The New *Official 2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon Thread*

[TiggerAllie]

Yesterday my fellow princess-in-training Alana and I ran our last 10K before the Princess. Similar to the above post where 1:10 was the last finishing time of a 10K race (!!!), our race yesterday was a bunch of very serious runners in my community and the last finisher was 1:20. But the good news is that I PR'ed the race by over a minute with 56:04 which I am so excited to send to Disney!

Awesome time!! You must be smokin' the half marathon!

 

[TiggerAllie]

Oh duh, that would make sense. Haha I feel silly for even asking now. I found a 10k with chip time for dec 2nd. Lame that it's the day after the email cut off! But it's okay. I'll just bring it with me. Wish me luuuuck!

Just so you know-- it doesn't have to be chip-timed; it just has to have an officially recorded time. I submitted a time from a race where there was someone sitting at the finish writing down the time as each person crossed the line. It was considered officially timed and posted results online, which was good enough.

 

[bskelly07]

Just so you know-- it doesn't have to be chip-timed; it just has to have an officially recorded time. I submitted a time from a race where there was someone sitting at the finish writing down the time as each person crossed the line. It was considered officially timed and posted results online, which was good enough.

Ohh really?? Okay! Awesome. I'll look for other races then that record official times . I have only run 3 here in town, and I think only one was 'officially recorded' so, haha I'm sure I'll find one sooner. Thanks!

 

[smileyk8]

If it makes you feel better, you can go to your race's website and view last year's results. Seeing the times of others always makes me feel a bit better. You can also view the participants' list for this year so you can see how many people will be there.

I really think this is the best tip. I look at the results because there genuinely are some races that are road races and as much as it is absolutely fine being at the back, now I'm taking my new runner friend I know she'd be self conscious if she finished ages after everyone. You want Races to be positive experiences and ultimately to feel great about yourselves...as you should! Always good to get a feeling about who the event is aimed at. The UK is generally not as enthusiastic or supportive of runners as USA though, we're getting there!

Have wonderful races and events princesses!

 

[AnotherPrincess]

Good morning, Princesses! I thought I'd share the lyrics to a Pink song that came on Pandora as I was finishing up my run this morning.

Where there is desire there is gonna be a flame.
Where there is a flame someone's bound to get burned.
But just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die.
You've gotta get out and try, try, try.

Best. Running. Song. Ever.

 

[tinkeramy]

We'll see how I feel when (if?) I get to run my 10k in 2.5 weeks, but I mostly don't care what others think. I'm slow. I had gotten down just below a 15 min mile, but when I started running longer distances, I found that longer run intervals with less walking feel better. Now I'm back up to a mid 15 min mile. Considering that just 3 months ago week 1 day 1 of C25K felt like it was going to kill me, I'm thrilled with being able to easily do 5/1 intervals for 6.5 miles, no matter how slow I am.

I've got a friend from way back in middle school that just ran his 1st marathon. This race I'm doing was his first ever race just last year. He's been a great support and cheerleader for me, and he has offered to run with me, even if I have to walk the whole thing..

I think it's awesome that you are doing 5/1 intervals for 6.5 miles - don't discount your accomplishment AT ALL. That was 3 months ago - you've got 3 months until the Princess - think about how much more you can do by that time! Just stick with it, and it will come!

Just so you know-- it doesn't have to be chip-timed; it just has to have an officially recorded time. I submitted a time from a race where there was someone sitting at the finish writing down the time as each person crossed the line. It was considered officially timed and posted results online, which was good enough.

I was going to comment on this, too - my Princess placement for last year was based on a race where WE were responsible for noting our clock time and then writing it down on a slip of paper and turning it in to the race officials. As long as the race posts results online where they can be verified, you are good.

I'm excited to be doing our local Gobble Jog on Tksgvg morning again this year. It was my first 10K in 2010 and I wasn't using intervals then. I tried to run as much as I could and walked the hills. My time was 1:05. This year, I am determined to put the intervals in place. My dream is STILL to bust the hour (I've come as close as 1:00:14) but I haven't really been training for that, so I'll be happy to come as close to an hour as I can. I mean, however, to run those hills, if they happen to be during a running interval. Determining mental toughness sometimes trumps time!

 

[PrincessV]

How old is your son? My niece is 5 and wants to run races now that I'm running which is sweet but I'm thinking she may be too young. How young is too young?

My son is 10, but - no joke - we totally got lapped by a few 5-6 year-olds in the Princess 5K this year! Never too young.

Just so you know-- it doesn't have to be chip-timed; it just has to have an officially recorded time. I submitted a time from a race where there was someone sitting at the finish writing down the time as each person crossed the line. It was considered officially timed and posted results online, which was good enough.

Thank you - this is great to know!

 

[christinascreative]

My son is 10, but - no joke - we totally got lapped by a few 5-6 year-olds in the Princess 5K this year! Never too young.

I'll have to tell my sister. Maybe I can have her start coming on some runs with me in the spring.

 

[cimrk01]

I'll be running the marathon with my best friend who hasn't been training as much as I have due to her work hours and a slight sore left knee.

Next weekend we have our first 10K together. Last night we did a 10k in our neighborhood to see how we would do and managed to clock in at 1:15

I'm worried we might get disqualified seeing as according to our local rules we would have to finish it no later than 1:20 or get disqualified. After looking at this race past results it's only making me feel worse considering the average finishing time is 45-1:03 range

I could probably run in the 58-1:05 range but seeing as I'll be running with her for the marathon it only logically makes sense to train with her at her pace.

If we manage to squeak in around 1:08-1:15 where would that put us corral placement wise (ballpark figure) come half marathon?

I mean, if worse comes to worse there are other 10ks in January we can continue to train for to bring proof of time at the expo. But still, it would be nice to get her to work up her speed and see some results for her motivation. Any tips guys?

 

[amykay9377]

Anyone have races this weekend?

Friday starts my Week of Crazy:
(1) Friday - 2 Mile Run for the University of Florida Homecoming (we run in front of the Gator's Homecoming Parade!)


(2) Monday - Veteran's Day 5k, which benefits the Fisher House (kind of a Ronald McDonald House for Vets)

(3) Saturday (11/17) - 10k in St Augustine, FL

Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it!

I would like to not embarrass myself but I'm mostly preparing to run the princess in Feb and finish healthy and have fun. Should I pull out of the 5k?

NO!!!!!!!!
I was so nervous going to my first 5k (back in April of this year) that I almost literally wanted to crawl in a hole and die, but I went, and finished in 48:47, and I very timidly asked someone standing there to take my photo at the finish line. I told her that it was my very first 5k and she gave me a High 10 (double high 5s) and a huge hug. It was GREAT! And I realized that even though runners all seem so aloof, they are great people.

I think I read earlier in the thread that corrals A-D were for people that submitted qualifying times but that corral E might be for people that had registered early, that submitted an unqualifying time or people that had already ran in a Run Disney event.
Does anyone knows if i should send my TOT times for better corral placement? I ran TOT in 2h41 minutes, which means 16,08 mm, but wrote I thought of finishing in 2h50m the phm. So would it help me sending that time because it would prove that I can go the distance or would it put me at the back of the pack because I finished slightly outside of the time limit?

Thanks a lot!

I'm still on the fence about this. When I registered I put 2:50 as my pace time. I am doing a 10k next Saturday, solely to have a time to submit to RunDisney. BUT.... What if my 10k time is WORSE than my 2:50? Should I submit the 10k in the hopes of getting a better corral or should I keep the 2:50? If I wait and take it to the Expo in February, would I be able to check and see if I get a better corral? So confused!

Thanks PrincessV for the encouragement i guess I'm afraid a serious runner would think why is SHE even out running. I'll post how it goes.

In my opinion, any "serious runner" who has that attitude can go pound sand. They are not worth my time, nor are they important to me in the grand scheme of things. Frankly, those "serious runners" who might even think that are so far up at the front anyway, you won't even really have to deal with them

 

[longhorns2]

I'm still on the fence about this. When I registered I put 2:50 as my pace time. I am doing a 10k next Saturday, solely to have a time to submit to RunDisney. BUT.... What if my 10k time is WORSE than my 2:50? Should I submit the 10k in the hopes of getting a better corral or should I keep the 2:50? If I wait and take it to the Expo in February, would I be able to check and see if I get a better corral? So confused!

I'd bring it with you and then check when you get to the expo. I honestly think they are REALLY generous with estimated finish times. But at the same time, I'd hate for them to adjust you backward.

So I would run the race, if it looks good for under 2:50, submit. If it doesn't or is right on the line, I'd hold onto it and bring to expo. Walk up, ask them to check for you. They won't FORCE the change, I am sure. But if it moves you up a corral, they will help you out. It's a really easy process!

GL!

 

[sau418]

While in Target yesterday, I found the pink adult tutu dress some of you had mentioned awhile ago. I was able together it for $6, so ifI end up not using it I won't feel too bad about the $$.

Yay! Still may end up with a sparkle skirt, but I have a backup now too.

Planning my first ever 10 miler for Saturday. Furthest to date is 8.5.

 

[JoyaDelMar]

Friday starts my Week of Crazy:
(1) Friday - 2 Mile Run for the University of Florida Homecoming (we run in front of the Gator's Homecoming Parade!)


(2) Monday - Veteran's Day 5k, which benefits the Fisher House (kind of a Ronald McDonald House for Vets)

(3) Saturday (11/17) - 10k in St Augustine, FL

Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it!
:

Woohoo for the Gator Homecoming! I did a training run on the UF campus last week while visiting my brother who's currently studying there. Wow - those hills are killer. Way to go for running with the parade!!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Princess on the Run]

In my opinion, any "serious runner" who has that attitude can go pound sand. They are not worth my time, nor are they important to me in the grand scheme of things. Frankly, those "serious runners" who might even think that are so far up at the front anyway, you won't even really have to deal with them

Agreed!! I have found most people in the running community to be so inclusive ad encouraging and just plain wonderful! Anyone who isn't can kiss my big toe (after a mud run!!! ).

 

[kindakrazy2]

I've got to agree with the others that the vast majority of runners, even the fast ones, are incredibly supportive of the slower or beginner runners. If you're nervous about a first race - don't be! Go. Run. Enjoy the moment of crossing the finish line and be proud of what you just did. I bet if you told anyone there that has already finished that it was your first race - anyone would give you a big smile and a hearty congratulations remembering their own first race.

Keep running princesses - its getting closer!

 

[MRS AR]

Just finished my first training run of 3 miles under 13 min pace. So excited. Thanks for all the encouragement from these boards. You have helped me to believe I can do it!

 

[mamacate]

I love what you are saying here. I won't have a chance to submit a time to Disney and my husband and I will surely be in the last corral but hey someone has to be back there right...at least we are there and we can run at our own pace. Being there and finishing it is the most important part of it!!!

You have a great attitude and you're totally right. Just one thing to hopefully set your mind and others' at ease: I don't have official confirmation of this, but I'm pretty sure, if you're in the (huge) group that doesn't submit a time, I think they fill the corrals from the front to back based on when you registered. So if you registered early, you will probably NOT be in the last corral. No guarantees, but I looked for this when the corrals were announced last year, and asked a lot of people at the race, and it seemed like E was full of people who registered during the summer and didn't submit a time.

Cate

ETA: Someone quoted my theory about this further up the thread, which I hadn't read when I posted this, and someone else said it might be speculation. I want to clarify that this IS speculation, and I have NO official information. I paid close attention to the corral placements last year (they were discussed on last year's thread if you have 12 hours or so to read through it), and also asked folks I met in my corral, and came up with a working theory about this. I do NOT know that it is true, and even if it was, this year they could change their process. That said, I think there's an excellent chance that if you register early/ran disney before/submitted a non-qualifying time, you have a good chance of not being in the last corral.

 

[Swmr359]

I'm so proud of my self today! I need to vote and run before leaving for work today, so I ran to the polls! I'm crediting completing my civic duty to getting my best pace time since last year!

I've found a 5k to do on Nov. 17, and a 10k for the night of Dec. 31.

 

[mamacate]

Now I'm getting even more nervous about my 1st ever 5k this Saturday. I am on week 5 of Galloway's 13.1 and thought a 5k would be a good experience right now. I've completed 2 training runs of 6+ miles with no problems. Being a new runner ( @57), I'm enjoying trying to push my comfort zone. I started at a pace of 24 and have come down to 14.2 and felt pretty decent about my runs. Now I'm wondering if I will even be allowed to finish. I would like to not embarrass myself but I'm mostly preparing to run the princess in Feb and finish healthy and have fun. Should I pull out of the 5k?

Quote:
Originally Posted by debbieandroo
If it makes you feel better, you can go to your race's website and view last year's results. Seeing the times of others always makes me feel a bit better. You can also view the participants' list for this year so you can see how many people will be there.
I really think this is the best tip. I look at the results because there genuinely are some races that are road races and as much as it is absolutely fine being at the back, now I'm taking my new runner friend I know she'd be self conscious if she finished ages after everyone. You want Races to be positive experiences and ultimately to feel great about yourselves...as you should! Always good to get a feeling about who the event is aimed at. The UK is generally not as enthusiastic or supportive of runners as USA though, we're getting there!

I'll chime in and agree with this too. I do this for every race I consider running, and it has saved me from entering a few that wouldn't have been too fun. I did run one relatively fast one, but I had been running for a year and was a little faster (13MM) by then for a 10K. I was way in the back of the pack.

I find that the bigger races are much better for me as a back-of-the-pack runner/run-walker. I don't want to inconvenience organizers who are expecting to pack up a 10K after an hour or a 5K after 32 minutes. And frankly I don't need a police escort anywhere!

I admire those willing to be DFL, but I think it would be demoralizing, especially if it's a PR for me!

Cate

 

[mamacate]

I'm so proud of my self today! I need to vote and run before leaving for work today, so I ran to the polls! I'm crediting completing my civic duty to getting my best pace time since last year!

I've found a 5k to do on Nov. 17, and a 10k for the night of Dec. 31.

Yay you! I did that last year, and had one of my best training runs of the year!

I was in DC this morning for work, so I voted absentee in case there were travel delays, so no voting run tonight. But I looked so KEWL in my visible from space nighttime running gear last year!

Cate