Sharing my thoughts for my first RunDisney weekend since Princess 2020. I stayed at Bay Lake Tower. It was my first time there and loved it for the convenience/location. It was perfect to walk on over after the race on Sunday. I had a lake view studio, overlooking Bay Lake and the Marina. We could see Spaceship Earth, the Swan/Dolphin, and Everest from the balcony!
Expo/Friday: I got to the expo around 2:00 on Friday after spending the morning at Epcot. We took the Skyliner to Riviera then took a bus to the Expo. I was disappointed about how much merch was already out of stock; but I had expected it. I didn't want to wait in the crowds, so that's what I got. I was able to pick up my pins for the half and challenge, and got the pink passholder corksicle. Getting my bib was easy. My friend and I went to runner relations in hopes that there would be a bib available for her (she decided to come just a few days before), but there were none. Also, this was expected, but it was fun to hope she'd be able to run. I picked up a pre-ordered Sparkle Athletic skirt, got some Sweaty Bands, and stopped by the Athletic Brewing booth. I'm an ambassador and I was stoked for a free non-alcoholic beer. I was taken aback that they weren't cold. Come on, folks! My friend and I took the bus to Beach Club then walked back to Epcot. We took the Monorail to the Poly and went to Kona Cafe for dinner, followed by watching the fireworks on the beach. It was my first time ever at the Poly, and I am in love. They made me the stir fry off of the lunch menu for dinner, and it was wonderful. Our other friend made it to BLT around 10 after an evening full of flight delays, and I didn't get to sleep until 11.
10K: I was up at 2:15 and dressed up in my Zenon (Girl of the 21st Century) outfit. I was on the first bus from Contemporary around 2:45. The bus trip was easy peasy. As I was on the bus, I realized I forgot to put my Currex insoles in my shoes (Saucony Endorphin Speed). I was a little panicky but thankfully the run was to be "only" 6 miles. I sat on the bleachers and ate my breakfast (pop tarts - quick sugars!) and drank my energy drink. After using the loo, I got into S2 as soon as it opened so I could do my warm up. I ended up having to go back to the porta john, but made it back up near the front of the start group. Once we moved and the race start was nearing, we saw at least 20 people come through the gates from the back of S2 or S3 by disconnecting them.
I ended up being in the second row of S2 and we started at 5:10. I easily settled into my 3:00 run/1:00 walk intervals. Everything felt great except for the on/off ramps with their awful cambers. I ran really steady for the first 4 miles and stopped for some characters during the last two miles. I stopped for: Mickey (he was SO SHORT!), Chip & Dale, Goofy & Donald, Rapunzel. I closed with a fast (for me right now) last half mile, finishing in 1:13. Even with my character stops, my average pace was near my typical "easy" pace. Bussing back to the resort was easy.
Saturday: I spent the day at DHS with my friends. We didn't do a ton, and our ROTR ILL got cancelled due to the ride being down. We were back to the resort early and sat by the pool and got quick service dinner. I was asleep by 8!
Half Marathon: This was the day I was nervous about - a year ago I was on crutches with a high-risk stress fracture in my femoral neck. I had two calf strains since September due to my form. I was severely undertrained for my expectations, doing one back-to-back run weekend in the last two months before the race and having a long run of 8 miles. I cross trained a lot so I knew I was fit enough, but I was worried about my legs carrying me through.
I was up at 2:15 again, and dressed in my Elsa outfit. My friend and I were on the Monorail at 2:55 and got to Epcot around 3:15 - no issues. We went to the merch booth and SURPRISE they had the merch I wanted on Friday! After acquiring and gear checking the goods, we were off to the Start Groups just after they opened. It was obvious that Start 2 was HUGE. We ended up being pretty close to the front by the time we moved towards the start. As soon as they announced the delay my stomach turned and I needed to GO. We finally started (S2W1) at 5:21 am. I was trying to make it to the TTC or MK before stopping, but I knew as soon as I started I wouldn't make it that far. I had a good first couple of miles, settling into my 3:00 run/1:00 walk intervals, and stopped at the second set of porta johns. I felt so much better once I did! I did slow a bit after stopping, as it took me a while to get back into a rhythm, then I started to make some character stops. I was so excited to stop for Judy Hopps + Nick Wilde, and Anna). Just before mile 9 I started to feel very hot and changed my intervals to 2:00 run/:45 walk. It definitely helped and didn't affect my pace at all. Things definitely got hard once I hit mile 10 and the dreaded ramp. My legs were feeling the lack of training and the heat was getting to me. I stopped for some characters (Genie, Abu + Jasmine) and kept moving. My last two miles were my slowest, but I didn't care! I about lost my ish once I saw the gospel choir and Jeff Galloway, and had to hold back tears and calm my breathing. I was able to hold it together and finished in 2:40. Not my fastest Disney half, but also not my slowest. I was tired, but nothing truly hurt. It felt like a huge victory! It also is a great starting point to working towards goals again. I quickly stretched, got pictures and caught a bus. It took about 50 minutes to get back to Contemporary thanks to the MK traffic. It was rough, but I made it in plenty of time to shower before a 10:35 breakfast reservation.
Sunday/Monday: My friends and I went to Steakhouse 71 for breakfast on Sunday. I had the princess pink mimosa and the seasonal pancakes. They were phenomenal. My friends and I did G+ for the afternoon, as they had to leave around 5 for the airport. We did 5 attractions and got some pictures. Once they left for the airport, I packed up most of my things and took a short nap before heading back to MK for dinner and my last G+ reservation. I rope dropped MK on Monday to ride Space Mountain. By the time I did that, got Joffrey's and a waffle at Sleepy Hollow, the place was mobbed. I walked around, enjoying food, slushies and pin trading. By 2 I was over the crowds and very tired, so I headed back to the pool to relax. I met Brooke from BBBrooke and was thrilled. Then I had to take the dreaded trip back to the airport for my 9:00 flight back to Baltimore.