The weather in Florida was perfect! Sunshine! Warm temperatures! Low humidity! Yippee! I already felt like a new woman when I didn't need a jacket to get from the airport to the car. Michelle and I stayed with her friends, Brina Hartman and Amy Guimond at a condo not on the Disney property, but within easy driving distance. Brina and Amy were coming off a series of 6 half marathons in 6 states in 5 days. These are some serious runners, so I was a little intimidated to meet them but they were fantastic and we made friends easily.
Over pizza on Friday night we hashed out our plan of attack for the 10K the next morning. With the race starting at 5:30 a.m. and there being over 20,000 people in the race, we decided to leave early to get to Epcot with plenty of time and little stress. A 2:00 a.m. wake up call?? I smiled and said, "Sure!" but I was not thinking happy thoughts.
Amy Guimond, Me, Michelle Luebbering, Brina Hartman at 4:30 a.m. and we ARE SMILING!
Michelle and I were in corral E so it was 45 minutes before we even got to the start line since the race lets off a corral, waits a few minutes, lets off another corral, and so on in an effort to control foot traffic on the course. That's how many people are in this race.
And we are FINALLY off!
We had decided we would each run our own race at our own pace for the 10K so I started my slow jog to warm up and then picked up the pace a little. The road was CROWDED and I had to pay attention and do a lot of weaving to find open places to actually set a pace. I obviously wasn't the only one concentrating to find open road. I noticed the only sound to be heard was the sound of hundreds of tennis shoes on sandy pavement. It was beautiful. What made it even more beautiful was the fact that several other runners seemed to notice the same sound I was and we were all hesitant to disturb this perfect sound, this shared experience of nirvana. Sadly, some runners from the back begin to push through and the moment was lost as a chorus of "Excuse me" and "Coming through" disturbed the serenity that is so often found when running alone but rarely when running in such a large group.
All along the course are different Disney characters. At the location of the Frozen characters it was actually 'snowing'!
The 10K course leaves Epcot, runs along the freeway and then enters Epcot from the back at China. At this point, it actually started to get light outside which made running a little easier. I had a good pace and didn't feel tired. The air was a perfect temperature and humidity and there were characters and Disney employees waving at us along the route and shouting encouragement so it was more like a 10K party than a race.
I didn't stop to get pictures with Disney characters along the route because the lines were 15 - 20 people long for most pictures and I wanted a decent time for my first 10K, but I HAD to stop right before the finish line to get my picture with my Fairy Godmother.
The time showing in the back was not my time because it took us 45 minutes to even get to the starting line. When I got to the finish, my timer was at 1:31, then I stood in line to get my picture with Fairy Godmother before actually crossing the finish line.
So day 1 of the Princess Weekend (a 10K) was done. Now time to sit by the pool, nap, relax and get ready for the 1/2 marathon on the following day.
I mean, really, how cool is this for a water slide at the pool? And the temperature, in the 80's. Yeah, I came home with a tan!
Day 2 of the weekend brought the challenge of a 1/2 marathon. I was not that sore after the 10K. Must be all the liquids consumed at the pool during 'recuperation'. It was another early morning since the race began at 5:30 again and there was a 2:30 a.m. wake up call. This race had just over 26,000 registered.
This is just a small fraction of the porta potties scattered along the race route. Each of these has a line about 20 people long, but notice all the tutus!
For the 1/2 marathon, Brina, Michelle and I decided to race together. This time it took 1 hour to reach the starting line - yes, 1 hour!
Again, there were lots of characters along the route but no time to stop for pictures with the lines 20 - 30 people long for most picture stops. Also, once you stop it is hard to start again, especially in a 1/2 marathon distance race. I had anticipated the race being all in Epcot and then Disney World, but most of this race is actually on the freeway connecting these two parks so it gets a little boring. Thank goodness the characters and music kept us occupied on this early, FOGGY morning.
FINALLY!
After leaving Disney, it is back to Epcot. Disney World is NOT the halfway mark so there was still a lot of ground to cover and we started hoofing it pretty good because it was back out on the freeway again.
The last mile!!
Done! As the medal says, now I am a princess!!
Two races, two days, two medals and two new friends!
What a great girls weekend opportunity. If you are a runner, this is definitely one of those races you should put on your bucket list. Several charities benefit from the proceeds of the race, the course is flat and allows you to visit Epcot and Disney World, it would be a great opportunity for a girls weekend or a family trip so I recommend it to everyone.
Bestie's take on the race: He didn't go! He spent the weekend on his Harley in the Arkansas Ozarks and took the kiddos to dinner. When we got to see each other on Sunday night, we got to share our adventures and a nice glass of wine. We had had fun apart but were ecstatic to be back together again and rejoice in each others accomplishments as we continue our life after children - older, wiser, better.
