The New *Official 2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon Thread*

[Figment1990]

I also just love running to Disney songs and even music from the park.

I'm not running in the princess (doing W&D this november though) but i wanted to chime in and say that I added "Remember the Magic" from the MK's 25th anniversary show/parade to my playlist this weekend and it was inspiring! Maybe it was all the "our park guests will take to the streets and join us as we celebrate" announcing but I could almost pretend I was running down Main Street....

 

[CruiseBoundnKY]

Coming out of lurk-dom. Lol

I'm 37 yo, mom of 2. I've always wanted to run but never convinced myself that I could until now.

I've been working out for about two months. I'm def still considerably over weight but I've been doing walk/ run events the past few weekends.

I really want to sign up but part of me is terrified. I'm scared I won't get my time under the 16 before then, I'm scared of injury and mostly I'm scared of being swept.

Today I went to work and received a bonus out of nowhere. Not alot but enough to cover the entry fee and then some.

So now I have no excuses but my own. I went to the dr today and he cleared me to train. I know I'm very comfortable after working out an hour and could go again. Ugh idk. Advice on taking the plunge anyone?

Thanks! Karen

 

[creativeamanda]

Joining in--I've registered and will be running my second half--first Disney race.

 

[dmonroe]

Coming out of lurk-dom. Lol

I'm 37 yo, mom of 2. I've always wanted to run but never convinced myself that I could until now.

I've been working out for about two months. I'm def still considerably over weight but I've been doing walk/ run events the past few weekends.

I really want to sign up but part of me is terrified. I'm scared I won't get my time under the 16 before then, I'm scared of injury and mostly I'm scared of being swept.

Today I went to work and received a bonus out of nowhere. Not alot but enough to cover the entry fee and


So now I have no excuses but my own. I went to the dr today and he cleared me to train. I know I'm very comfortable after working out an hour and could go again. Ugh idk. Advice on taking the plunge anyone?

Thanks! Karen

Just do it! Seriously, for years I said I wanted to run this, but always found an excuse and put it off until the next year. This year when registration opened, I just filled out the form and submitted it. I did not give myself time to think about it or talk myself out of it.
You have time to train and get under the 16 minute mark. And even if you don't get there, so what? You trained, you tried and you will be a heck of a lot healthier than before! Go register now!

 

[Princess Sleepy]

Hi fellow princesses! This will be my first half marathon and my second Disney race (I did the Expedition Everest Challenge with a friend last spring). I am so excited to find this thread.

I have not read all 100+ pages yet, but am wondering about where and when to send my DM and DDs (6 and 9) as spectators. Not sure they want to get up as early as I plan to, but I know they will want to see me finish. Any advice? Should we splurge on the spectator package? It would be kind of a lot of $ for three people.

I was so psyched to see the costume ideas here too. I wasn't sure wearing a villain costume to a princess race was ok. Will everyone be in a costume? Is it uncomfortable to run that far in one?

I am looking forward to reading more as the weeks go on.

 

[Strawberry's mom&dad]

I ran my first 10K race yesterday. It was about 1000 people. Largest race I have been in. It was a blast.
My time was 1:21. Very, Very happy with that.

Here is my comments about my first race:
I ran alone, but met lots of nice women along the way.
It was fun to see the creative costumes people wore.
I paced with a Jeff Galloway group most of the way.
Going down hill was harder on me than going up hill

After the race I tried to drive the course to show it to my husband. I could not remember the course. . Note to self next race pay better attention to my surroundings not just the 20 feet in front of me.

For all the newbies I started run/walk/run this past March. If I can do this, at age 51, never very athletic, I have MS, then anybody can. Next goal will be a half. and I use to think 3 miles was impossible

 

[ncsjodi]

I'm coming out of lurkdom too.

The Princess will be my first half as well. I started my "get healthy and lose weight" journey back in January 2011 and have lost 100 pounds since then. I'm about 15-20 pounds from my goal weight. Back when I started my journey, running a half marathon wasn't really a goal of mine, but as I started running, I realized that I could totally do this!

I've done quite a few 5K races (PR=32:05) and did my first 10K last Saturday (1:06:38). I'm not sure where that will land me in terms of corrals, but I'll be happy not being in the last one.

I'm all registered for the race and the race retreat. I've got my flight booked and my room reserved at BWV. Going to start the Galloway plan at the end of October. Now all I can do is wait and read along....

 

[yulilin3]

Hi fellow princesses! This will be my first half marathon and my second Disney race (I did the Expedition Everest Challenge with a friend last spring). I am so excited to find this thread.

I have not read all 100+ pages yet, but am wondering about where and when to send my DM and DDs (6 and 9) as spectators. Not sure they want to get up as early as I plan to, but I know they will want to see me finish. Any advice? Should we splurge on the spectator package? It would be kind of a lot of $ for three people.

I was so psyched to see the costume ideas here too. I wasn't sure wearing a villain costume to a princess race was ok. Will everyone be in a costume? Is it uncomfortable to run that far in one?

I am looking forward to reading more as the weeks go on.

I would love to hearr your report on the Expedition Everest Challenge, my DD11 and I will do it next year.

I ran my first 10K race yesterday. It was about 1000 people. Largest race I have been in. It was a blast.
My time was 1:21. Very, Very happy with that.

Here is my comments about my first race:
I ran alone, but met lots of nice women along the way.
It was fun to see the creative costumes people wore.
I paced with a Jeff Galloway group most of the way.
Going down hill was harder on me than going up hill

After the race I tried to drive the course to show it to my husband. I could not remember the course. . Note to self next race pay better attention to my surroundings not just the 20 feet in front of me.

For all the newbies I started run/walk/run this past March. If I can do this, at age 51, never very athletic, I have MS, then anybody can. Next goal will be a half. and I use to think 3 miles was impossible

Same here, I also used to think a 5K was crazy talk and look at us now.

I'm coming out of lurkdom too.

The Princess will be my first half as well. I started my "get healthy and lose weight" journey back in January 2011 and have lost 100 pounds since then. I'm about 15-20 pounds from my goal weight. Back when I started my journey, running a half marathon wasn't really a goal of mine, but as I started running, I realized that I could totally do this!

I've done quite a few 5K races (PR=32:05) and did my first 10K last Saturday (1:06:38). I'm not sure where that will land me in terms of corrals, but I'll be happy not being in the last one.

I'm all registered for the race and the race retreat. I've got my flight booked and my room reserved at BWV. Going to start the Galloway plan at the end of October. Now all I can do is wait and read along....

Wow!! Great story, the Princess Half will also be my first half and probably not my last, already looking into doing the Wine and Dine next year

 

[KristinU]

Will everyone be in a costume? Is it uncomfortable to run that far in one?

Not everyone will be in a costume, so don't worry about feeling out of place if you don't wear one. I'm very much not a costume or tutu girl (I'm all about the comfort of tech fabrics), but I wanted to try to do something slightly princessy when I ran it in 2011...so I wasted a lot of time and energy (and $$$) worrying about trying to find a running skirt that was comfortable for me. In the end I just wore a pair of my regular old running shorts and comfortable tank like I always do...but I did pick up a bondiband with a sparkly crown on it that I wore, so I did have my small princessy thing on and my tank was kinda Cinderella blue

Whatever you choose to wear, be sure to run a long run in it before race day. I learned that lesson the hard way with a hydration belt for my first half...the forecast was warmer than average so I freaked out and went and bought it maybe 4 days before the race, ran a little 3 miler with it and thought it was fine...that thing was literally the worst part of my first half. Had I not coughed up almost $50 for it I would have chucked it to the side of the road long about mile 5 or 6 - it chafed my back in an awful way. So I definitely adhere to the NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY mantra now!

 

[Princess on the Run]

NSo I definitely adhere to the NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY mantra now!

On this note...

I did a little 5K on 4th of July and thought I'd be cute and wore red, white ad blue beads (you know the Mardi Gras kind?) I had 6 strands. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal but by the 2nd mile they were really bugging me banging up and down and pulling on my neck.

I am planning to runt he Princess dressed as Tink and have an adorable dress that is actually a dance costume so it's very movable and breathable. But the wings are my only concern since I have never run int hem before. I got them from Team Sparkle and I know people do it all the time but I don't want to be the one on race day discarding parts of my costume. I also don't really want to run through my neighborhood in wings if I can avoid it.

Does anyone have tips for running in wings? I saw the Tam Sparkle tip on how to wear them, but for anyone who has done a longer run in wings, what was your experience in terms of how they affect you?

 

[PrincessV]

I'm coming out of lurkdom too.

I'm coming out of temporary lurkdom to say how glad I am to see you over here! You've been such an inspiration. You are going to ROCK this race!

NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY

Even something as benign as a camera case should be pre-tested... I thought it would be easy-peasy to stick my itty-bitty case on my running belt, but gave it a try at home the other day - nope. Itty-bitty though it may be, it bounced all over the place and would have been tossed by Mile 1 in a race. Glad I know ahead of time!

 

[Dreamer2012]

Karen...#1 WELCOME! #2..JUST DO IT! Register TODAY...by doing so you make that commitment to yourself. You tell yourself you are worth the time, energy and $ to reach your goal - thats a very positive and powerful message to hear everyday! Not to mention the many lessons you will be teaching your children by example. So register TODAY and enjoy the magical journey to your Princess Half Mararhon MEDAL! This will be my 2nd PHM and last time I worried sooo much about my time and being "swept"...its really wasted energy...my time was 3:22:33 and I walked the entire way...and there were tons of ppl behind me that got medals...stop worrying! This year my thing is...enjoying the journey-its not about making a time, for me its about making a memory...good luck!

 

[Gryhndmom]

Coming out of lurk-dom. Lol

I'm 37 yo, mom of 2. I've always wanted to run but never convinced myself that I could until now.

I've been working out for about two months. I'm def still considerably over weight but I've been doing walk/ run events the past few weekends.

I really want to sign up but part of me is terrified. I'm scared I won't get my time under the 16 before then, I'm scared of injury and mostly I'm scared of being swept.

Today I went to work and received a bonus out of nowhere. Not alot but enough to cover the entry fee and then some.

So now I have no excuses but my own. I went to the dr today and he cleared me to train. I know I'm very comfortable after working out an hour and could go again. Ugh idk. Advice on taking the plunge anyone?

Thanks! Karen

Karen, this will be my first race EVER at the age of 45 and I will be doing a mixture of running & walking. I started training in May and now am up to 6.5 and holding between 13:30 and 14 per mile (depends on how bad the humidity is in TX!). You can do this...many on the thread are posting great times of 10-12 min per mile but there are PLENTY of us who will be in the 3hr plus finish time so DON'T get discouraged. As one other princess answered, even those who post a time of 3:29 will get a medal. See you at the PHM !

 

[Gryhndmom]

I ran my first 10K race yesterday. It was about 1000 people. Largest race I have been in. It was a blast.
My time was 1:21. Very, Very happy with that.

Here is my comments about my first race:
I ran alone, but met lots of nice women along the way.
It was fun to see the creative costumes people wore.
I paced with a Jeff Galloway group most of the way.
Going down hill was harder on me than going up hill

After the race I tried to drive the course to show it to my husband. I could not remember the course. . Note to self next race pay better attention to my surroundings not just the 20 feet in front of me.

For all the newbies I started run/walk/run this past March. If I can do this, at age 51, never very athletic, I have MS, then anybody can. Next goal will be a half. and I use to think 3 miles was impossible

You are an inspiration ! I am pacing around your time & am sooo proud of my times so far. Registered for my first 5k at sea world san Antonio for 6 Oct. we can do this !

 

[Gryhndmom]

I've been on the thread for a few months and have read a lot about corral placement. Figure I will be towards the back anyway so for those who are trying to be in an earlier group is it to finish with a faster time or something else ? Not ever done a race before ( my first 5k is in oct ) so have many questions on where to be in a race. Love reading everyone's responses !

 

[VickiHD]

On this note...

I am planning to runt he Princess dressed as Tink and have an adorable dress that is actually a dance costume so it's very movable and breathable. But the wings are my only concern since I have never run int hem before. I got them from Team Sparkle and I know people do it all the time but I don't want to be the one on race day discarding parts of my costume. I also don't really want to run through my neighborhood in wings if I can avoid it.

Does anyone have tips for running in wings? I saw the Tam Sparkle tip on how to wear them, but for anyone who has done a longer run in wings, what was your experience in terms of how they affect you?

Earlier this year I ran the Tinker Bell 1/2 with wings. They are the ones you can get at the parks and they light up. Very cute but like you I was ALSO very concerned about trying them out before the 1/2 marathon. No way was I going to run at the track with "wings". I did need to adjust the elastic arm band and make it looser but once that was done I had no problem. What I also did was wear the wings around the house to really get a feel for them. I honestly did not have any problem running with them. Again, they were not the ones from team sparkle but I've seen a lot of wings being worn when running.
P.S. I'll be wearing my wings again for next years Tink 1/2. And I like to think they make me run/fly faster.

 

[DisneyDanielle85]

Hey Everyone, I haven't been posting much because my life has just gotten hectic. I have strayed a little bit from my training program but tonights the night we're getting back on track! I'm really excited to start my Galloway plan again! I feel like I've been slacking and my body knows it, so I'm just going to start slow again and really start getting into it!

Good luck Princesses!

 

[KristinU]

Folks who have run the Princess before: can we talk about post-race?

When I ran it in 2011 we were leaving for home right after the race, I got my medal and my water and banana and headed straight to the car (I had driven over from Fort Wilderness.)

For 2013 I'm flying down and meeting a friend for a girls weekend to run it together. We'll be taking ME and taking the bus from AKL to and from the race.

So my first question: do you take the normal resort busses back to your resort? or are they race busses? If they're special, what kind of schedule do they have?

Second question: what is the finish line area like post-race? We're running "together" but not together-together since we run at different paces. So we won't be finishing at the same time. Is there some fun post-race action going on where someone can hang out solo for a little while? We'll likely be about an hour apart...how easy is it to get a decent view of the finish line without paying for seats in the bleachers? (there were bleachers at the finish line, right??? Why can't I remember the end of this race??? I think I was obsessing about my time and not enjoying my surroundings )

 

[Cripey]

Folks who have run the Princess before: can we talk about post-race?

When I ran it in 2011 we were leaving for home right after the race, I got my medal and my water and banana and headed straight to the car (I had driven over from Fort Wilderness.)

For 2013 I'm flying down and meeting a friend for a girls weekend to run it together. We'll be taking ME and taking the bus from AKL to and from the race.

So my first question: do you take the normal resort busses back to your resort? or are they race busses? If they're special, what kind of schedule do they have?

Second question: what is the finish line area like post-race? We're running "together" but not together-together since we run at different paces. So we won't be finishing at the same time. Is there some fun post-race action going on where someone can hang out solo for a little while? We'll likely be about an hour apart...how easy is it to get a decent view of the finish line without paying for seats in the bleachers? (there were bleachers at the finish line, right??? Why can't I remember the end of this race??? I think I was obsessing about my time and not enjoying my surroundings )

I ran in 2011 too The busses back to the resorts were large charter busses, just like what will take you to the start area...not regular Disney transportation busses. From what I can remember, they were lined up by resort and leaving as soon as they filled. The lines were pretty long, but each resort seemed to have more than one bus lined up there waiting, at least when I walked up. We did not have to wait more than a few minutes to board the bus that year.

There is an awards ceremony in the post race area...closer to the race they will probably post what time this will happen in one of the emails outlining the weekend festivities. There is also a small merchandise tent, a medal engraving tent (line can get long for this!) and a massage tent...you should be able to fill an hour with all that...don't forget to take some time to wind down, have a seat and do some stretching too. I think it may be hard to find a spot at the finish line, but it's worth a shot if you have time!

 

[longhorns2]

There are special race buses. They run when they are full- at least that was my experience. One year I got on ASSp and last year it was POR. Both had lines, so when a bus filled up, it left, and a new one pulled in. Seemed to go pretty quickly- I don't think I waited more than 10 min in each line.

After the race there is food, massage tents, pictures, music... lots of things to do while waiting for your friend.

No idea on getting to see the finish line, as I am always *the friend* everyone is waiting on. LOL!!!!! But they wait and haven't complained in 2 years, so I am pretty sure they are able to keep themselves occupied. I have wonderful Mother Runner friends!