Disney Princess Half Marathon - Part 1

If you missed my recaps of the expo, you can find them here!

Disney's Fit For A Princess Expo - Day 1
Disney's Fit For A Princess Expo - Day 2

This was it!  I kept waking up through the night, terrified that I was going to oversleep (even though I had 2 alarms set and a wake up call for 2:30 a.m.).

I jumped up at the first alarm and stood by the phone waiting for the wake up call, which was Sebastian singing "Under the Sea" (nice touch, AoA!)  I grabbed a quick shower, threw my outfit on, and met Sharon downstairs to catch a bus to ride to the pre-race area.  We got right on and in no time at all we were there...walking through a sea of people to get to the festivities.

I ate my Luna bar and we hit up the POPs (Port O Potties), and then we saw Rapunzel, who Sharon was dressed up as for the race, so we jumped in line.  When we were almost there, they switched the characters out for Ariel.  Sharon was disappointed but we still snagged a picture.

I was waiting for Amanda, Jules, and L to get there, so we did a lot of standing around and taking it all in.  Soon, they started calling out corral letters to start heading to the start line.  The other girls hadn't yet arrived, so Sharon and I hugged and she headed to her corral while I waited for them.  Finally they got there and Amanda and I had to get a picture -

Once everyone had arrived, we headed to the start line.  Amanda and Jules were in Corral B, but moved back to C to start with L and I (thanks ladies!)

We watched as they sent off the wheelchair athletes, followed by the elites, and Corrals A and B.  Finally, it was time for the Fairy Godmother to send us on our way!

I couldn't believe it!  Amanda and I were beginning our journey to finishing our first half marathon!  I had plans to follow my run/walk intervals, but threw them to the wind as we headed toward the Magic Kingdom.  I wanted to run as much as I could in between characters and water stops.

Awesome volunteers cheering us on!

Miles 1 and 2 came and went super fast.  Just before mile 3 we were heading towards the toll booth for the Magic Kingdom!

Woo hoo!

Amanda at Mile 3

We kept trekking along and got closer and closer.  The atmosphere was so incredible and I couldn't wipe the huge cheesy grin off my face!

Lighning McQueen as we passed the Speedway

Performance group from the Japan Pavilion at Epcot I believe

We were getting closer to entering the park, and I loved the inspirational signs that were set up along the course -

Soon, we rounded the backstage area where it dumped us out onto Main Street USA.  Talk about an adrenaline rush!  Tons of people cheering and holding up signs....it's such an amazing feeling!

Here we go!

And then...it comes into your sight...that glorious structure that is often one of the main reasons that people run at Disney World....Cinderella's Castle

The cheesy grin on my face got even bigger (as just about every single picture that Marathon Foto took of me will show) and I just enjoyed cheering along with the crowd and checking out the fun signs everyone was holding up.

We veered off into Tomorrowland where the music got to Amanda and she jumped over and started dancing with one of the volunteers!  He was such a good sport about it :)

We saw Buzz Lightyear but he line was too long, so I took a picture of Amanda with him in the background.  We ran past the new Fantasyland and saw Alice and the Mad Hatter, Gaston, and Tiana, but bypassed them, ready to do one of the highlights of the race - run through Cinderella's Castle!

After running through we took a pit stop to get our pictures made in front of the castle - an absolute must do during a Disney race.  After seeing some of the castle pictures from earlier that morning, I'm kind of glad we got there after it was light out because the castle didn't show in some of the pictures that were taken while it was still dark.

Check it out!

After the castle we entered Frontierland and stopped so Amanda could get her picture made with who else but Jessie!  Right around there we crossed mile 6 and I waved Amanda to go ahead of me and run her own race for the rest of the way.  She had a goal time of under 3 hours and I didn't want to hold her back, but was very appreciative that she ran with me for so long.  Thanks Amanda!

Check back tomorrow when I finish my recap of my first runDisney race and my first half marathon!!

Until next time,

Jen

Running Over Batten's Virtual Run

Today is Rare Disease Day, so it's actually very fitting for me to post about this virtual run.

My friend and running partner, Amanda, has a friend whose daughter, Olivia, is suffering from Batten's Disease, a very rare neurodegenerative disorder that affects children.  Over time, it can affect their mental impairment and progressive loss of sight and motor skills.  They often suffer from seizures, and eventually, become blind, bedridden, and unable to communicate.  As of now, there is no known cure for Batten Disease and the outcome is fatal.

Amanda wanted to do something to help her dear friend and Olivia out, so she decided to host a virtual run called "Running Over Batten's".  You can do the run at any point in April, and you get to choose the distance.  The cost is $20 and you will receive a medal.

Want to know where your money will go?  It could help Olivia and her family out with a variety of different needs -

Check out the Running Over Battens Facebook Page for more information and updates on the virtual run.. The deadline is April 30th, and you can also email Amanda directly at aj_lipinski@ymail.com. 

If you'd like to learn more about Batten's Disease, visit http://www.bdsra.org/.

Until next time,

Jen

Disney's Fit For A Princess Expo - Day 2

If you missed my Day 1 recap check it out here!

Saturday morning we opted out of going to the 5k and slept in a bit since Amanda didn't get much sleep the night before with her eye, so we got ready and headed to the expo early to get there right as it opened.  It just so happened that about a thousand other Princesses had the same idea!  The line was wrapped around the hotel.  Lucky for us, Jules and L got there even earlier so we were able to jump in line with them.

We all headed straight to the KT Tape booth to get our body parts taped up.  L got her feel, Amanda got her ankles, and I got a knee and ankle.  They will tape one body part for free, but if you want multiples, you have to buy a roll of tape, which really isn't a big deal if you're going to continue to use it.  I used some of Jule's tape (thanks lady!)

Amanda snagged a picture for me

And here's the finished product -

She said that it was supposed to help draw the fluid out from around my knee...I'm not sure if it did that, but my knee didn't hurt for the whole race!

We shopped around a bit more and then I headed to the Art of Animation resort, where J was waiting for me.  I picked him up, got Amanda, and we headed to Downtown Disney to grab some lunch.  Sharon and her husband, D, checked into the hotel and met us at Wolfgang Puck Cafe.  I had a delicious Curry Chicken salad, Amanda had a Chicken Caesar, and Sharon had a Cobb...we all thoroughly enjoyed our choices.  Amanda's husband, also known as J, had arrived, so she went to meet him.  Sharon hadn't been to the expo yet so I took her and we left J and D to do their own thing (scary thought, right?)

We picked up Sharon's bib, and she got moved up a corral at the Runner Relations booth!  The line for the shirts wasn't nearly as painful as it was the day before, and neither was the official race merchandise booth.  We walked back through the booths and she made a few purchases.  We saw the official countdown clock to the half marathon and had to get a picture with it.

Hiding behind the countdown clock we spotted runDisney training consultant Jeff Galloway and runDisney's "Diet Diva" Tara Gidus.  I got another picture :)

New Balance was there with their limited edition Mickey and Minnie Mouse inspired shoes.  On the back wall of their booth were all the names of the participants of the Princess Half Marathon.  Mine, of course, was at the very bottom so getting a picture was a little difficult.

Once we were done we headed back to the hotel to chill out beside the pool until the guys came back from wherever it was that they went (Port Orleans Riverside to the arcade I believe it was).  Once they arrived, we decided to meet for dinner at the resort's cafeteria.  We ordered my favorite food to carb load on - pizza!

After dinner, Sharon and I needed to get to sleep...we had an early wake up call in the morning!  The guys headed back to Downtown Disney to catch a movie and let us get a head start on our sleep.  I laid out my outfit to make getting ready in the morning a little easier -

I was all set to go!  I couldn't believe this day had finally come, so getting to sleep was a little hard.  I watched some TV and played on the iPad until my eyes got heavy and I finally drifted off to sleep.

Next up...the race!!!

Until next time,

Jen

Disney's Fit For a Princess Expo - Day 1

I can't believe this weekend finally came!!  I was up bright and early to catch an 8 a.m. flight out of Atlanta to head down to Orlando to start my magical weekend.  Amanda asked if I wanted to come a day early to hang out since we never get to see each other.  I was so anxious to get there and head to the expo!

As soon as I was dropped off at the Pop Century resort, I checked my bag with luggage assistance and hopped on a bus to the expo to meet up with Amanda and two of her friends who were also running.

This was my first major race expo, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  Amanda was waiting for me in the lobby of Coronado Springs, where the expo took place.  We hugged and got in line to get our bibs!

That was quick and painless...then we had to get our shirts.  The line was CRAZY!!!  One of Amanda's friends, L, went and stood in line for the shirts while Amanda, Jules, and I headed for the official merchandise booth.  There was actually a line to get in, and once we got in it was a madhouse.  We grabbed whatever we thought we might want, and then pondered on the purchases while we stood in line to check out.  I bought a pin that looks like the medal and a lanyard for them for myself, and I bought Sharon a magnet, pin, and Vinylmation medal, just in case they were out the next day when she got there.

I had seen a sneak peek of a limited edition shirt that Team Sparkle was going to have for the expo, so Amanda and I headed over to see if they had any left.  I met Kelly (who I follow on Twitter and Instagram as well as her blog) and she is as sweet as anything.  My stupid phone died so I didn't get a picture with her, but maybe at the Dumbo Double Dare we can make that happen...AND I was able to score a shirt!  (Picture of it to come in a future post)

We stopped by the runDisney booth to check out the medals and see if they had the new 10k and Dumbo Double Dare medals out yet (sadly they did not).  While we were there, we said hello to Jeff Galloway! Since my phone died, Amanda was nice enough to get a picture for me!

We did a little more shopping and decided it was too crowded, so we decided to head back to the hotel and come back when the expo opened in the morning to get taped up by KT Tape.

Amanda's eye had been bothering her, so later that evening Jules and L took her to urgent care and I stayed behind.  I was able to meet another fellow blogger and Twitter friend, Lena from The Beginner's Runner at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa during a Run Disney So I Can Eat Disney meet up!  She's also very sweet and I look forward to seeing her again at Disneyland later this year!

Afterwards, I decided to jump on the monorail and stop off at the Polynesian resort for a Dole Whip!  I had to complete my research in determining which Dole Whip was better - one from the Dole Plantation in Hawai'i or one from Walt Disney World.  Blog post to come soon on my findings!

As I was walking past the Magic Kingdom on my way back to the resort buses, I heard the "Wishes" firework show playing, so I stopped at the gates to watch.

 Amanda was back from urgent care so I stopped by the hotel to check on her.  She also was having a migraine so I left her in the room to rest and headed to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping and grab some dinner.  I bought a couple more pins and got a BLT from Earl of Sandwich for dinner.  I did a TON of walking on Friday so I threw these babies on to help keep my legs fresh -

We had plans to get up and go cheer on the 5k participants, so I headed to bed.  It was a long but fun first day at Disney!

Part 2 of the expo to come tomorrow!

Until next time,

Jen

I'm a Half Marathoner and Giveaway Winner Announced!

Yesterday morning I completed my first ever half marathon!

I'll write a full race recap this week, but I wanted to announce the winner of my giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats Lauren!  Please email me your mailing address at hellofitnessjen@gmail.com in 48 hours or I will have to pick another winner!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Until next time,

Jen 

It's the Final Countdown!

I've had a great couple of days at Disney, and as I lay in my bed at the Art of Animation typing a quick blog post, I glance over to my race outfit, all nice and laid out, my nerves are starting to rattle a bit. I'm coming to the realization that the very race I started training for close to a year ago has finally arrived.

I know I can finish...it's more of the anticipation and not exactly knowing what to expect.  I know it's going to be an incredible experience and one that I won't soon forget.  It's my first half and I'm sure the pre-race jitters will go away when I arrive at the starting line and hear the Fairy Godmother send us off.

I'll be posting pictures and posting to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram throughout the race (or as long as my phone stays alive) and will have lots to tell you next week.

My next post will come from a half marathoner!!

Until next time,

Jen

Oh, my bags are packed...

...I'M READY TO GO!

Tomorrow morning I leave bright and early, on my way to complete the race that was the whole reason for starting up this blog...in a little over 48 hours I can officially call myself a half-marathoner!

I can't wait to see Amanda again and meet some of her running friends, as well as other bloggers and social media peeps!  I've finished packing and just need to head to bed.

Checking the weather for the weekend I stumbled across this -

Eek!  I know that it's Florida and that the weather can change from day to day, but fingers crossed we won't have to run in the rain (or at least not too terribly far).

I will be tweeting, Facebooking, and Instagraming all through the weekend, so if you don't already follow me now's as good of a time as ever to start!  I've also set up my accounts to have my splits posted as well so you can kind of follow me as I run!

It's hard to believe that the time is almost here, and while a bit of nervousness is setting in, I'm also so excited that I've finally met my goal, and that I get to share the experience with so many wonderful ladies (and my guy!)

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a cute and comfy Sweat Pink hoodie!  It ends Sunday at midnight!

Until next time, from WDW,

Jen