The New *Official 2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon Thread*

[EEsloveDis]

Just got back from my 6-mile run. 1:00.59!!! 10:10/mile. I was hoping to be right at 10/mile but I also haven't run 6 miles in 20+ years so I thrilled!!! Now I'm starving so hitting our favorite place the Red Rabbit for some Bunny Burgers, last weekend open until next year and I've certainly earned it.

I'm supposed to do a 5k thanksgiving morning and hubby is trying to talk me into doing the 10k. Not sure what to do. I'm going to look at the course elevation and decide.

 

[MoonFaerie]

All of you looking for 10k races, come on down to east TN! There are a bunch coming up. I'm going to do one this week, one in Dec, and either a half or 10k in early Feb. There are 6 10ks and 1 12k between now and the Princess.

 

[bskelly07]

Add me to the list! I'm officially registered for the PHM!

This is my first one and all of you have been very inspiring. I've been doing pretty well with my training but its been tough with a new job and the weather getting cold up here in the north. Whenever I'm lacking motivation, I check out these boards and remember I'm not alone training for this.

So I just wanted to say hello and thanks for keeping me moving!

Welcome!!! I come here for the same thing, these princesses are awesome at keeping me motivated

Hi Princesses! I just signed up for the Princess 1/2 and just started to read all the great info on this thread. This will be my 1st race, so do I just let Disney decide what corral to put me in? I've noticed some talk about running a 10K before the Princess and then submitting times at the Expo. Is there a certain running pace for each Corral? I am not fast and do not have a specific goal in mind right now for the race, but I don't plan on walking either. Any advice? Thank you!

Hi! Welcome! If you don't do a 10k before the race they place you in further back corrals. Which I think leads to more anticipation because you see like, x amount starting and all you want to do is cross that start line! I would check your area for any 10k's and try it out. It's worth a shot for better placement. I don't know what the cut offs are for each corral? Or how many they have. I did my first for Disneyland Half in September and they had 8 corrals. I was placed in the 6th because it was my first one and I didn't know you could bring proof of time to the expo. So I learned this time around . Best of luck training!

Just got back from my 6-mile run. 1:00.59!!! 10:10/mile. I was hoping to be right at 10/mile but I also haven't run 6 miles in 20+ years so I thrilled!!! Now I'm starving so hitting our favorite place the Red Rabbit for some Bunny Burgers, last weekend open until next year and I've certainly earned it.

I'm supposed to do a 5k thanksgiving morning and hubby is trying to talk me into doing the 10k. Not sure what to do. I'm going to look at the course elevation and decide.

Woo hooo!!! That's incredible! you could totally do a 10k! And that just means more pie on thanksgiving

 

[longhorns2]

Hi Princesses! I just signed up for the Princess 1/2 and just started to read all the great info on this thread. This will be my 1st race, so do I just let Disney decide what corral to put me in? I've noticed some talk about running a 10K before the Princess and then submitting times at the Expo. Is there a certain running pace for each Corral? I am not fast and do not have a specific goal in mind right now for the race, but I don't plan on walking either. Any advice? Thank you!

The 10Ks will give Disney an idea on what corral to place you. They don't require proof for any time given over 2:45 but anything under that you need to give a 10K or longer race time to prove your speed.

If you put 3:30 they will assume you are a walker and you might be in the back corral. If you think you will run faster than that, you can email them and change your estimated finish time. If you want to possibly move up to one of the earlier corrals, then do a 10K and that will show them where you should be starting from. It's not required unless you think you are finishing faster than 2:45.

HTH!

 

[MoonFaerie]

Is there anyone that has done the Princess Half in the past that used GPS tracking that could post their elevation changes? I wasn't really worried about the hills. I'm wondering if I'm overestimating the average hilliness of my runs though. My 5K Friday night had an overall gain of 500+ ft, and it really didn't seem that bad. I just don't know how that compares to the half.

 

[Gryhndmom]

Is there anyone that has done the Princess Half in the past that used GPS tracking that could post their elevation changes? I wasn't really worried about the hills. I'm wondering if I'm overestimating the average hilliness of my runs though. My 5K Friday night had an overall gain of 500+ ft, and it really didn't seem that bad. I just don't know how that compares to the half.

The course at Disney is pretty flat...looks like the two biggie "hills" are the clover leaf road going back to Epcot and what I would call an incline into magic kingdom. DH and I were at Disney when the race course came out so it gave us a good idea of terrain. Look on you tube at some of last year's PHM videos and you can see the course.

Funny you should mention hills as on my training g schedule on we'd is a 3 mi run with hills! No problem for me since I live at the edge of what is called The hill country" outside of San Antonio,TX.

 

[Gryhndmom]

I'm kicking myself because we have tons of 10Ks around here all summer and into the early fall. I didn't do one partly because I was OCR training for Tough Mudder and partly because I planned on using the 15K Hot Chocolate for my placement time. Then I got hurt and couldn't run HC so now I don't have one to submit. My own fault or waiting, but I didn't think in a million years that it would be a problem.

I feel the same way...after my disaster turkey trot yesterday I could kick myself for not doing earlier ones...am considering doing a half marathon here in San Antonio to see if I can get a more realistic time to submit. Results were posted yesterday from turkey trot and they listed my per mile at 8:32... So funny since it is about three min lower than my realistic pace !

Princesses, I'm having a conflict. Today for my training plan I need to run 6 miles, and it'll be the farthest distance I've run, ever. Last week I did 5 miles for my long run and knocked it out of the park.

My issue is.... I found a 10k on thanksgiving which would be early enough to submit a time to Disney. But two things: one, I'm not sure I'll have a decent time to submit if I'm not ready to run that far... two, it's 2 hours away so I would have to wake up early and drive there, by myself on thanksgiving day .

Should I try it out anyways?? After my run tonight I guess I'll see how I feel... I'm thinking I should though.. There's a local 10k I can run but I'd have to bring my results to the race because it's the day after the last day to submit. Which is still soon! AHH I don't know what to do!

Think you should go for it...hope they have it well marked. Looked at the times from my 10K yesterday and figured my true time would have placed me...third from the bottom...the last two finishers were at 12:32 and most runners we're around a 10 min mile...me thinks I picked a REALLY competitive race for my first 10K

 

[MoonFaerie]

The course at Disney is pretty flat...looks like the two biggie "hills" are the clover leaf road going back to Epcot and what I would call an incline into magic kingdom. DH and I were at Disney when the race course came out so it gave us a good idea of terrain. Look on you tube at some of last year's PHM videos and you can see the course.

Funny you should mention hills as on my training g schedule on we'd is a 3 mi run with hills! No problem for me since I live at the edge of what is called The hill country" outside of San Antonio,TX.

I live essentially in the Smoky Mtns, so I'm no stranger to hills. If I'm used to training outside here, the PHM should be a piece of cake, hill-wise, right? I found this: http://runkeeper.com/race/disney-princess-half-marathon-19334/38277 If it's accurate, then I think I'll be fine.

 

[bskelly07]

I feel the same way...after my disaster turkey trot yesterday I could kick myself for not doing earlier ones...am considering doing a half marathon here in San Antonio to see if I can get a more realistic time to submit. Results were posted yesterday from turkey trot and they listed my per mile at 8:32... So funny since it is about three min lower than my realistic pace !



Think you should go for it...hope they have it well marked. Looked at the times from my 10K yesterday and figured my true time would have placed me...third from the bottom...the last two finishers were at 12:32 and most runners we're around a 10 min mile...me thinks I picked a REALLY competitive race for my first 10K

Yikes!! That's super intimidating the other 10k I have to choose from is for prostate cancer. So I would assume primarily men would be running that... And those guys are ALWAYS faster than girls! What's up with that?! So it makes me a little scared to have that be my first 10k as opposed to this turkey trot...




I have a really stupid question... Is it possible to change your princess preference ? Hahah I was trying to choose between Aurora and Belle.. Picked Belle, but I REALLY want a pink bib! I'm so dumb.

 

[stasijane]

I live essentially in the Smoky Mtns, so I'm no stranger to hills. If I'm used to training outside here, the PHM should be a piece of cake, hill-wise, right? I found this: http://runkeeper.com/race/disney-princess-half-marathon-19334/38277 If it's accurate, then I think I'll be fine.

I live in a town that is full of hills so the course for me is really flat. I ran both the Wine and Dine and the TOT and heard alot of people talk about the two inclines but honestly I couldnt tell there was even one.

 

[AnotherPrincess]

I live essentially in the Smoky Mtns, so I'm no stranger to hills. If I'm used to training outside here, the PHM should be a piece of cake, hill-wise, right? I found this: http://runkeeper.com/race/disney-princess-half-marathon-19334/38277 If it's accurate, then I think I'll be fine.

I see the up and down lines on the graph but I can't really tell what the elevation climb is. My Runkeeper app said ToT had an elevation climb of 700 feet. My 8 mile run yesterday had an elevation climb of 735 feet. So I'm just trying to get a comparison so I can have an idea.

 

[cookinfletch]

I'm new to this thread- so glad I found it! I registered back in Sept- have done a few full & half marathons with Team In Training- always walking- but I haven't done anything in 10 years. I saw a pic of the medal, so I knew I had to do this! Any suggestions on hotels? Do non- WDW resorts have transpo to the race?

 

[sumlee]

Hello everyone! I haven't been over here for a few days, and now I feel like I am way behind! I d better get reading! .

Anyway, I have kind of an odd question to ask...Do any of you still need a room and Disney package? My mom and I have a room and package for 4 at POR, but it looks like our 2 friends aren't going to be able to come! SO...I am looking for two ladies who might want to share our room with us Friday-Tuesday, with dining plan and park tickets. Send me a message if you are interested!

 

[Disneygirl03]

Is anyone planning on mostly walking the marathon solo?

 

[Cripey]

Yikes!! That's super intimidating the other 10k I have to choose from is for prostate cancer. So I would assume primarily men would be running that... And those guys are ALWAYS faster than girls! What's up with that?! So it makes me a little scared to have that be my first 10k as opposed to this turkey trot...

I have a really stupid question... Is it possible to change your princess preference ? Hahah I was trying to choose between Aurora and Belle.. Picked Belle, but I REALLY want a pink bib! I'm so dumb.

Funny, I picked Aurora and less than 24 hours latter thought "why did I do that??? I want Belle!" I did end up emailing them and they changed it! If you're gonna try, I'd do it before that dec 1 time submission deadline because that may have something to do with when they are finalizing the runner info and having the bibs printed. It's worth a shot

 

[Orcagirl]

Yikes!! That's super intimidating the other 10k I have to choose from is for prostate cancer. So I would assume primarily men would be running that... And those guys are ALWAYS faster than girls! What's up with that?! So it makes me a little scared to have that be my first 10k as opposed to this turkey trot...

I wouldn't be so sure. I ran an 8K for prostate cancer research this past spring, and it had lots of women, families running together, guys who were not serious runners at all and just there to support the cause and their friends/family with the disease.

And a quick tip to those princesses-in-training having a hard time finding a 10k in their area: keep an eye out for longer races (e.g. half-marathons and marathons) and check their websites. For a lot of events, a 10k run is held as part of the race day activities, but just not promoted as much.

Erin

 

[bskelly07]

Funny, I picked Aurora and less than 24 hours latter thought "why did I do that??? I want Belle!" I did end up emailing them and they changed it! If you're gonna try, I'd do it before that dec 1 time submission deadline because that may have something to do with when they are finalizing the runner info and having the bibs printed. It's worth a shot

Haha!! That's funny I actually regretted it hours after I signed up too, but I wasn't sure if I could change it. Then I just ended up forgetting about it. I sent them an email on the rundisney website after I posted that... So hopefully I'll get it switched! Thanks!!

 

[mamacate]

I see the up and down lines on the graph but I can't really tell what the elevation climb is. My Runkeeper app said ToT had an elevation climb of 700 feet. My 8 mile run yesterday had an elevation climb of 735 feet. So I'm just trying to get a comparison so I can have an idea.

Hi Anotherprincess.

I have RK set to only show maps to friends, but feel free to friend me there, same name. Same goes for anyone else.

My map from last year says a total climb of 554. That said, I've found that RK overestimates climb on flat courses. I live in a hilly area and have a short 6% grade at the start of all my runs. My last long run was distinctly hilly, with the short steep hill, then a long slow climb, then back for a long downhill with a couple of short climbs. That run shows 387 total climb over 6.5 miles.

From my perspective training in rolling New England hills, the course was FLAT. Really, pancake, race-track, filled-in-swamp FLAT. There's one tiny dip underpass (you go through it on every bus out of the magic kingdom), and one cloverleaf on-ramp.

Here's the link to my princess RK from last year: http://runkeeper.com/user/mamacate/activity/72527772 (I had autopause on so it's about 30 minutes faster than my chip time because of all the photo ops, grin).

Cate

 

[MoonFaerie]

Hi Anotherprincess.

I have RK set to only show maps to friends, but feel free to friend me there, same name. Same goes for anyone else.

My map from last year says a total climb of 554. That said, I've found that RK overestimates climb on flat courses. I live in a hilly area and have a short 6% grade at the start of all my runs. My last long run was distinctly hilly, with the short steep hill, then a long slow climb, then back for a long downhill with a couple of short climbs. That run shows 387 total climb over 6.5 miles.

From my perspective training in rolling New England hills, the course was FLAT. Really, pancake, race-track, filled-in-swamp FLAT. There's one tiny dip underpass (you go through it on every bus out of the magic kingdom), and one cloverleaf on-ramp.

Here's the link to my princess RK from last year: http://runkeeper.com/user/mamacate/activity/72527772 (I had autopause on so it's about 30 minutes slower than my chip time).

Cate

Perfect! Thanks a bunch! I'll still do some hill work to help (hopefully) increase my speed, but I'm not going to worry about the hills.

 

[AnotherPrincess]

I wouldn't be so sure. I ran an 8K for prostate cancer research this past spring, and it had lots of women, families running together, guys who were not serious runners at all and just there to support the cause and their friends/family with the disease.

And a quick tip to those princesses-in-training having a hard time finding a 10k in their area: keep an eye out for longer races (e.g. half-marathons and marathons) and check their websites. For a lot of events, a 10k run is held as part of the race day activities, but just not promoted as much.

Erin

Funny, I actually have a half marathon coming up in 2 weeks. I'm not expecting that time to be good enough to use though. It's my first one and I'm not trying for any sort of time. Plus, I really don't feel as "ready" for this race as I did for ToT. I don't really know why. I've kept up with all the training. I just feel more tired going into this one. I felt as prepared as I possibly could be for ToT and had a miserable race.