Races | Square Life Round World

Disney Cruise Line Dream Cruise 2013–Castaway Cay 5k and a PR, Well Maybe Sort Of

by Melanie Adams

If you’ve been reading along, you know that strangely enough the thing about this cruise I was looking forward to the most was the Castaway Cay 5k. On Tuesday of the cruise, the day had finally come.

Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island that most of their cruises sail to. It is gorgeous! The water is so blue, and the sand is pristine! There is plenty to do on the island. There is snorkeling, a sting ray interactive area, water toys, character experiences, parasailing, a glass bottom boat tour, and even a water slide. There is yoga on the adult beach (Serenity Bay), and massage cabanas for those who want to indulge on the beach. Then there is my most anticipated activity, the 5k.

Our personal Navigator for the day (a printout that tells you everything that is going on) said we should meet in Evolution at 8:15 am. Running also were my dad, my brother-in-law, and 2 of my nieces. So at 8:15 we signed in, were given our bibs, and Briana (a member of the activities crew) went over the course map with us.

We all met in Evolution to get signed in for the 5K.

Ok, this is not a great picture but they had the course map on the big screen.

We all got bibs, and they say runDisney!

My dad was wearing his t-shirt from the Mickey’s Happy Haunted 5k Trail Run from last year, which got Briana’s attention. She ran the 10 miler last year. When dad told her I ran the 10 miler also as well as Princess this year, she came looking for me. She is planning on running Princess in 2014 as part of the brand new Glass Slipper Challenge. From that point on, she kept calling dad and me her runDisney family. I thought that was really fun.

So about 8:45, we made our way as a group to the gangplank to exit the ship. We walked all the way to the second family beach. It felt like a long walk, but that is pretty typical of runDisney races. At one point during the walk to the start, my brother-in-law said, “Is this 5k almost over?” I thought it was a good warm-up, though. I like to walk for a bit before I start running.

We got to the start and I had the bright idea to go ahead and buy our 5k shirts. The gift shop is right next to the start. I’ve read that many people have their family members buy them while they are running, and if you wait until you finish they may be out of your size. Since none of our family members who weren’t running were planning on getting off the ship before we would be done, that wasn’t an option for us. So I grabbed the shirts and went to pay, thinking I’d be in and out in 2 minutes. The Cast Member was super friendly and talkative, wanting to know EVERYTHING about our trip so far. I told her we were about to start running and I needed to get to the start. Then she proceeds to tell me ALL the reasons she can’t run. Yeah, yeah, let’s pick this up! I was about to be left behind. She was SUPER careful to make sure they were folded perfectly in the bag, too! Well, needless to say, the other runners took off while I was walking out of the store. They have a box by the start for everyone to put their belongings, and I still had to do that, too. So, not only was I the last one to start, there wasn’t anyone in sight when I started. I wish I had checked the clock at the start to see just how far behind I was, but I didn’t. I’m going to estimate 90 seconds.

It wasn’t too long, though, before I was passing people, mainly the walkers. Then I had my dad in sight, who was mostly walking. I wanted to catch up to him, but every time I was almost to him, he would take off running, putting more distance between us. He can actually walk faster than I can walk/run so with him adding some running in, it was almost impossible. Then came the first water stop. Dad was stopped at it, and he spotted me. I stopped to refill my water bottle, and I was sure he would wait on me. But noooooooo! Dad, you’re KILLING me! I’m 38 years old. I’ve been running for a year and a half. I’ve completed 2 half marathons and a 10 miler in the last year. I have on expertly fitted running shoes and tech running clothes. And I’m being smoked by a 69-year-old man who doesn’t run or walk regularly, wearing 10-year-old Reeboks, khaki shorts and a cotton t-shirt. That was a lesson in humility.

The course takes you down the air strip, has you make a loop through the 5000 foot long bike trail, finish off the air strip to Serenity Bay, circle back and make another trip through the bike loop, then head home. It’s pretty clear to go counter-clockwise through the bike loop the first time, but for the second loop, some were going clockwise and some counter-clockwise. I was in the clockwise group and met my brother-in-law and one of my nieces heading the other direction. He indicated that he thought I was going the wrong way. I told him I didn’t think it mattered and continued on. At this point I vaguely remembered Briana mentioning that if you do something wrong, it could add a half mile to your trip. I couldn’t remember what that was, and I started questioning myself. The bike loop is marked in feet by thousands in both directions, and I had just passed the 2000 feet mark. I decided to try to estimate another 500 feet and turn around and head back the other direction (remember the bike loop is 5000 feet, so by my estimation I would be at the 2500 feet mark and doubling back would equal 5000 feet). I have no idea how close I was, but I don’t think I could have been that far off.

I headed to the finish and the clock said I had a PR by about a minute and 20 seconds. Since it’s not a certified course, I got stared late, and I got turned around, I have no idea how accurate this was. We all collected our medals, and I got a pic of Briana.

Briana gave us our medals!

We retrieved our belongings and headed to find a spot on the beach for the day.

Me after the race, with my medal and the ship

Dad and I after the race

It was really a lot of fun! I kept hearing about how hot this run can get, and it would have been much harder had the sun been out. It was overcast all day, though, with a good breeze blowing. It was very enjoyable. Plus, with this run, I can now call myself an international runner. The experience exceeded my expectations, and if I ever get the opportunity to go on another Disney cruise that stops at Castaway Cay, I will do it again for sure!

Have you ever done a 5k on vacation? Where was it?

Disney Cruise Line Races runDisney Running

Fed Ex St. Jude Classic Fairway 5k and a PR

by Melanie Adams

This morning I ran my first timed 5k in 6 months. I don’t love the 5k distance. I much prefer longer distances. For me, running doesn’t usually become fun until around mile 5. Until then I’m still trying to find my groove. That’s why I haven’t done one in a while. However, I read something not long ago that said if you want to run a fast half in the fall, you need to be running fast 5ks now. So, hello, 5k! I’m back with the inaugural Fed Ex St. Jude Classic Fairway 5k.

Banner welcoming us to the event

Starting Line

The Fed Ex St. Jude Classic is a pro golf tournament that is part of the PGA tour. It’s held in June so I couldn’t make sense of why this race was 2 months before the tournament. Well, for one, part of the race was on the golf course. I’m sure they wouldn’t want 800 runners trampling through the course just days before the biggest golf tournament in Memphis. Also, from what I could tell, they were using the 5k to promote the golf tournament. We each got a ticket to the tournament in our race packets, and even the medal ribbon had the words, “Come Play” printed on it. I thought it was clever of them to use a 5k to promote a larger event.

This was a very fun race! I might even go so far as to say it’s my favorite local 5k. The course was absolutely gorgeous! The golf course itself is beautiful, and much of the race was through the residential area around the golf course. Those houses are HUGE! Running through a neighborhood full of multi-million dollar homes is how I’d like to start all my Saturdays. It was a fairly flat course, but there were just enough hills and dips to keep it interesting. I definitely felt like I had a workout, but didn’t feel like I was about to die.

The post race party was awesome, too! Of course they had beer and pizza.

Beer! Courtesy of Budweiser

Pizza from Dominos

Practically every race in Memphis does. However, they also had McAlister’s iced tea, Smoothie King smoothies, Blue Bell ice cream sandwiches and popsicles, all kinds of fruit, and get this–Bloody Marys!

McAlisters tea

Smoothies from Smoothie King

Blue Bell ice cream treats

Bananas, orange slices, and apples

Bloody Marys–my favorite post race offering ever!

They were THE BEST post race beverages EVER! They also had people handing out these fun foam visors and beads with a Fed Ex St. Jude Classic medallion on them.

Swag!

The awards were really cute, too. Instead of the traditional trophy, plaque, or medal, they awarded these “Hush” signs.

“Hush” sign awards–so cute!

If you’ve ever been to a golf tournament, you will recognize them as signs the crew holds to quiet the crowd as a golfer is about to make a shot. I thought that was really creative.

The finisher medal was really cool, too.

Finisher Medal

Most 5ks don’t give finisher’s medals, and when they do, they are nowhere near as nice as this one was. I was very impressed with the bling. The best part of the day, though, was that I got a PR. It’s always a good day when a PR is involved. This is a race I will definitely repeat in the future. I have a feeling it will be much bigger next year.

Having a great time at the Inaugural Fed Ex St. Jude Classic Fairway 5k

What’s your favorite 5k?

Races Running

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Things I Like Thursday–The runDisney Food Box

by Melanie Adams

At the end of pretty much any race or other running event, most runners look forward to a snack of some sort. For me this has been anything from a tiny shot glass serving of soup (I’m not kidding) to a full on barbecue meal. I’ve had some great food after races, and I’ve had some major disappointments. At runDisney events, food boxes are always given out along with a banana, bottled water, and bottled Powerade. I always look forward to getting my food box. Sometimes I don’t want a thing to eat for hours after a run and sometimes I’m completely ravenous. I never know which it’s going to be until I’m finished, and runDisney food boxes always hit the spot. I can save it for later or I can crack it open and nosh on something immediately.

My first and second runDisney food box experiences were after the 2012 Happy Haunted 5k and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 Miler held later that same day. The boxes were identical and nothing went to waste. Here is what they looked like.

runDisney Food Box

This is exactly what the food box looked like when it was opened.

They contained the following:

Snap energy candies
Almond Rocca (my favorite!)
Clif Builders protein bar
Sweet Perry Trek Trio snack mix
Multi-grain gluten-free crackers
Hickory Farms white cheese spread
Moist Towelette (Don’t you just love saying “moist towelette”?)

Contents of the food box from the 2012 Happy Haunts 5k and Tower of Terror 10 Miler

I enjoyed all of it, though I didn’t eat it all in one sitting. This is exactly the type of food I snack on so it was right up my alley!

After the 2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon, I got another box. It looked identical to the others so this time I’ll show you the back of it, which had upcoming race information printed on it.

This is the back of the food box.

This is the 2012 Princess Half Marathon food box when opened.

The contents were similar to my previous boxes and contained the following:

Organic dark chocolate
Luna protein bar, chocolate
Multi-grain gluten-free crackers
Wild Garden humus spread
Sweet Perry Power Play seed mix
Sweet Perry Baja Blend snack mix
Moist Towelette

Contents of 2012 Princess Half Marathon food box

I loved that the box seemed to be chocolate focused, totally princess-like! However, I didn’t eat any of it right after the race. It did make for several tasty snacks later on, though. I also think it would be a great snack for the airplane ride home after the race. Wish I’d thought of that earlier!

What do you think of the runDisney food boxes? What is your favorite after-race snack or meal?

Races runDisney Things I like Thursday

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2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon Race Report Part 2-The Race

by Melanie Adams

As you may remember in Part 1, the Fairy Godmother had just sent us off with a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo and fireworks.

runDisney’s pic of the fireworks, courtesy of runDisney

I loved the Fairy Godmother. A couple of the things she said still resonate with me. She said usually she is Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother but today she is the Fairy Godmother for everyone. I loved hearing that! Also, when my corral, D, took off, we were apparently taking too long (taking pics, etc.) and she said something along the lines of, “Corral D, I know you are a fun group, but you’ve got to get out of here! Go!” I still laugh when I think of that.

And with that, we were on our way! The first couple of miles went by really quickly. It was still dark out and I was focused on finding my groove. That never happened, by the way. The course was way too crowded for me to run as fast as I wanted. There were lots of people running in the grass to get around, but I wasn’t willing to do that. First, if the grass was at all wet, the moisture could cause blisters. Second, if the ground was uneven, it could be unsafe.

Somewhere around mile 2, I heard people up ahead cheering. That got my attention, and I looked to my left to find the lead runner, Rachel Booth, making her way back towards Epcot. This would have been close to mile 10 for her. Wow! That’s fast! I cheered for her, too, and gawked in awe of her effortless stride. Her arms moved so fluidly with her legs, reminding me of the gears of a locomotive. A moment later there was more cheering for the second runner, then the third shortly thereafter. The third runner cheered back at us, which I thought was really cool. Not long after all of that excitement, I saw the lights of the Magic Kingdom sign.

The Magic Kingdom sign at day break

This was one of my favorite moments of the race. I paused to snap this pic since this was likely the only time I would ever get this view of the sign. It was this moment that I realized how special this race was going to be.

We ran past the raceway and toward the Ticket and Transportation Center. My original plan was to stop for a potty break in Frontierland (I really wanted a real restroom). However, when I got to TTC, the line didn’t look that terrible so I got in it. Looks were deceiving because I think I spent about 10 minutes here. One tip I had read prior to race day was to use the men’s room if the women’s was backed up. With only about 1300 men running, theirs would likely have no line. This didn’t work, though, because there was a Cast Member standing at the men’s door keeping the Princesses out. Bummer!

After TTC we ran down under the water way that connects Bay Lake to Seven Seas Lagoon. I’ve always been fascinated by this engineering marvel, that they made a waterway bridge above a roadway. This part was really cool! They had all sorts of fun lights and images projected on the wall above the tunnel. There was even a boat floating by on the waterway up above. I’ve traveled that waterway so many times, it was really special to be able to run underneath it. A few moments later, I saw Space Mountain.

Space Mountain from outside Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom was getting so close now! Then I heard a voice behind me telling me how cute my skirt turned out. It was Leah Powell, the owner and operator of Sparkle Skirts! Leah made my Jasmine skirt for the race. I told her I wish I had time for a pic but I could tell she was moving a bit faster than me. So I picked up my pace for a few minutes so we could chat. This was another highlight of the race.

A few minutes later, we turned a corner and entered Magic Kingdom. If you want to know where we came in, as you are walking down Main Street, just past the group of buildings that houses Tony’s Town Square, look to your right. There is a fence that has the word, “Bicycles” painted on it. That fence is actually a gate. That’s where we ran in.

Running down Main Street

So running down Main Street, yep, it’s every bit as cool and emotional as I thought it would be. Again, I got teary and had to reign myself in. I immediately starting looking for the parents because I wasn’t sure where the ChEar Zone would be. I didn’t see them so I found a volunteer and stopped for a pic.

Thanks to a wonderful volunteer for taking this pic!

We turned right and ran over the bridge into Tomorrowland, circled around into Fantasyland, and there was the backside of the castle. Again, I found a volunteer to take my pic.

Apparently I really liked this pose that day!

Trumpeteers were on the castle balcony playing for us.

Trumpeteers playing for us

Then it was time to run through the castle, the moment every Princess looks forward to. Except in this case, there would be no running through the castle for me. It was more like cow herding through the castle.

Mooooooo!

I heard later that there was a proposal at the castle exit, which backed things up. Right as we came out of the castle, there was a group of photographers taking castle pics. It was one that I wanted so I got in a line. I also found someone to take a castle pic with my camera, too.

Castle pic with my camera

As soon as I turned around from that, I spotted my dad. He yelled at me to get my attention. My mom was nowhere around so I got a little worried since she has heat exhaustion problems at times. He said she was fine and was just sitting down somewhere. I said my goodbyes and took off again towards Frontierland.

Mile 6 in Frontierland

Just for kicks, I glanced over at the restroom I had planned to stop at, and sure enough, no line. So my original plan would have been the better one. I also didn’t see a CM guarding the men’s room like at TTC.

We crossed over the railroad tracks as we were exiting the park and I spotted these guys.

Engineers in front of the train

I had to stop for a pic! A short while later, we had reached the halfway point and we were greeted with a fire truck and Alicia Keys “Girl On Fire” blasting at us. A few days before the race, runDisney asks fans to vote on the halfway song. This was actually my choice so I was happy with it. Others, not so much. We then ran by the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian resorts before getting back out on the main road heading towards Epcot. Just past mile 10 was the ramp to get onto the road to Epcot. Many people dread this part as it is described as a big, long, sideways hill. To me it was no big deal. I didn’t think the bank was that bad either. About halfway up, I found this guy yelling at us to get up that hill.

Green Army Man

I always love seeing the Green Army Men at Hollywood Studios so I stopped for a pic! About this time, I looked at my watch and realized I had a real chance to PR. I knew I would have to kick my running up a notch to do it, but I had the strength and energy left to do just that. So, I tried to kick it into high gear. Sadly, the course was still very crowded, and there was no one at that point doing much running at all. I tried to find an open lane to get by but I just couldn’t so I resigned myself to walking only and no PR. In the future, I really should pay closer attention to who is around me and make sure I stay with or catch back up to the walk-runners that match my pace better.

Before long we were entering Epcot, and I was surprised by how few spectators there were in the park. It was after park opening so I thought there would be more. No biggie because we weren’t in the park very long.

Epcot!

Pretty soon we exited, rounded a corner and this lovely group was in sight.

Gospel Choir! Yes, they were singing Gospel songs.

The gospel choir! I was so excited to see them! Not only did it mean I had made it and would finish, it meant the finish line was about to be in sight! Sure enough, we rounded the corner and there it was!

The finish line!

Mickey and Minnie were standing at the finish and I really wanted a pic.

Prince Mickey!

I kind of wish I had taken a couple more minutes to walk across to the other side and get Minnie but the announcer was yelling at us that we were killing our time by stopping and to go on. I wanted to yell back that I had already killed my time stopping for the 36 other photos I took along the course, but I didn’t. I looked up into the ChEar Zone bleachers and found my parents standing up and yelling for me.

Ok, this isn’t the photo of them cheering for me, but this is the bleachers they were sitting in. They are the 2 sitting down. Photo courtesy of runDisney

I collected my medal and made my way to have my official finisher photo taken, which somehow Marathonfoto found a way to lose. I collected my banana and snack box and then I was standing right back in the same parking lot where it all began earlier that morning.

I went back into the Race Retreat to collect my RR swag, which included flip-flops and a little towel. They were serving a hot breakfast, which smelled wonderful! I didn’t take time to eat anything because my parents were waiting for me. I did, however, take time to use one of my drink tickets to get a mimosa. Each runner was given two drink tickets as we entered the tent, and at the bar, we could choose from a mimosa, bloody mary, or some hibiscus drink thing. I gave my other drink ticket away to another runner and exited the tent to find my parents and head back to the resort.

It was a fabulous day! I enjoyed this race so much! Even though I finished six minutes slower than I did at St. Jude, I stopped a LOT for pics and I felt great at the finish, and recovery was a breeze! I guess that means I’m getting better at this running thing. I’ll do a separate post about things I learned and what I’d do differently in the future. Keep checking back for that. If you ran the Princess, what was your favorite moment of the race?

Races runDisney

Blog Rewind Wednesday–My Very First 5K

by Melanie Adams

Welcome to a new feature on my blog I like to call Blog Rewind Wednesday. I have a lot on my mind that I’d like to get out, and some of it happened before I ever thought about blogging. So, this is where I’ll blog about things from my past.

Today I wanted to share with you about my very first 5k, the 2010 Move It Memphis 5k. However, I’m so sorry I don’t have many photos to share with you. I was so nervous that day, I was only trying to get through it without embarrassing myself.

I always liked the idea of running. I just never liked the activity of running. I think I’ve always had a runner inside of me, but she was dormant for most of my life. I tell the story that runDisney is what got me into running, and it’s true that was the catalyst for my consistency with the sport. However, running was on my radar long before I ever heard of runDisney.

In 2008, I was involved in the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce membership drive, in which I had the opportunity to earn a trip to Cancun. I was really close to hitting my goal to earn the trip, but I needed another $1500 in sponsorships raised. I went to my company’s marketing department and got them to sponsor the inaugural Move It Memphis 5k/10k. Part of the deal was that I would run and work the booth before and after the race. Well, I never actually signed up to run, but I did work the booth. The day of the race was a very cold February morning in 2009, and I was miserable. I was so glad to not have to run in those temps. Yet, everyone had these goody bags and matching shirts. Have I mentioned I love swag? Then as the runners finished, they were given medals. I wanted a medal! Also, the runners were the only ones who were not shivering. Maybe running in the cold wasn’t so bad after all. Once the day was over, I really didn’t think much more about it. I got my trip to Cancun, so I was happy.

2010 rolled around, and much to my surprise, my company was sponsoring the race again. They were asking for people to run in it, and I couldn’t help but think I still had some unfinished business to do. Even though I was convinced I was going to embarrass myself in front of my coworkers, I signed up for the 5k. I even thought there was a real possibility I might finish last. See, I had already looked at the inaugural results. I knew how long it took the last finisher, and I knew about how long it was going to take me. I signed up anyway.

My very first race bib!

I think I “trained” for an entire week before the race, mainly just to convince myself I could actually finish it. I didn’t have the right shoes, or the right clothes. I didn’t know anything about hydration and nutrition. I’m not even sure I ate breakfast beforehand. The morning came, and it was a chilly but gorgeous day. I recall the running conditions to be pretty near perfect, which I would wish for any first time racer. I was so nervous I could barely breathe. I saw all the fit athletes, and I was certain everyone was wondering what I was doing there. The announcer told us to make our way to the start, and I did what all first timers should NOT do–I started near the front. Yeah, don’t do that unless you are in contention to place. So I tried to keep up for about a block or two, but I obviously couldn’t. Eventually the turtles like me caught up, and I was able to find a groove with people of similar paces. By mile 1, I was actually enjoying it. I absolutely LOVED that there was a police officer at every intersection in downtown Memphis stopping traffic for me. ME! By mile 2, I was walking with a lady who was having a hard time, and I was able to encourage her. I was actually encouraging someone during my very first race! Before long, the finish line was in sight, and there were still people behind me! I spotted some coworkers who were there to cheer me on. Other spectators told me great job! I finished, got my medal and made my way back to my company’s booth. One coworker told me what an inspiration I was. Complete strangers came up to me, patted me on the back, and told me, “Good race”! It felt great! I didn’t finish last, and no one laughed at me. The day was a success!

My very first race medal!

I learned a few things that day. First of all, no one really cares about anyone else, not in the negative sense anyway. Everyone has their own goals and reasons for being there and are focused on their own race. Second, the running community is highly inclusive and encouraging. There will always be someone there to lift you up when you need it. Likewise, there will be times when you will need to lift someone else up. Never pass up those opportunities. Finally, like I’ve already said, don’t start near the front unless you are trying to win. You will be forced to start way faster than you should and will use up too much energy in the beginning. Plus, you will likely tick someone else off who is trying to win, not to mention the fact that it just isn’t safe.

So, that’s the story of my very first race. I wish I could say it was the beginning of my love of running. It wasn’t. It would be another year and 8 months before my feet would hit the pavement for exercise again. You can read more about that in the “about” section of this blog.

Now I’d like to hear from you. What do you remember about your first race? Was it the beginning of your love of running? If you don’t run, do you have another memorable first you’d like to share?

Blog Rewind Wednesday Races

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2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon Race Report Part 1–The Pre-Race

by Melanie Adams

I have a lot to talk about from the days leading up to the race itself. At the same time, the half was the main event, and the whole reason I was there in the first place. So, I thought I’d just jump right in and cover the race first.

My alarm was set for 2 am on February 24, 2013, which was 1 am to my body. I went to bed around 9 the night before. Five hours are good, right? I’m not really sure I actually slept any and finally got up at 1:55. I had everything laid out the night before so I hit the shower (yeah, I know! Why shower when I’m about to become a sweaty mess?), got ready and out the door I went. Carriages, I mean busses, were supposed to start running at 3 am and I wanted to be on the first bus. As I was walking around the front of the resort to the bus stop, I saw a bus drive off. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 5 minutes early and I started to panic a little. Then I was relieved to see 3 more lined up ready to take all of us eager Princesses to our ball, I mean race.

Upon arriving, if I wasn’t already awake, I sure was then because the energy was electric! Princesses, and the few princes, were cheering and yelling. There was a stage with a DJ, bright festive lights, and just an all around fun party atmosphere. I even caught a glimpse of the finish line from afar. That really gave me butterflies. I wanted to run around and see everything all at once but I had to reign myself in to keep from spending all my energy before the race even began. I did stop for a few pre-race photos before heading to my highly anticipated Race Retreat.

Me in front of the Princess Jasmine backdrop to match my costume! They had one for each princess lining the path as we entered the staging area.

The entrance to the Race Retreat

I’ll have more on this amenity at a later date but for anyone who is wondering if it’s worth the pricey tag, yes! For me it definitely was. I grabbed a banana, bagel, peanut butter and coffee and found a place to sit. It was wonderful to just be able to relax and soak everything in while staying off my feet. I ran into a few fellow Princess Posse members in the retreat, which was bonus!

I found Liz as soon as I walked into the Race Retreat!

I found Aimee in the Race Retreat porta potty line!

Before I knew it, an announcement was made for corrals A, B, and C to make their way to the start. I realized I should go ahead and use the private potties at the retreat so I would be ready when D was called, which happened right as I was finishing up. I left my cozy retreat and began the long journey to the starting line, which was about a mile. I did make 2 additional potty stops on the way. The last thing I wanted was to get into my corral and need one.

There were so many people that the walk to the start definitely was slow. I finally got to the starting line area, and whoa! 23,000 princesses equate to a whole lot of tutus and tiaras! There were 8 corrals, A-H, and best I could tell, they had A-D lined up directly in front of the start and E-H in another row off to the side. Because I was in D I have no idea how they got E-H moved over. I wasn’t even in place yet and the National Anthem began. Once the race started, things really got moving. I was surprised by how quickly they moved everyone through. The Fairy Godmother was there to see us off. Each corral got their own fireworks to start, and since I was in corral D, I had already seen the wheelchair start as well as A, B, and C. I was so excited I just could not wait to be on my way. I got a little teary because this was by far the most exciting and dynamic start to a race I had ever experienced. Again, I had to reign myself in because I knew I needed to save as much energy as possible. Almost before I even realized it, the announcer was counting us down and the sky was ablaze with our fireworks.

runDisney’s pic of the fireworks, courtesy of runDisney

My pic of the fireworks at the start. I never claimed to be a good photographer.

My Princess experience had finally begun!

Up next, the race itself! Did I have/take time for character photos? Did I hold up well in the heat and humidity? Did I finish? Also, who was the person I was most excited and surprised to run into on the course?

Races runDisney Uncategorized

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Square Life Round World

I'm navigating through this round world while living a square life, and it fits exactly as it should.

Disney Cruise Line Dream Cruise 2013–Castaway Cay 5k and a PR, Well Maybe Sort Of

Fed Ex St. Jude Classic Fairway 5k and a PR

Things I Like Thursday–The runDisney Food Box

2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon Race Report Part 2-The Race

Blog Rewind Wednesday–My Very First 5K

2013 Disney Princess Half Marathon Race Report Part 1–The Pre-Race

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