I finally have time for my Disney Princess Half Recap! Let me just tell you up front, that this is not what you will expect AT ALL! I think that’s the best way to describe this race…unexpected. Anyway, on to the recap!
Saturday was my nephew’s first birthday so we stopped in Valdosta for a couple of hours for his party before heading down to Orlando.
Sorry, had to let the world see my cute little nephew! <3
When we got to Orlando, we dropped off our stuff at the condo and then left for the Fit For a Princess Expo where I met Ariel!
(Not trying to brag, but she said I looked like Snow White!!)
I was so excited to get my bib because I found out my corral placement! Corral placement is based on time and it has to be proven by a former race time. I was blown away that I was put in the first corral!
(Oh…and my first name is technically Elizabeth…double name probs.)
My family and I got back to the condo and I tried my best to get some sleep considering I had to be up at 3 am. However, things did not go quite as plan and I only got about two hours of sleep (although, I don’t actually remember falling asleep once.) It could have been a number of things as to why I didn’t sleep: too much adrenaline, didn’t burn off a lot of energy during the day, sleeping with four people in one room, sleeping in an unfamiliar environment, etc.
Regardless, I was awake at three to get ready. I ate a granola bar, drank a bottle of water, and I felt pretty good. Being in the first corral meant that I would begin the race at 5:35 am, but all participants had to be there at four due to roads closings. My family and I got there, we said our goodbyes and I left for my corral.
My sister, Brandon, and Dad with posters!
After waiting for what seemed like forever, the race finally started..and I started way too fast. The weather was really hot and a guy at the expo told me to get water at the first two water stations and to conserve my energy. Well…I blew that out of the water.
Along with going too fast, I was also being a total ham during this race. I jumped….a lot (basically whenever there was a camera) and I spoke to every single character. I didn’t want to pose a picture with them because I was on the move, but I made sure to yell/wave at them.
See what I mean, couldn’t stop jumping! This was when I was going under Cinderella’s Castle.
Around mile 9, I got really weak. I was hungry the entire race and at this point, I felt like I couldn’t push anymore. I really tried to push myself but I was feeling dead. Those last four miles felt like forever. I was beyond ecstatic when I saw the finish line, as you all saw last night..
When I crossed the finish line, I felt horrible. I wasn’t too happy with my time (1:51:30) and I just felt sick. I was so happy to get my medal though, but as you can see I’m trying really hard to not look as bad as I felt:
When I finally got home, I threw up. Yep..you read correctly, I vomited. After a nap, a lot of fluids and solid food, I realized that I wasn’t just a little dehydrated, but very dehydrated. I discussed my performance with Brandon and my family and I saw that I made a rookie mistake: I should have eaten and rehydrated again at 4:30 am rather than at just 3 like I had stupidly did. That might have made a world of difference. However, my family reminded me that given the elements: lack of sleep and hydration, holes in my shoes (yep..one of my toes were pretty bloody when I finished), and being injured, running a half marathon at 1:51:30 was pretty awesome. It was still under two hours and under the goal I had originally set for myself upon registering for the race (which was 1:55:50). AND it was also seven minutes quicker than when I last ran a half marathon.
Just a lot of rookie mistakes that could have taken my run to the next level. It was still a great race and I highly recommend it. It felt so awesome to have Disney characters cheer me on and to have them call out my name when I finished. Not to mention, the medal is AWESOME:
I don’t see that as my last Disney run..I want to do all of them now! They are so much fun!!!
However, I have decided to only run a mile until my knee gets better. I’m currently icing it right now as I type. I really want to get better at distance, so I think I’m going to say “so long” to 5Ks right now and focus on 10Ks and up. So no PR this time, but that’s ok…there will be more races for me! This half was still a dream come true.
