Tag Archives: runDisney

RunDisney Race Recap – 2015 Princess Half Marathon

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Princess-Half-Marathon-Shirt-2015(2)Finally, the day had come!  Of the three races I’d entered for the weekend, this was the big one!  The final race, the longest distance, the event that would make me a Glass Slipper Challenge finisher and show me exactly what runDisney is really all about.  Friday’s Frozen 5K was fun, Saturday’s Enchanted 10K was fantastic, and now, February 22nd, 3:15 am, it was time to get busy.  I’m not going to lie – in spite of careful park-touring plans designed to minimize walking and a post-10K restorative massage at the Senses Spa (Grand Floridian) – I was indescribably tired when the alarm went off.

My outfit for the Princess Half was my favorite of the three races’ ensembles – In purple and black with a Princess-Half-Waiting-Selfiecrown attached to my visor, I was channeling my inner Evil Queen.  I was up, dressed, and headed for the monorail once more before 4:00 am.  I felt a bit less lonely this time for two reasons – one, the crowds on the way to the race were both more plentiful and more excited than they’d been the two previous days and two, Raymond would be on the course today cheering me on.

With  other runners, I made my way to the initial holding area.  Streetmosphere Citizens were adding fun and the building crowd was enjoying the distraction.  Princess-Half-StreetmosphereI met a group of friends with awesome Frozen-inspired outfits!  Princess-Half-Frozen-FriendsBy far they had the best Frozen costumes I’d seen (and I’d seen hundreds!).  Then I stopped and spoke with precious twin sisters who were going to run together in gorgeous princess dresses their mom had made for them (yes, Pinterest).  Princess-Half-PrincessesThese two were beautiful and sweet and I enjoyed talking to them for a while.

Announcers encouraged the sea of runners to begin making their way to the staring area.  After what seemed like a very long walk, I finally stepped into corral F and immediately felt the pre-race excitement.  Princess-Half-Corral-F Princess-Half-Corral-F-SignIt was kind of surreal there in the darkness – waiting with thousands of others to begin something truly special.  Every runner unique, but all focused on the road ahead.  Finally, I was starting to feel more awake and visited with some of the people around me while we waiting for the National Anthem and then the other corrals to start every two minutes until it was our turn at the starting line.  Princess-Half-Waiting-To-Start Princess-Half-Starting-FireworksEvery group begins the race with fireworks, which is an amazing way to start a race!

And we were off!  Everything you’d expect during a runDisney event was there…and so much MORE!  The aid stations, water/sports-drink stations, and port-o-johns were plentiful.  I expected there to be characters along the way, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.  Princess-Half-Pirate-ShipThere was a pirate ship and Jack Sparrow, high school marching bands and church choirs, Princess-Half-PrincesPrincess-Half-VillainsDisney Princes, Disney Villains, DJ’s playing music, Cast Members cheering, Drummers from China, Princess-Half-Arm-Maneven a cheering Toy Story Green Army Man.  So many people and things to see along the way!

With the added entertainment, there’s an emotional factor that began building when we ran beneath the Magic Kingdom’s entrance sign.  Princess-Half-Magic-Kingdom-Sign Princess-Half-Road-to-Magic-KingdomThe road took us under the water bridge and past the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower resorts.  This is where I saw Raymond waiting to take my arm warmers from me.  Due to security, there aren’t a lot of places along the race course where spectators can get close to the runners – and this was one of them.  A kindly security guard helped me out and delivered got my arm warmers to Raymond for me.  I yelled out, “I love you, honey!” to Raymond and then so did the security guard – which was really funny and made the crowd laugh.

Before long we were entering the Magic Kingdom.  Nothing can describe the feeling of running down Main Street U.S.A.  Princess-Half-Main-StreetCheering crowds are lining the street and the park looks beautiful in the early morning light.  From Main Street, we ran through Tomorrowland and behind the castle.  Princess-Half-Tomorrowland Princess-Half-Buzz Princess-Half-Gaston-RunnerI know I’m not the only one who felt a swell of emotion because in Fantasyland, right by Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel, we passed a long line of Cast Members, each holding a box of tissues for those who might feel a bit overcome by the experience.  (I was running behind a man dressed as Gaston and he was owning that look!)  Princess-Half-Castle Princess-Half-Frozen-CharactersWe left Fantasyland by running through Cinderella Castle where Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff were waiting to wish us well (and talk about ice).  Princess-Half-Selfie-Frontierland-GuysAfter leaving the castle, we ran through Frontierland (where I stopped for a selfie with some of the bicycle-riding support staff), Princess-Half-MK-Trainsaw one of Walt’s beloved trains, and headed back out onto the road toward the Grand Floridian and Polynesian.

At this point, we’d passed the halfway point, the sun had risen and the day was heating up.  I’d stopped to take pictures all along the way and actually Tweeted them out as I ran.  Princess-Half-Meeting-FriendsAn Instagram friend was working along the course and I found him waiting exactly where he told me to expect him – of course we had to have a Disney fan selfie!  Princess-Half-Glass-Slipper-Men Princess-Half-Mary-PoppinsRaymond had planned to be roadside by the Polynesian, so after I took some pictures near the Grand Floridian of the Glass Slipper Men and Mary Poppins and Bert, I started looking for him.  Turns out, I was looking too late!Princess-Half-Twitter-Conversation

The two previous days’ early mornings finally caught up with me around mile 8 and I felt I needed (deserved!) a couple of walk breaks.  My-Other-Shoes-Are-Glass-Slippers Princess-Half-Mile-10-SignSo I ran and walked alternately for a bit, taking the time to enjoy the encouraging signs.  Around mile 10, I felt ready to run steadily to the finish line.  Princess-Half-EpcotI remember one of my favorite moments during this part of the race was passing by MouseGear in Epcot, which is one of my all time favorite places to shop.  All of the Cast Members were outside, enthusiastically cheering for runners during the final push toward the end of the race.

Nothing in the world compares with the feeling of seeing the finish line just yards ahead and hearing the announcer say your name!  Princess-Half-Marathon-Medal Glass-Slipper-Challenge-MedalElated runners all around me, I was welcomed by the most amazing group of friendly volunteers who made sure I received food & water, and my finishers’ medals for both the Princess Half Marathon and the Glass Slipper Challenge.  Princess-Half-Post-Race-PartyRaymond texted me his location and I easily found him – the two of us relaxed for a while at the post-race party where we enjoyed a couple of beers and the beautiful weather.  By the time we’d started the long walk back to the monorail, I was already planning to be back again in 2016.

Results:  Official Half Marathon finish time: 2:40:59.  #5514 out of 18,515 women finishers.  In the 50-54 women’s age division, #259 out of 1106.

RunDisney Race Recap- 2015 Enchanted 10K

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Enchanted-10K-PinThe Princess Enchanted 10K on Saturday, February 21st was the first race of the two-part Glass Slipper Challenge.  I’d run the Frozen 5K the day before and would run Princess Half Marathon the next day.  The most challenging thing about the day of the 10K for me was getting out of bed at 3:15 am.  Confession time:  I am a 50-year-old woman attempting to run multiple races over a 3-day period – getting up at what (for me) was the middle of the night was actually the single most difficult part of the entire ordeal.  I’m not a girl who can go without her beauty sleep!

The morning of the race came all too soon.  My homage-to-Minnie outfit was ready to go and, like the previous morning, I ate my energy bar and banana, suited up, and made for the monorail from Bay Lake Tower to get to the race on time.  You can see how tired I am – look at my eye-bags!!!  RM-Enchanted-10K-Minnie-OutfitAgain, Raymond was left behind.  This time, though, instead of just waiting for me to come back, he was charged with booking all of our Disney Cruise excursions for our summer vacation.  February 21st happened to be the first day we could go online and choose our activities and we didn’t want to wait or risk missing out.  He may have had a few tense moments when the Disney Cruise Line website went down, but he managed to book everything we wanted (Good job, Honey!) long before I returned from the race.  If he’d thought for a second I would have benefitted from his presence along the race course or at the finish line, he would have done anything necessary to be there.  He and I both knew I would really need him to help me through the half marathon, so we agreed he’d save his in-person support for when I needed it the most. RM-Enchanted-10K-PreRace-Waiting-Area RM-Enchanted-10K-PreRace-Crowd

It was a full 10 degrees warmer than the day before (which made a huge difference)!  I love running in cool (40’s or 50’s) weather!  After my inaugural runDisney race on Friday, I felt a lot more confident finding my starting corral and lining up for the race.  I made my way to the designated holding area and felt more awake when it came time for me to line up in corral “B”.  Before I knew it, we were off!  This race will stand out in my memory for two reasons – the fun and beauty of the course combined with feeling incredibly comfortable the entire time.  I cannot recall enjoying a run more!RM-Enchanted-10K-Frozen-Characters

The first part of the 10K course took us out on the roads circling the Epcot parking lot – it was dark and I just followed the crowd.  The most magical part of the race at first was seeing Anna and Elsa up above the runners on an overpass – they spoke to us as we ran beneath them which was cool, but wasn’t nearly as remarkable as the fact that it was “snowing” on us!RM-Enchanted-10K-Frozen-Characters-Closeup

The second part of the race took us (like the Frozen 5K) through the World Showcase and then we went out the International Gateway to the Boardwalk area.  There were a few die-hard cheering guests that made me feel so special – and they were complete strangers!  I finally found Donald!RM-Enchanted-10K-Boardwalk-DonaldWe ran all around the Boardwalk and the Yacht and Beach Club area before going back through Epcot, back to the parking area to finish.  RM-Enchanted-10K-Mile-Marker-4 RM-Enchanted-10K-Sunrise RM-Enchanted-10K-Princess-MinnieI stopped and took a few pictures of the gorgeous sunrise, soaked up the atmosphere, saved my legs for the next day’s half marathon and had a wonderful time!

For those of us who care about results:

  • Women in the Enchanted 10K = 9753, I was #1455 with an official time of 1:06:16
  • Women in the 50-54 age group = 708, I was #82 (If I’d known how close I was to the top 10%, I believe I would have taken fewer pictures and stepped it up a bit!)

I had the most amazing time and felt wonderful.  I was really looking forward to the next day’s Princess Half Marathon and the second part of the Glass Slipper Challenge – please check back for the race recap on that event next week!

Are you a runner?  What’s the most fun race you’ve ever run?  Are you an aspiring runner?  What’s your dream event?

RunDisney Race Recap – 2015 Frozen 5K

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Frozen-5K-PinThe runDisney Frozen 5K held on Friday, February 20th was quite appropriately named!  A very chilly 34 degrees at the race’s 6:15 am start time, it was 3.1 miles of Frozen fun!  As you’d expect from a runDisney event, this one was packed with magical Disney details that did not disappoint.  Since the Frozen 5K was not my main objective during the Princess Half Marathon weekend, I felt no pressure to run fast.  In fact, I took my time and soaked up every moment of my very first runDisney event.

I got up early enough to eat an energy bar and a banana (my pre-race meal of choice) and don my “Tribute to Donald” outfit.  I wore an extra shirt and arm warmers under my outfit, added a warm headband to cover my ears and some gloves and was out the door of Bay Lake Tower to catch the monorail in the Contemporary and get to the starting area in the Epcot parking lot in plenty of time.  Disney’s instructions on this are very specific – be on Disney transportation by no later than 5:00 am for this race.  I’d never done this before and wasn’t taking any chances – I arrived a full hour before start time.Frozen-5K-Start-2015

It was cold!  I can’t even begin to imagine how early people had to arrive to get a place near one of the several heaters positioned around the runners’ waiting area. The crowds around the heaters were huge!  I couldn’t get close enough to feel even the slightest warmth.  I concentrated on checking out the interesting variety of costumes and assorted outfits people were wearing and tried not to think about how much I was shivering.  At least I was in the first group (A), so once we moved to the starting area, I didn’t have much longer to wait.

Once the race began, it didn’t take long to feel less frozen and more able to enjoy the sights and sounds along the race course.  Basically, the 5K course takes runners through the parking lot, into Epcot, around the World Showcase (just as the sun was coming up!), through a bit of Future World, and out to another Epcot parking lot to finish.Frozen-5K-and-Enchanted-10K-Course-MapI did manage to take a few pictures – the one I really wanted of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff in Future World, unfortunately didn’t turn out at all.  I searched for Donald Duck so I could stop and have my picture made with him (in my Donald outfit), but didn’t see him anywhere.  At about the two-mile mark I saw Goofy and decided I’d better stop or I wouldn’t get a picture with a character at all.  Goofy noticed my outfit right away and gestured his approval which made me laugh.RM-Frozen-5K-2015  I have to say, the sun rising over the World Showcase Lagoon was incredibly beautiful.Frozen-5K-Sunrise-Selfie-Epcot

In about 30 minutes from start to finish, I was freezing once more and, with a small handful of other runners, making the very long walk to the monorail.  At the Ticket and Transportation Center, we were informed that the monorail to the resorts was down and we’d have to catch a bus.  This added much more time to my return trip to Bay Lake Tower, but finally I was back at our room where Raymond was waiting, ready to go spend the day in Epcot – where I finally got to see Donald!RM-Fiesta-Donald

Have you entered a runDisney event?  What did you like most about it?  What lessons did you learn that could help readers who are considering their first runDisney race?

 

 

My First runDisney Events – An Overview

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RM-RunDisney-RoadYou might remember this post from last summer where I shared the story of why I run.  I didn’t start running until I was in my 30’s, so if you’ve been toying with the idea of giving it a try, it’s never too late to find your inner athlete.  If you think you don’t have one, you’re wrong…he/she is in there somewhere and it’s just a matter of patience and commitment to locate him/her.  In fact, if you’re a Disney fan, perhaps what I’m about to share might be just the motivation you need to stop thinking and start doing.  I’m not saying everyone should run.  I’m saying that if you love Disney as much as I do, there’s no better place to participate in an athletic event that in Disney parks!

I’d explored the runDisney site thoroughly and even then I was still completely unprepared for the reality (the magnitude & magic) of a runDisney event.  My friends, family and coworkers might have thought I was crazy (many of them were very verbal about it) to enter three races over three days, but I was highly motivated by both the entrance fees (on the expensive side & I planned on getting my money’s worth) and wanting to enjoy myself by training enough to be comfortable for all three events.  I chose the Princess Half Marathon weekend because of its February date which worked well with my schedule.  I chose the Glass Slipper Challenge (the combination of both the Enchanted 10K on Saturday and the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday) because I’d run several half marathons and thought the challenge of the two races would be, well, challenging (in a good way).  Raymond pointed out that if I was going to do the 10K and the half and we’d be at Walt Disney World anyway, I might as well add Friday’s Frozen 5K and get another medal.  Sure, sounded reasonable to me, so I added that too.

Some things I had to do between registration and the actual events:RM-Donald-costume

  • Submit a proof of time for the half marathon or start in one of the last corrals.  I chose the only event near home that I could do by the December 1st deadline which ended up being a cold and rainy East Texas Half Marathon on my 50th birthday.
  • Figure out some sort of outfit or costume to wear for each race.  A tutu for me would be too-too much, so I was committed to dressing up in my own way and style.  I decided on a Donald Duck themed outfit for the 5K, a Minnie tribute for the 10K, and my favorite, an Evil Queen ensemble for the half marathon.  I picked up pieces for the outfits here and there over the months leading up to our trip.
  • Book Advance Dining Reservations for dinner (ADRs) bearing in mind that I’d be getting up incredibly early the morning of each race.  Sadly, I’d have to go to sleep between 8:00 and 9:00 each night or I’d be too tired to function.  Thursday:  Kona Café, Friday: Le Cellier, Saturday: Il Mulino (at the Swan).  Sunday we planned to celebrate with our last dinner of the trip at Yachtsman Steakhouse and it was fantastic, but turned out to NOT be our last dinner of this Disney visit.  More on that another day.
  • Plan park days with careful consideration about the amount of walking that would be required and select some attractions for relaxation rather than thrills.
  • Run a lot of miles.  That’s the downside (or upside depending on how you look at it) for choosing February races – a bunch of mileage had to happen throughout the holiday season.  It was hard to fit in all the time I needed, but the happy side effect was that I did not gain a single pound over Christmas.  I’m fortunate that Raymond loves to bicycle and was willing to go with me and ride while I ran my long runs every weekend in my favorite place to train, the Vicksburg National Military Park.RM-Disney's-Wide-World-of-Sports

I will do actual (shorter) posts on each race because they each had their own charm.  Today l want to share my overall impressions from my very first runDisney experiences:

I’m hooked!  I plan to be back again next year to do it again.  This was, without a doubt, the most fun I’ve ever had in any event anywhere.  From the volunteers to the medical and security teams, to the Cast Members, photographers, and characters – everyone was kind, caring, and professional.  I’ve never been congratulated so many times for crossing a finish line before.  The races are not just well-organized, they’re overflowing with magical Disney details far beyond anything I’d imagined.RM-Half-Corral-Walking

RunDisney events are designed to delight both first-time racers and long-time runners.  Also, these races are great for families.  There are also kids’ races held during the weekend.  Mothers and daughters, sisters, couples, groups of friends – there were a lot of people participating together and all of them were having a wonderful time.  It’s hard to get “swept” – there’s a very generous time limit so more people will be successful in finishing.  That’s the goal – simply finish and have a blast along the way!  There’s no pressure to be fast, in fact, runners are encouraged and enticed to stop many times along the way for a variety of unique and very special photo ops with a variety of characters – some of whom are rarely seen together.

Check back for more details about my adventures in the 2015 Frozen 5K, Enchanted 10K and Princess Half Marathon.

Are you a runDisney fan?  Do you want to be?