A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes...

Before my sister passed away in 2014 we had been really into the half marathon world. We had done two in 2013 and were planning more. At one of the run expo's we saw a booth for RunDisney. We knew immediately that we had to do the Princess Half Marathon, but we would wait to do it until we both had kids to take with us and our husbands could mange the kiddos and we would run. TJ and I were trying to get pregnant and she was getting married the next year. So we figured it would be a couple of years, but it made the list of sister things were were going to do. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Last July, a little over a year after she passed away, the 2016 Princess Half Marathon registration was opening. I had the urge to sign up. I had a feeling that if I didn't do it now, I never would, it would be easy to let this little silly dream of ours just go away. My mom agreed to do it with me to my surprise and when registration opened I was waiting online with my debit card to get us signed up! We were in.

Over the next few months we trained on and off. Last time I did a half marathon and trained for one I was nearly 70lbs lighter, I was incredibly happy, and my life was going just like I had hoped. Now, I had all this weight on me, I was just emerging from severe postpartum depression, and I'd spent the last year trying to figure out how to be happy in a world that seemed so dark and cold. So of course going to the happiest place on earth and running 19.3 miles makes sense! :) Why 19.3? I signed up for the Glass Slipper Challenge, a 10K on Saturday and the Half on Sunday.

Training went well. Mom and I were very slow. We had to keep a 16 pace, which seems doable, but you'd be surprised at how much of a power walk that is. We trained and did a 10K in November to turn in our race time in hopes of not being placed in the last corral. The 16 minute pace doesn't start until the last person crosses the start. Thankfully, we got placed in corral L and they went all the way to P! YAY! This bought us a mile and a half head start of the sweeper buses/balloon ladies! Mom and I trained with a walk/run pattern and we did pretty good for most of the race. There were several spots where the course narrows and there was no point in trying to run as there were just too many people!

In preparing for the race I did a lot of Google searches to try and find out information about the race. So here are some tips and highlights:

• The Expo
• The RunDisney Expo is at ESPN's Wide World of Sports. If you don't have to don't go on the first day. It's awful! There are so many people waiting in line to even get in the building. Then there are lines in the building. The first long line is just to get your bib number, then you have to stand in another long line to get in the expo and pick up your race shirts. Also, LEAVE THE KIDS AT HOME! We brought Anna thinking it would be no big deal if she was in her stroller. Well in everything I read I must have missed the part about no strollers in the buildings. So we had to carry her and it was awful. By the time we waited in all the lines and carried a 22 lbs toddler around we were over it and didn't even bother looking through the expo vendors. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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• Kids Races
• Anna did the 100m Kids Race at the Wide World of Sports track and she had a blast! It was so cute and I think worth the money! The worst part was standing at the starting line waiting our turn. They let the little kids go in waves and they get restless. Kids had one or two parents with them and Minnie Mouse greeted them before they crossed the finish. I walked with Anna and held her hand. It was so cute, because at the end of the race they gave them water, a banana, and a kids cliff bar and took their picture against a race backdrop just like the grown ups! We had a lot of fun with it! That's also the day I bought my RunDisney merchandise since all of the lines had died down. However, if you are wanting something specific, get it the first day. They were out of several things by the second. 

  

  There was a fun little obstacle course for the kids to do while they waited!

  
  

  

  Anticipating the race! :)

  
  
  
  
  

  

  She found Daddy in the crowd!

  
  
  
  
  

  

  Replenishing after the race! :)

  
  

  

  Love them! :)

• The Enchanted 10K
• I did this race by myself. I got up at 2:45 am, got dressed and headed to the bus. The race didn't start until 5:30 am, but you had to be on the bus by 4:00 am to make it to the start line. There wasn't much of  a walk to the 10K and since I was there so early I stood in line to get my picture with Aurora. Disney had a fun DJ, water,snacks for purchase and more than enough porta potties for everyone! I never really had to wait in line for the restroom and it was awesome. It was kind of cold that morning, but I had worn a long sleeve shirt and managed okay. It seemed like it took forever to release each of the corrals for the 10K, and I was pretty stiff by the time it was our turn, but I got over it when I saw the fireworks and Anna and Elsa wishing us luck just a half a mile into the course. The first three miles were okay. We were on the roads leading into Epcot and it was a bit boring, but every now and then you'd pass a set of Disney Characters and you can't help but smile! I didn't stop for pictures because the lines were to long. Then a little after 3 miles you enter Epcot through a back entrance and you come around a corner and you are in the World Showcase and Disney music is playing loudly all through the park. I am not going to lie I got a little misty eyed. I just kept thinking "this really is magical". It really is! I stopped to take a few pictures once I made it in the park and then kept going. We ran around World Showcase then back into the Boardwalk where several of the Disney Vacation Club properties are. We weaved around the park and finally got to the finish. It was so awesome. I loved it. I would highly recommend doing the 10K to anyone! Thankfully, Disney is great and the walk to the resort buses was right out of the gear check area. I was glad to get headed back to the hotel. We had a lunch date with Jake, Sofia, and Doc McStuffins to get to! :)  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Anna and Elsa!

  
  

  

  I'm in Epcot! 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  One down one to go!
• Disney Princess Half Marathon
• This is it! The race we had been waiting/training for! This time I had my mom by my side! It was much for fun to have a friend with me this time. We got up at 2:45 am again to catch the bus. Disney does transportation well and had several waiting for us at the resort. We get on the bus and head to the start of the race! I thought I knew what to expect since I had done the 10K the day before, but it turns out everything was different. The start line was in a completely different location than the 10K and it was actually a 20 min walk from where they DJ was. They still had all of the same amenities as they did with the 10K water, potties, etc., but now we had to get walking when we got there. I had read about this walk, but I thought it was from where they dropped us off. Nope. We went down some back side walks in the woods! Lol! When we made it to the corrals there more porta potties! Yay Disney! We headed to corral L and snuggled up under a mylar blanket I had saved from the day before. I didn't wear long sleeves this day because I knew it was going to be warm by the time we finished. 

  

  Early morning bus ride!

  
  

  

  Lookin Cute in our Matching Shirts!

  
  

  

  We had a long time to sit around!

  
  

  

  It's finally our turn!!

  
  
  
  
  
  
• We anxiously waited our turn. They released the corrals about every 4-5 minutes if that. Next thing we knew it was our turn and they set off fireworks and we were on our 13.1 mile journey. Before we knew it we had come up on mile 1. Only 12.1 more. We got this! I knew when we got to mile 5 we would be in the Magic Kingdom or entering it. So I kept giving mom updates. In "3 miles we will be in the Magic Kingdom" and so on. There was a sweeper bus right before you get in and I told mom to pick it up. When we headed in to the Magic Kingdom there were people lined up all along Mainstreet cheering us on and you make the turn at the entrance and there you see it. The Castle. Disney music is being piped through the park and it took all I had not to burst into tears because it feels so surreal. You just can't believe you are doing this. You take a turn and run through Tomorrowland and past the Tea Cups and Dumbo then you come to the back of the Castle and you know you're about to run through it and then you do and it is really cool! Mom and I did stop for a really quick selfie then we had to keep going. We didn't want to get picked up! You run through Adventureland and out of the park. Once you get out of the park and pass mile 6 you turn back towards the finish line and you start the journey to Epcot. As we were passing mile 7 we over heard a conversation. Someone had asked someone else about another runner and she mentioned that she had been swept just before the Magic Kingdom. I looked at mom and told her we needed to get back to our walk/jog pattern. We kept this up for a couple of miles stopping at each of the water stops. It was pretty warm by this point. 

  

  We are getting closer to the Castle!

  
  
  
  
  

  

  It's hard to see, but there were some cool drummers on the course!

  
  

  

  It says "You can go the distance"! From Hercules! 

  
  

  

  Entering the Magic Kingdom Park!

  
  

  

  And there it is...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Every time I would see the sweeper buses staged and ready we would run a little faster. At mile 10 we head up a nice hill on a curve. This the curve in the road that will take you to Epcot. We head up the hill and see the Green Army men from Toy Story at the top yelling at us to move it! Once we got to the top we could see how far ahead we really where. There was a sea of women a good two miles behind us. About this time we hit mile 11 and mom looked at me and said there was no way we were getting picked up. This was my cue to know that we weren't going to be running anymore! Lol! We walk the last two miles of the race. We saw mile 12 just before we entered Epcot and for the first time I was like "oh my gosh we are going to do this! We are going to finish!" Once we entered Epcot the park was open and there were people everywhere cheering us on. I knew we were more than safe at this point so we stopped and took a few pictures! :) TJ texted me to let me know where he and Anna were sitting at the finish line. When we saw the finish line I started to look for them and sure enough there was my little family waiting for me and my mom cheering us on. That moment made my heart soar! I had never been so happy to cross a finish line in my life. My dream had actually come true. I had finished the Disney Princess Half Marathon. 
  
  
  

  

  LOL! When we finally stopped for a character picture it was with this crazy non-Disney fairy! She was just a race fairy! 

  
  

  

  Yeah we are cool!

  
  

  

  I don't know that lady! But it's Mile 13!!!!

  
  

  

  We did it!

  

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  TJ's shirt says "My favorite Disney Princess is my Wife" hehe!
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Mom and I finished in 3 hours 33 minutes. The 16 minute pace would have been 3:30 minutes, but when we decided to stop doing the walk/jog thing and take pictures at the end things really slowed down. It was magical and wonderful and a really well put together race. I'm not sure even if we had been faster if we would have stopped to take pictures with the characters. The lines were really long and I think my nerves would have gotten the best of me waiting there. 

So here are a few things to remember:

1. Go to the Expo on day 2 if at all possible!
2. If you are a runner and you don't like walkers, submit a race time by the deadline so you don't get placed in the slow corrals! 
3. Stay on property. The race transportation was very reliable and you didn't have to worry about how to get places. You just got on a bus!
4. The 10K was a little less stressful so if you rock 6 miles and your only okay at 13 go for the 6. It's way fun and it would be easier to build in time for character pictures!
5. They will pick you up if you fall behind so try to get placed in a higher corral if you are worried about your time. We submitted a time before the deadline and I think that helped us.
6. It's Disney! Have fun and let yourself believe in the Magic!

In addition to all of the running craziness! We manged to make it into all four parks! We had so much fun! Even on race days we didn't come back and take a nap, we just showered and headed into the parks! We weren't going to waste any time. We may also be a bit crazy! :)

So instead of writing about it the pictures do a pretty good job of telling the story! :)

Magic Kingdom

Anna liked Tinker Bell's wings!

To infinity and beyond!

Anna loved the parades! I would put her on my shoulders and she would smile and bounce around then dip her head down and look at me and say "Hi"! Melt my heart! :)

The Tea Cups! I wouldn't recommend this one just after eating...

Anna's face looks like she is about to fall off!

Dumbo!

Pooh was very cuddly!

Hi Piglet!

Eeyore

Tigger

Epcot

This was the first Disney Character she met. She wasn't too sure at first!

I want to be where the people are..

A Dream is a wish your heart makes when your fast asleep...

High ho! High ho! It's off to work we go!

I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream!

Tale as old as time...True as it can be...

Hi Mickey!

Bruce the Shark from Nemo

Hollywood Studios

I wouldn't have nothin if I didn't have you!

Why does everyone like Princess Elsa? We are team Anna!

So, I was the only one screaming in our picture...

The Doc is in!

Sofia the First!

Handy Manny

Anna LOVED Doc!

Anna bumps heads when she loves you! lol!

Anna showed Jake her Belly Button! He thought it was funny!

This was her "I am about to run away from you look"

She LOVED Mickey!

Animal Kingdom

Anna thought it was funny to watch people come out of the mountain screaming!

Watch out here comes the Lion Guard!

She gave kisses and hugs to the Ducks!

When Anna is sleeping mommy and daddy take pictures! :)
Zip a dee do da Zip a dee day!

Front row seat at the Parade!

We stayed at All Star Sports and it was great! In the evenings they would play movies on the football field and Anna got a kick out of the Jungle Book!

I was surprised how much my little 18 month old enjoyed herself and knew exactly what was going on. She would get so excited to see the characters and she recognized them. She danced and laughed and had many a melt down because she didn't get her naps! Even though we went to run, it was so fun to get to experience Disney with Anna Lenee!

We can't wait until our next trip...well maybe we can. Just a little bit so we can catch up on some sleep! :)

Also, in my next job I want to work at Disney World. I can completely get on board with living and working in a world of make believe and imagination! It's wonderful! :)

Until the next big thing in our lives,
Leigha