Official all things Princess Half Weekend 2015 thread! DOoneY and offical mErcH on DisneyParksBLOg

[Namsupak]

How do I know a 10 k is certified? There's a race that's going to be super close to my house and the course is mostly flat so I'd like to use it for my time but I wasn't sure if it will count.

Noticed you're in PA - are you doing the Pittsburgh Great Race in Sept by any chance?? I'll be there! It's a really nice race and the last mile or two are all downhill into the city That's what I'll be using for my proof of time, so hoping to have a good race. The weather was beautiful last year, keeping my fingers crossed for this year

I'm thinking of running that race too. I live in Morgantown though so that morning would be so early for me. I guess no earlier than the PHM

A gal in my running club on FB just posted this tee, and I thought y'all would like it, lol:

That is the truth! That day took a lot out of me. I was so thankful that I was off work that day. If I had been working there's no way I would have gotten registered!

I actually set that shirt up. Lol.

Thanks for sharing the link. It's an awesome shirt

I can relate - I HATE crowds and experience a fair amount of anxiety in them. But I can honestly say that I hardly feel it at races. It is crowded, in that there are 25,000+ people there, but it's not like being trapped in a confined space with nowhere to go. We're all running in our own little space within the crowd. I tried to find some pics to illustrate...

SUPER quick! Hand your camera to a handler, walk up, pose, click, grab your camera and run off!

Thanks for posting the pics. It's nice to see the different areas.

Okay, be gentle with me here cause, as I said, I am a very beginner beginner. But I just did my longest walk and with my best time. 1.72 miles at a 14:32 pace. I even ran in two (very) short spurts, but I can tell I'm getting a little stronger!

That's great! It's all about improvement and enjoying yourself

 

[jco_direwolf]

How do I know a 10 k is certified?

As far as I can tell as long as it uses an outside timing company it is. Which seems to mean if they use timing tags.

Someone else may have a better answer but it really seems to be is there a way to verify its not your buddy saying "oh you totally ran at 10min miles"

 

[Octoberbeauty]

How do I know a 10 k is certified? There's a race that's going to be super close to my house and the course is mostly flat so I'd like to use it for my time but I wasn't sure if it will count.

Here's a link someone posted on FB the other day. The one I'm doing in Oct is on here. I was happy to see that! I think it just has to be one that publishes the results online so Disney can cross check it, but it should show up on this link. http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/search/ I'm sure someone else knows a lot more than I do.

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

Long run done! 4 miles in the books! Anyone else get their long run in today?

I did my long run on Thursday, seven miles. I ran today for 30 minutes straight. I was pleased with my pace. I'm new to using a Garmin. Tomorrow, I will run with my sister. She is new to running, so it will be where ever she is in the C25K plan. I usually run two days a week, 30-45 minutes, and then a long run. Adding a fourth day of running, I feel over trained and see no benefit in a faster race pace.

 

[jdd]

I'm thinking of running that race too. I live in Morgantown though so that morning would be so early for me. I guess no earlier than the PHM

It shouldn't be too early - last year the 5K started at 8am and I think the 10K was at 9:30 maybe?? I can't find a time for this year's race, but I do know the 10K starts later....Probably take you just over an hour to drive up from Morgantown right?

We should get a group of runDisney folks together for this

 

[longhorns2]

Nope they done sweep and nope you aren't stupid! Lol. But it is frozen the w&d so I hope he can deal with the chicks all around him.

Hills: phm has very few. None if you are from an area with actual hills. Lol. One right before you enter mk that's the only real steep area on course. Mile 10 you go up a clover leaf that's long and slanted but sarge will be there cheering you up it! Then mile 11 and 12 have about 3 overpasses you cover on way back to Epcot. I don't run hills and I don't complain too much about this course.

 

[jco_direwolf]

Nope they done sweep and nope you aren't stupid! Lol. But it is frozen the w&d so I hope he can deal with the chicks all around him.

I just spent two hours of him listening/singing "Let it go" and watching the Frozen Sing-a-long on youTube. I think he'll do fine.

 

[kmcberry]

Hi! I'm brand new here. I'm signed up for the PHM. So excited! This will be my first half marathon, my first Disney run and my kiddies' first visit to Disney. Let the planning begin!!

 

[ninjagirl]

I hear ya on the hills! I try to work them into my training plan though. A habit from running cross country in high school I guess.

I'm not from Pittsburgh but my best friend is. She talked me into visiting the great white north for the Pirate 5K this past April and I was so scared about the hills . Being from south Louisiana, we have none. I also suffer from cold weather induced bronchiospasms when I run in the cold so I was prepared for the worst race of my life. It was most definitely freezing (to me) but I was SHOCKED at how flat that course was. There was only one steep incline coming off the river by Heinz field. It was actually one of my favorite scenic routes I've ever run.

 

[friskykitten]

A little off topic, but will all the computer issues at registration I thought I should mention this. I had four registrations, four confirmation e-mails but five charges on my credit card bill. I have contacted runDisney about it so I hope to have an answer in a couple of days.

I wonder if there may be others who have the same problem since the pages refused to load so many times.

 

[bekkiz]

Looking ahead, how beneficial is it to stay on resort versus off resort. My hubby and kids are coming, but not running. I have reward points for off resort locations that would virtually make our stay free.
We visited disney 3 yrs ago and off resort was perfect. .. but unsure bc of the race...
Pros and cons?

We actually much prefer to drive to the race. That way we can hang out in the car and stay warmish and comfy instead of hanging around outside. They don't start closing the roads into Epcot until close to 4:30, so as long as you aim to be in the parking lot by 4, you should be good to go. When we did the Donald 1/2 in 2007, we stayed as Coronado and still drove ourselves!

We're staying off property because the on-site resort prices are killer and we love having a kitchen, lots of bedrooms and our own pool (renting a house)

 

[Superdebbie]

It went verrrrrrrrrrrrrry slow for me, and a few internal server errors, but I'm IN for the Princess 5K!

I'm signed up for the Princess 5K too. Signed up the first day, but it took forever to sign up! I may be taking my granddaughter (who will be 8) with me, so I signed her up for one of the kids races. But, I'm wondering if Disney has a safe area for my granddaughter to stay while I participate in the 5K. Anyone know?

 

[Superdebbie]

Hi! I'm brand new here. I'm signed up for the PHM. So excited! This will be my first half marathon, my first Disney run and my kiddies' first visit to Disney. Let the planning begin!!

Wow! So many "firsts." You and your family are going to have so much fun! I've only done one Disney race before. It was in the spring of 2008. It was a 15K, which I just walked. I was almost swept off the course for going to slow! But, I finished. I wore a W.I.S.H shirt, which said: "Dead Last Finish is greater than Did Not Finish, which greatly trumps Did Not Start." Words to live by... Hope you have a blast!

 

[jco_direwolf]

I'm signed up for the Princess 5K too. Signed up the first day, but it took forever to sign up! I may be taking my granddaughter (who will be 8) with me, so I signed her up for one of the kids races. But, I'm wondering if Disney has a safe area for my granddaughter to stay while I participate in the 5K. Anyone know?

Umm an 8yo, I would just sign her up for the 5k too.

There isn't really any controlled space that I can think of. It's before the parks are open, and the start point is a parking lot (it isn't an active parking lot that weekend, but it's still a big open parking lot) I don't think they will let her into the corrals with you, and based on the other runDisney events I've been to you can expect to be in the corrals for 30 minutes before the run, plus your 5k time (~30 minutes?, if you don't stop for the characters) and back to the meeting points, I would say you would need to leave her on her own in the parking lot for a good hour and half.

There will be people around in the start/end area, a lot of people. But I wouldn't be comfortable leaving an 8yo like that. Even if I did, I don't think I would enjoy the run.

 

[DVCFan1994]

I'm signed up for the Princess 5K too. Signed up the first day, but it took forever to sign up! I may be taking my granddaughter (who will be 8) with me, so I signed her up for one of the kids races. But, I'm wondering if Disney has a safe area for my granddaughter to stay while I participate in the 5K. Anyone know?

Umm an 8yo, I would just sign her up for the 5k too. There isn't really any controlled space that I can think of. It's before the parks are open, and the start point is a parking lot (it isn't an active parking lot that weekend, but it's still a big open parking lot) I don't think they will let her into the corrals with you, and based on the other runDisney events I've been to you can expect to be in the corrals for 30 minutes before the run, plus your 5k time (~30 minutes?, if you don't stop for the characters) and back to the meeting points, I would say you would need to leave her on her own in the parking lot for a good hour and half. There will be people around in the start/end area, a lot of people. But I wouldn't be comfortable leaving an 8yo like that. Even if I did, I don't think I would enjoy the run.

I agree with the poster above.

If there is no one else to stay with her, I'd register her. And soon as it's at 75% full. Only you can decide what's best for your family, but, there is no controlled area for her to wait that she can't just walk away from at will. I spectated at the 5k this year, and did the half and 10k myself. The area gets very congested at times. I would not feel comfortable leaving my 8 year old son there on his own. You need to be to your corral ahead of the start time, then do your race, and get through the whole finish process. If you leave her and then she needs anything, (like a port a potty) it could be pretty rough for her to navigate the crowds. Only option I can think of is if you get her the highest level chear squad package, not sure if that might have a self contained area with amenities to keep her all in one place. We didn't do any of those packages, so I don't know how they work. I'm not sure they even do them for the 5k, and if they do it's probably more expensive than just registering her.

I saw plenty of younger children finish the 5k last year. This year, I'm doing it with my 6 year old daughter. There will be plenty if other kids

 

[Naty1209]

I wish I could "like" posts here. You're welcome everyone. Glad I could get this set up for our group.

Me too! There are some that have cracked me up!

 

[nerderella]

I'm signed up for the Princess 5K too. Signed up the first day, but it took forever to sign up! I may be taking my granddaughter (who will be 8) with me, so I signed her up for one of the kids races. But, I'm wondering if Disney has a safe area for my granddaughter to stay while I participate in the 5K. Anyone know?

The smart-aleck in me wants to say "bed" due to the early start of the race, but the budding social worker and 'actual response I'd give' sides say to sign her up for the 5k or check to see if there is childcare that early in the morning.

My single parent friends who bring their kids down for race weekends either coordinate with other parents for a group childcare thing, bring a non-running friend/relative, or know of someone local who can help out. So I'm not sure what Disney actually has for child care, but my hunch is that it's limited.

 

[jco_direwolf]

I saw plenty of younger children finish the 5k last year. This year, I'm doing it with my 6 year old daughter. There will be plenty if other kids

And I'll have a 5yo Boy in tow this year for the 5k.

 

[living20057]

I actually set that shirt up. Lol.

http://teespring.com/princesshalfsurvivor if anyone wants one. We are survivors!

Bahaha

I really don't know. Last year I was zurg. Maybe the only zurg to run phm. Big shoes to fill. Lol

Love the shirt!!

 

[jco_direwolf]

Quick update-
1/2, 10k and Glass Slipper Sold out
5k @ 85%
Kids @65%
Retreat @52%
Breakfast @52%