybe stay up late on sheer adrenaline.
Monday park day.
Tuesday park day. Evening flight home.

Better?

That looks really good!

 

[saysay]

Background: My 3 friends and I are flying in from out of state. We will not have a car and will stay on property. I have been to WDW before and am a bit obsessed. 2 friends have not been since they were children and one has never been. We are women in our 40s who are healthy but not runners.

Which of these 3 vacation strategies do you think is better based on how you felt you needed to act before and after a race. We will have 3 day tickets. Probably w/hoppers. We will explore the parks, go on rides and eat at interesting places. We will not be commando in the park. The plan will be to give my friends a taste of the parks that they remember from their childhoods & give them an idea of what it will be like to come back w/their kids.

1. Fly in Thursday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Friday. Pick up race packet.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed
- Up at 3 am . Race. Fly home.

2. Fly in Friday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Pick up race packet. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed.
- Up at 3 am . Race. Park day (will we have the energy for this?)
- Monday breakfast @ resort. Fly home.

3. (Same as # 2 except no park day after race)
-Fly in Friday. Arrive sometime @ midday/early eve. Pick up race packet. Dinner + evening in a park w/fireworks.
- Park day Saturday. Early to bed.
- Up at 3 am . Race. Relax and recover at resort. Evening in DTD.
- Monday breakfast in park. Short park day. Fly home.

Thank you for any advice based on your experience!

I am also in my 40s and last year was my first half in 11 years...I actually started running again last year. Now you know your body and your friends and your need for rest better than me but here is what we did.


1. Arrive Friday. We checked in, relaxed at hotel a bit then went to the expo to pick up our packets. We got there about an hour before it closed. We went to DTD for quick dinner at Wolfgang Puck express then back to hotel for bed for a good nights sleep.

2. Park Day. We took it easy, no going commando. We opened Hollywood Studios for the big rides TOT, RRRC, TSM - then went to Magic Kingdom. We had dinner at the hotel then went to bed around 10....we were all wired.

3. Race day...we all finished. One of my party left right after the race to catch a flight, not ideal, but she had to go back to work and it was the only flight she could get. The rest of us went back to hotel, one had a massage, I took and cold water bath and shower. We hung out a little then headed to Epcot for a late lunch. After lunch another of our party had to go to the airport. The last 2 of us just took it easy strolling around Epcot and the off to Magic Kingdom to see Hall of Presidents and we ended up riding a few tame rides with no line. We both had never seen the fireworks, and we ended up closing the park....I don't know where our energy came from with us being up so early that morning! I think for me all the walking around really helped in my recovery.

Day 4 I got up and went to the airport. no aches, no pains, felt great!

Worked for me and is my plan for the next race. I would love to stay AFTER the race to go to the parks again, but that doesn't work for me. You know your body best. I think the main thing for me was to take it easy before the race and it was good that I was not sedentary afterwards. We got a great nights sleep on Friday night which was wonderful as we were all so nervous more about getting up early than the race on Saturday night!

Its a very fun weekend whatever you do!

Good luck.

 

[NCrunner]

Much! That sounds like great and doable plan!

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I registered yesterday, then had to go through the "what the **** did I just get myself into" feeling. I never thought in a million years I'd be training for a half. I wanted to wait for a Disney event so my first would be at the Happiest Place on Earth I chose Belle since she has always been my favorite Disney princess. Rapunzel is now a very close 2nd, but Belle is my childhood.

 

[kappyfamily]

What would you do....

Sis in law and I will be racing and we both want to do an hour massage and full facial (we will be there for 2 days before race and 5 after).

We will be staying at Bay Lake Tower and are planning on taking the monorail to GF spa. Would you:

-split up treatments and get a facial the night before the race as a "relaxer" and then get the massage after the race or even on Monday.

-Do both treatments the day of the race after we have lunch.

- Do both treatments Monday morning when we will be feeling more sore.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[TeresaZ]

Has anyone been able to book a room yet through WDW-IRun? I called this morning and said that the packages were not ready.

UGH! I am such a planner!! I need to know this NOW NOW NOW!! LOL

 

[pjpoohbear]

Is there a separate thread for the Royal Family 5k (looked but didn't see one,) or do we get to play here with the Royal Princess runners?

Pj

 

[KathleensKid]

Has anyone been able to book a room yet through WDW-IRun? I called this morning and said that the packages were not ready.

UGH! I am such a planner!! I need to know this NOW NOW NOW!! LOL

I haven't. I've been put on their call back list b/c rooms aren't ready yet. I'm a planner too and want to know now too!!

 

[kmchisholm]

New to the boards and so glad to find others who are as excited about the Princess Half! So far I have our room booked (DVC Studio at Boardwalk) and when prices drop, will book airfare. Plan is to fly in Saturday morning, relax, run Sunday then flying out Tuesday am. Considered coming in Fri, but weekend rate through DVC is higher on Fri nights, so cheaper to do Sat - Tues rather than Fri - Mon.

Does anyone have info about the discount on park tickets? Have to wait another week before registering and have seen a little discussion on it, so thought I'd throw the question out there. I'm coming down in Oct for 3-4 days (parents have 1 bedroom for Food and Wine Festival) and thinking it's cheaper to get a 7 day non-expire Park Hopper rather than 2 3-4 day Park Hoppers. No, it doesn't hurt to wait the week to register and find out on my own, but didn't know what others would suggest!

Now stop reading and start running!!

 

[fashionista311]

kappa - I would do both your spa treatments after the race. Massage you're supposed to wait 24-48 hours after (don't want to mess with the muscles when they are too inflamed), and the facial I just feel like it's better for after...why get your skin all cleaned out if you are going to gunk it up with all the sweat? plus i personally don't find facials relaxing (um i really don't understand what is relaxing about someone pulling out all your blackheads or having chemicals peel off layers of your skin...efficient for glowing skin, yes, works wonders. relaxing? NO! it hurts dammit) Plus depending on if you get a peel and such, your skin might be a bit inflamed for a day or two...and you want good race photos!

So excited/jealous for all of you who've registered..you are going to have such a blast! my "a" races this winter/spring are in the end of Jan and the end of March...so if I do end up getting to go, it will because the bf wants a Disney trip anyways...and I'll run it as a training run. But we'll see how the year plays out....I didn't run any disney races this year so I need my fix...and Princess is my *favorite"

 

[cewait]

Thank you all so much for the feedback. What you are saying makes sense. I wasn't even thinking about park crowd levels on Thursday/Friday combined with the mental stress of prepping for a race.

So how about this:
Fly in Friday eve. Dinner at resort.
Saturday: Pick up packet. Low key park day. Early dinner/bed.
Sunday: Race. Afternoon in the parks. Maybe stay up late on sheer adrenaline.
Monday park day.
Tuesday park day. Evening flight home.

Better?

Much