Princess Half Marathon 2018

After getting a day of rest, I was ready to get the half marathon done.

In case you missed previous posts from the Princess Half Marathon Weekend:

• Expo
• 5k
• Animal Kingdom
• 10k 

We had to wake up earlier due to having to be on bus earlier.  When I woke up I realized that I slept hard and through the night.  And even though I had slept through the night, I was in a very deep sleep when the alarm went off.  So I was tired again...

I wore my new Running Skirt (tri version with my own shorts) and it had pockets.  I haven't had a skirt with pockets, so I decided to try the race without my big belt with water bottles.  I had two pockets and a small race belt that I put my Gu in.  I then carried a throw away water bottle.  The combination actually worked out very well.

We got on the bus and headed to the start.  Once there we headed towards the mile long walk to the corals.  As we were were walking we both noticed that the path was paved.  We both remember a gravel path when we did it 4 years before.  Either they paved it or we were taking a different way there.

I decided to hit the port-a-potties one last time and Candace went to our coral to get us a spot.  I was glad that she did get us a spot as by the time I got there I couldn't even find her.  I had to call and have her talk me through where she was.  I finally found her and we relaxed till it was ready to star moving forward.

As we moved forward we ended up standing next to a guy dressed as Prince Charming.  We asked where his Princess was and he said that she was in the coral before us.  He didn't want to slow her down so he didn't ask her to stay back a coral.  That is a Prince Charming.

Before we knew it we were off.  My plan was to keep up with Candace as long as I could and then let her go as she is much faster then I am.  No matter how many people say they want to stay with me, they always stay a few steps in front cause they don't like how slow I am.  I hate feeling like I'm keeping people back.

The first couple of miles were slow as the crowds were thick.  We couldn't go much faster then we were, but Candace mentioned how her shins were hurting already.  As we came up to Magic Kingdom, there was such a beautiful sunrise.


We came around the parking lot and there was the Evil Witch from Snow White with her cauldron.  The second time that weekend I wish the line wasn't as long as it was as that was a great character picture.  But I knew I was running against the clock and I didn't have that time to spare.

The sunrise just kept impressing us. 

As we came into Magic Kingdom, there were a slew of characters and staff to welcome us.  That was cool to see.

It was now time to head down main street of Magic Kingdom.  This is probably the most fun place to run.  To have such huge crowds cheering is just an amazing feeling.  And it was such a beautiful morning to see the castle.


We continued on through Tomorrowland at a good pace but it was slow due to such crowds.  We came around the back of the castle and noticed that Princess Minnie wasn't there like she usually is.  

The Bell castle was a sight to see with the beautiful sky. 

We ran through the castle and got a couple of pictures in front of it.


We went through Adventureland and out of Magic Kingdom.  I noticed that Candace needed to walk a lot more then we were, but I left the pace to her.  It was a girls weekend and I was having fun being with my friend that I rarely get to see.

Candace said that now that we were over half way, we were fine with time and she wanted to walk.  I was fine with that, but my quads were cramping up.  My legs are used to the combination of running and walking and I was having issues with all of the walking.  Candace told me to go on, but I didn't want to as it was a girls weekend and I wanted to have fun with her.  She said the weekend was also about the bling.

We went by this beautiful lake.  There was truly some beautiful sights that day.


Since my quads were cramping up, every so often I would stop to stretch and have Candace keep walking.  And then I'd run to catch up with her.  That seemed to be helping a lot.  As we were coming to mile 10 it was getting so hot.  I knew I was getting burned as I don't wear sunscreen when I run cause it just gets in my eyes with the sweat.  As we came up and around the exit ramp after mile 10, you could see the tons of people behind us.  I knew there was no way we would get swept even if we continued walking, but I really wanted to get done.  It was hot, I was tired, and my quads just kept cramping up.


The last few miles I really had to pee.  I didn't really want to use a port-a-potty, not that I saw any.  But also the thought of trying to pull up sweaty pants just wasn't what I was in the mood for.

We finally came into Epcot.  I don't think I have ever been happier to see the Epcot ball and know we were almost done.  We saw and heard the beautiful choir and they were wonderful as usual.


We were finally done.  I actually like the medals more then the pictures I saw before the weekend.  My quads and feet were killing me.



We got back to the hotel and showered.  Candace was leaving with her family as they were driving home to Boston.  I took the afternoon to soak in the pool and take a nap.

That evening I had a nice dinner at Narcoossee's with my friend Kelly and a few of her friends to celebrate an end to the weekend.  Dinner was so good and we could see the castle at Magic Kingdom from there.  Apparently you could see the fireworks from Magic Kingdom there, but our dinner was early.


As the dinner went on, it was taking awhile.  I was actually glad it was as it might allow us to see the fireworks.  The waiter was very nice and knowing we were celebrating the weekend, he brought us a glass of champagne.


It turned out that as we finished up desert, it was time to see the fireworks.  Because I have only been going to Disney for runDisney, I had never had a chance to see the fireworks as it usually means going to bed early to be able to get up early.  So this was a treat.  It turned out that someone on the other side got engaged.  It was sweet.  The night came to a close.  It was time for me to get back to the hotel so that I could pack for my flight in the morning.


A funny story from my trip home the next day.  My flight landed mid-morning and I got a text from Candace.  She said that they were in Richmond and she was waving to me.  I happened to be driving home from the airport.  I called her and asked where they were.  It turned out that they were a mile or two behind me on the interstate.  How funny.


You can also catch up on my vlogs from the Princess Half Marathon Weekend.

•  Hotel and Expo
• 5k and Animal Kingdom  
• 10k, Half Marathon, and Celebration Dinner

I’m linking up with with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.

Epcot 2017 Part 2 (Tuesdays on the Run Edition)

So here is the second part of my day at Epcot during my Star Wars Dark Side Weekend.

If you missed my previous posts, please take a moment to catch up.

• The First Day
• The Expo
• The 5k
• Epcot Part 1

 

We had just finished lunch at the Liberty Inn and the time was getting close to my first scheduled FastPass at Test Track.  We decided to take the boat across the lake to get to Future World.  I had never even heard of this ride before I booked my FastPass and had no clue what I was in for.  

 

It was a lot of fun.  As part of waiting for our turn, we were allowed to create our own car.  Not anything close to what we would be riding, but to compare to others who create their own.  I had no clue what I was doing, so I just started picking things to add to the car.  Franklin was able to use the station next to us to build one as well.
 
We got into the actual ride and that was a lot of fun.  It's sort of like the Cars ride at Disneyland.  It does some maneuvers to "test" out the cars made and then a fun fast bout outside where you reach speeds of 64 MPH.  Feels faster with the wind blowing on you then it does a real car.  In the end, my car beat Franklin's in the score!!


We headed into the Festival Center.  Kelly wanted to see if she could find some gifts for birthdays and Mother's Day.  I actually found something.  It's a plant that is made from other plant DNA and not a seed.  I wasn't sure if it would make it home, but it would be fun for my mom if it did.  Spoiler alert, it did not survive the plane ride home in my checked bag.


We decided to meet Joy and Sadness.  While we waited, Franklin went over to see Baymax from Big Hero 6.  That line moved fast enough that he had enough time to join us.  I loved seeing Sadness, she was so cute.


Then we headed over to Soarin'.  I love this ride and couldn't wait to see the changes they made.  I used another one of my timed FastPass and Kelly and Franklin used their second "anytime" FastPass.  I have to say that I really enjoyed the changes.  It was fun to see all the places around the world and was even more fun to point to the ones I've been to.  I did see why people were complaining that if you were too far to a side, things looked a little distorted, like the Eiffel Tower was curved a bit, but it was still fun.

 

We had time before our next FastPass and we were trying to decide if we wanted to do Soarin' again or if we wanted to do the Living with the Land ride that is also in The Land building.  We decided to do Soarin' again.  This would be Kelly and Franklin's last "anytime" FastPass and my second.  It was so worth it as I had asked that we be in the middle group in the first row.  That meant we had the best seats in the house.  Right in the middle and on the top where no one's feet were in our line of vision.  I was so glad we had done it the second time.


After the ride was over we headed down the stairs to check out if there was any line at Living with the Land and there wasn't.  We hopped right onto the boat.


While this isn't a fast or scary ride, it was a lot of fun learning about different ways that Disney grows food and raises fish.  It was also nice to be off our feet for a little while.

 

We headed to our next FastPass, meeting with Mickey and Pals.  We saw Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie.  Goofy was in rare form.  He didn't have anyone visiting so he was goofing around with the other Cast Members.  Yes, Goofy was acting goofy.


After this we parted ways.  They had FastPasses for the new Frozen ride and I had one for Mission: Space.  I had a little bit of time before my FastPass started so I decided to do the Test Track again and use my last "anytime" FastPass.  In the end my second car was only one point better then my first.  Guess I like to build the same type of car.


I then headed over to Mission: Space.  I hadn't heard of this ride before either before booking my FastPasses, but after reading about it, it sounded like something I've been on before when I visited NASA a couple years ago.  They have a Green team and an Orange team.  They are both the same ride, a launch from Earth to Mars, except the Green team skips the centrifuge, or spinning action, so it's more of a gentle ride.  I, of course, opted to join the Orange team.  

 

I was teamed with a dad and his two boys (one a lot younger then the other).  As the video played and talked about the team formation we joked around on who was what position and remembering to hit the buttons when we needed to.  As we got in, I ended up being the navigator while the younger brother was the captain.  There were a lot of things I read about how people riding the Orange side would get motion sickness.  I experienced none of it.  I don't even think I knew when the centrifuge happened.  We all pressed our buttons like we were supposed to and got to Mars safely (mostly) and had a fun time.


I realized that because I decided to add in Test Track before Mission: Space, I was now late to meet up for dinner.  Oh no!  I raced through Future World to Mexico and made my way to Italy.  Whoa that was exhausting.  We had reservations for Via Napoli to get some good pasta in.  

 

Kelly and Franklin had already ordered, good.  So I took a quick look at the menu and really wasn't sure what I wanted.  I asked the waitress what she thought was good and she said the Linguine allo Scoglio.  Pasta and seafood?  Yes, please!  The dish came and it was huge.  Kelly and Franklin ordered a white pizza, all cheese, yummy!  My pasta dish ended up not that great.  The pasta was under cooked and I don't think there was a lot of seafood there.  But that's OK, it filled me up.  They said the pizza was great, until it was on the floor.  They had eaten less than half of the pizza and with no one touching it slipped off the rack and right onto the floor.  The manager was very nice and allowed them to get the small pizza to make up for the half that they lost.


By the time we were done with dinner we all were beyond exhausted.  And my feet were killing me.  I felt like my planters ficiatis was rearing it's ugly head my way again.  So we headed back to the the hotel to call it a night.  We had to get up early again for the 10k!

 

I have to say that was a great day.  I never knew that Epcot could be so much fun.  I know part of it had to do with the great company, but I also discovered a whole new side to the park.  I can't wait to go back!

Continue on and read about the Star Wars Dark Side 10k!

What's your favorite ride at Epcot?  Would you do the Orange or Green team on Mission: Space?  Have you eaten at Via Napoli?  What did you think?

I’m linking up with with MCM Mama Runs, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and My No Guilt Life for the Tuesdays on the Run linkup.