Operation Sparkle Recap: The Princess Half Marathon!

Sunday morning had come and once again 3 am came way too early, despite the fact that we'd gone to bed reasonably early. Once again, laying out our clothes the night before helped out immensely. We headed out to wait for a bus, which was a first, because the buses had usually been there waiting. But on this day, the buses had started running earlier and we had decided that a little extra sleep would be better than waiting at the start line. But it wasn't bad to wait for the bus because it was finally warm-ish!!

We got to Epcot and we didn't really wait around like we had in mornings past. I started to make my way to the corrals, which were in a different location than they had been for the 5K and 10K (about a mile or so walk), and Mom made her way to the monorail (I'm going to do a whole separate blog on the spectating).

I sat on the ground for a while, in an effort to save my legs, heard the Paris announcement that I figured was coming sooner or later based on the leaked promo pics they shot a few months back, and before I knew it, the race was starting for the upper corrals and my corral was moving up, up, up, until it was my turn!

 I was making pretty good time from the start to mile 1 to mile 2 and the sun was slowly rising. We cheered the wheelchair runner and the woman who won as they passed us by on the other side of the road, and then I could see it...my first magical site of the day.

Don't under estimate the magic of a Disney race or the emotion that comes upon seeing this sign. It's one thing to drive through it on your way to a magical day in the Magic Kingdom, but I can now tell you from experience, it's another experience entirely to run through it, surrounded by your fellow princesses with the Monorail driving by and honking "hello" at you. It made all the costs incurred worth it.

I continued on my way and soon I was greeted with more familiar sites, like the Contemporary and a pretty famous mountain.

 We didn't go through the front gates of Magic Kingdom, so while I knew I was tantalizingly close to being in the Magic Kingdom, I wasn't quite sure where I was. And then we were kind of funneled through a barricade and then there it was...MAIN STREET USA.

The emotion was overwhelming. And it was compounded by the sheer number of people there cheering you on. I've run a couple halfs now, and there are parts of the course where I am all alone with nothing but my thoughts, hoping I've followed the right chalk line on the road and I'm not lost. Disney was a COMPLETELY different experience. There was never a place where I was alone and there was rarely a part of the course where there wasn't someone clapping and cheering and telling me and my fellow princesses that we could keep going. That we had this. I found Mom up near the castle, where, with the help of my friend Hannah, we'd worked out she would be, and I waved "hi!" as I made the turn into Tomorrowland.

 I made my first stop of the race in Tomorrowland because these were the first real bathrooms since I'd left my hotel that morning. The line was a little long, but it was worth it to not use a Port-o-Potty. I wound around past the Teacups and the Carousel and the rather new Princess Fairytale Hall. And around the back of the castle was Anna, Elsa and Kristoff...AGAIN! Man those guys are EVERYWHERE!! And then it was time to do the thing that I had wanted to do since I first signed up for this race...RUN. THROUGH. THE. CASTLE.

 And more importantly, ALL MY PICTURES OF ME DOING IT CAME OUT. Oh my gosh, running through the castle was everything I'd built it up to be in my head and more. I saw Mom again, which was great, and then it was off through Frontierland and out the back, which was a pretty cool experience, because Parade floats behind the scenes!

 I made it out of the Magic Kingdom, told it I'd see it real soon, because we were heading there that day, and then began my run by the Grand Floridian and Golf Courses. I made my second to last picture stop because there was a very short line, and who can say no to Mary...

And then it was just a matter of mind over matter. I was pretty proud of myself this half. Even though it wasn't a PR for me, it was the furthest I've ever gotten without having to just walk the entire time. I made it to mile 10 or 11 before I had to just start walking. And that was nice.

 Between mile 10 and 11, I saw one of my favorite race signs ever and stopped really quick for a picture and then it was back to it. I was texting Mom at this point, who had made it back to Epcot, and she was encouraging me to keep one foot in front of the other because I was going to finish.

And soon I was back in Epcot and there was Spaceship Earth! I was going to finish. And before I knew it, I was passing the fabled Gospel Choir at the finish, and there was the sign for mile 13, and it was time for the longest 0.1 mile of the whole half.

I pushed through the pain in my feet to do what I always have to do during halfs: As soon as I can see the finish, I start running again. I always have to finish running. And this was no exception. I searched for mom in the crowd, didn't find her (because she wasn't there, she was past the finish line) and then lifted my arms high, because I had done it! I had finished 22.4 miles in 3 days.

 Then it was back on the bus for a shower and a rest, and off to the Magic Kingdom!

 We dealt with some return trip drama (my flight had been cancelled and I had to stay an extra day), but we didn't let it diminish the fun! Disney was very accomodating about the whole thing. And I got to meet Gaston, Belle, Anna and Elsa, got to ride Mine Train, and then we scoped a spot for the nighttime festivities.

 The Electrical Parade, Celebrate the Magic and Wishes didn't disappoint as always.

 We then went to Be Our Guest for dessert, which was a reservation I had been lucky enough to score and was very excited for, since it's the only way to meet the Beast in Disney World now. I tried the Grey Stuff...it was delicious, and I didn't even have to ask the dishes their opinion.

 And thus ended our half marathon day. We headed back to the resort to go to bed...and not wake up at 3 am!!!

to be continued...

Operation Sparkle Recap: The Enchanted 10K

Hey there readers!

Well, I had made it. After a REALLY cold morning 5K and a rather chilly day in Hollywood Studios, the first day of the Glass Slipper Challenge had arrived! Once again, the alarm clock went off WAAAAAY too early, but once again, laying out all my clothes the night before really helped make the process of getting dressed that early stress free.

We then headed to the bus stop, where once again the bus was waiting. We noticed that it was already feeling warmer than it had the day before, so that was a good thing. I spent some time staying warm with all my blankets and then I handed them off to mom and kept my "throw away jacket" to stay warm  in the corrals since I had a t-shirt that morning. If you wear old clothes to the start of the races but dispose of them before the start of the race or on the course, runDisney will DONATE them to a charity. So that's a win.

The wait in the corral the morning of the 10K definitely felt the longest of the weekend. I don't know why. It wasn't as cold as the 5K and there weren't as many runners or corrals as in the half, but it felt like it took forever to get to start. But soon enough there were fireworks and we were off!

I once again didn't stop for any character pictures. I don't regret this one as much as the 5K because 1) I didn't really see many characters I wanted to stop for and 2) the lines were RIDICULOUS. I didn't want to risk being swept and not getting to complete the Glass Slipper Challenge, which is what I had come to do. But I did stop for pics with my own phone, like the stilt guys above or my Belle sign selfie, below.

I'm also pretty proud of my jump shot. I can't believe I pulled that off without looking ridiculous. But soon my 6.2 miles were over and I could see the finish line. Once again, it looked pretty sweet! I crossed, hands held high and got my medal (which mom took a picture of me getting because that's where she was waiting for me) and then went for my official finisher's portrait.

We then headed back to the hotel for shower/rest and then it was off to Epcot, where we had a Princess brunch in Norway. That was a new experience for me and it was pretty fun. Not something I'm sure I need to repeat, but I'm glad I can say I did it.

Then we walked around the World Showcase meeting more characters before having dinner at the Electric Umbrella (DELICIOUS Quick Service) and then heading back to the hotel for bed. Another early wake-up was in our future.

to be continued

(This blog has been cross-posted in some form at The Main Street Mouse)

Operation Sparkle Recap: The Literal Frozen 5K

Morning readers!

It's time to talk the 5K! The only downside of Disney races is the alarm clock going off at 3 am. I'm a morning person, but even 3 am is early for me. But it went off and mom and I got up. We had laid out our clothes the night before, which I highly recommend, because it made getting dressed so much easier. I wasn't pacing around the room trying to find my socks or gloves or anything.

Luckily, when we got to the bus stop, the first bus was already there and waiting for us. And most importantly, it was WARM, which was good because Florida was experiencing RECORD LOWS. I HIGHLY recommend that if you are preparing for a Disney race that you weather watch like a hawk. Because I did, I was able to switch my regular running tights for my thermals and order a long-sleeved shirt to replace the tee I had originally planned with this costume from Amazon Prime. If I hadn't done that, I would have been too cold.

The coldest part of the morning was the waiting for the start. Especially once I had to head into the corrals because I had to hand over my blanket to Mom. But I had a trash bag and tried to get close to people for warmth. Soon though we were off!

Slow start because everyone wants a picture.

Entering EPCOT like a CM

1 down, 2.1 to go!

It was an odd race experience for me because I never actually got warm. I got warm enough, but I never felt myself break into a sweat. My only regret about this race is that I didn't take my time. I found out later I could have stopped for a character pic and still been okay since the 5K 1) isn't timed and 2) wasn't part of the Glass Slipper Challenge. But hindsight is 20/20...and honestly, staying out longer would have meant being cold longer. I did stop for a couple non-character pics though!

Anna was mic'd and asked if I had shopped at Wandering Oaken's

I found Catie at the finish and we had a pic taken! Then I had my first official Finisher portrait, found mom and we had breakfast at the finish!

This was an add on and I have to say the food was DELICIOUS. If you are considering a runDisney weekend, I have to say, consider one of the weekend breakfasts. It's in a tent, protected from the elements, and for Princess weekend, they had Princesses I could have met. I chose not to because we were meeting the appearing princesses in the parks, but if I hadn't been going to the parks or if a princess I hadn't planned to meet elsewhere had been there, I would have jumped in line! For Princess weekend there was a breakfast like this after the 5K and the 10K. We chose the 5K because 1) it was going to be my fastest finish, so sooner breakfast and 2) we already had 10K brunch plans. But I highly recommend the experience. It was nice to have good, hot food with little wait.

Then it was back to the hotel for a shower, a rest and then onto our chosen park for the day! I include some of my fave pics from that day at Hollywood Studios.

I beat Mom at Midway Mania!

Midway selfie!

The night ended with Fantasmic, one of my favorite nighttime shows, and then it was back to the hotel for another early wakeup call.

to be continued...

(This blog has been cross posted at The Main Street Mouse)

Operation Sparkle Recap: The Race Expo

Good morning people!

It has been over a week since I returned from Disney and OH! What a week it has been. I've discovered that I can never go on vacation again, because work gets a little weird in my absence. But I had fun while I was at Disney and cannot wait to go back, so let's get to the recaps, shall we?

I'll start with the race expo, which was crazy! I mean, I knew to expect people and things and lots of things I couldn't afford, but I don't think I expected that level of crazy.

I arrived Thursday afternoon and saw the GREATEST sight in the world:

The only downside to this site was that mom wasn't with me. Her plane had been delayed to mechanical difficulties, I was on my own the first few hours of the trip.

I have to say, I love the new online check-in service Disney is offering. While I was on the bus to my resort, I got a text telling me my room was ready and the room number which meant I could go straight there when the bus dropped me off. Which I did. And it was conveniently next to a bus stop. So I unloaded my carry-on tote (as I took advantage of the Disney checked bag luggage delivery service), repacked what I needed for the expo and was off to ESPN!!

 When I got there, the first thing I did was head to the packet pickup. I picked up my GSC bib and had my picture taken with it (so they could verify I was running). It's important to note that YOU have to pick up YOUR packet. They check IDs to make sure that you are you. This makes it difficult to sell bibs but it's also an added safety feature after Boston.

After I got my GSC bib, I went and picked up my 5K bib and my race shirts. I double checked that the sizes were good, because there is an opportunity for shirt exchange and then it was on to the fun part: SHOPPING.

There are so many vendors at the runDisney expos that it can be a little overwhelming, but that's why I went in with a plan. I didn't want the shoes or the Dooneys, but I had decided I wanted a GSC jacket. When I got there, there appeared to be plenty in each size, but more importantly they had one in mine! I also got an "I Did It!" shirt for the GSC and two GSC headbands. It all cost more than it should have, but YOLO right? I also had the opportunity to meet some princesses, which definitely helped brighten the start of the trip!

 Then I picked up some online orders I had placed with a couple vendors. This is definitely something to look into if a vendor you like is going to be at the expo! Several have the option for you to pick up at the expo, which saves time, and saves shipping costs. Plus you guarantee what you want in your size!

I stopped for one more picture and then it was back on the bus to the hotel to meet mom, who was finally on her way on the Magical Express and we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner, some shopping and then it was time for an early bedtime...3 am would come early the next morning.

to be continued...

 (This blog has been partially cross-posted at The Main Street Mouse)