The Princess Run!

I can honestly say this has been one of the BEST weekends of my life. Maybe with the least amount of sleep in my life as well. After skydiving, I came home and tried to go to sleep immediately to get a full 6-7 hours of sleep before the Princess run. This did not happen. Oh no, instead I didn't fall asleep at all. Not even for a SECOND- I tossed and turned but couldn't get flipping backwards out of the plane and the anticipation of the Princess run out of my head.

At 2 AM I realized that my alarm was going off at 3 AM, therefore there was really no point in even trying anymore but instead woke up and had a english muffin with almond butter and a water with sustain in it. At 3 AM I started getting my "Princess" gear ready. Before I knew it, it was 3:45 AM which was the deadline for us to leave the house to head to Epcot. 

We got to Epcot and somehow managed to hit minimal traffic. We got there, parked and made our ways to the corrals. It was crowded, but a fun walk because everyone was dressed up in their Princess gear!

I dropped of my friend Natalie to her corral and made my way to A. Since I was by myself I managed to maneuver myself to the front, to get a few pictures of me by the START sign. It didn't seem like we were in the corrals very long, because I was so excited! The fairy god mother came onto the stage, said a few words (my ipod was already on) and FIREWORKS went off for us to start! I was so excited I SPRINTED! I don't know how fast I was going, but apparently it was my fastest mile yet! I tried NOT to look at my watch, but just enjoy the experience.

Since I seriously trained for this half, I didn't take any pictures along the way. I really wanted to see what my personal best time could be, just by running it. The race was incredible, there were sections of Disney characters all along the race cheering you on. The most memorable part of the race, was entering the Magic Kingdom to Cinderella's castle. The music I grew up to was playing, and it was still dark so the castle was glistening! When I approached it I felt myself get choked up a little bit and almost cry. It was such a mix of emotions, I really can't explain why I felt this way, but I'm pretty sure it's something I will remember the rest of my life. The miles went by pretty quick, and I just concentrated on everything going on. I talked to myself a lot, and felt no pain the entire run. Now... Did I make it under two hours? YES! I did. My Nikeplus watch is OFF! I have been OVER training. Just by a little bit, but I'm not complaining, when it said I still had about .30 miles left, it was wrong- there was the finish line, RIGHT in front of me! My official time was:

 1:49:27

My sister e-mailed me and said my time was 1:50:30 and I was confused because I was right at the start line and crossed it right when the fireworks went off, also I remember seeing the 1:49 on the clock and sprinting at the end to make the 1:50 mark. Later on when I checked the website again, they corrected it and put my time up! I had a Cliff Gel pack before the race and two during. I don't know if it was these, because it didn't happen last time I had them during my 12 mile training, but I spent the remainder of the day feeling quite ill in my stomach and thought it had something to do with these. Next time I'm trying the shot blocks! I must have been a sleepy big ball of emotion today, but after I went to the water table and chugged a water, walked around a little and really took in what was going on, I felt again like I was going to cry.

I can't even explain how happy I was when my friend Natalie called to try to find me. She did AWESOME today, and I was so excited to see her. When I saw her I ran to her, gave her a big hug and was so happy to hear how much she loved the run as well. The first thing she said to me was "We are doing this every year" and she also had goosebumps at Cinderella'a castle! 

I had so much fun today. I was sad my sister and dad weren't here to share in the excitement, because I knew they would really love it as well. I have been overwhelmed with all of my friends and families e-mails, texts, and facebook messages congratulating me about the race. I really appreciate my dear friend Hannah for all of her support over the last few weeks, she has been my "fairy godmother" during this process answering my insane questions and pushing me all the way!

Today I really feel a sense of accomplishment. 

I am so tired right now, I haven't slept. I will recap more of the race as soon as I get a good nights sleep. I dropped off Natalie at the airport tonight to drive to Ft. Lauderdale to visit her family, and as for me- I am turning my phone on silent, not setting a alarm, and waking up when I'm finished sleeping! A yoga class or massage sound pretty amazing for tomorrow, as well as cleaning up and doing some laundry. I am SO happy I decided to extend my Orlando trip from one week to two and a half. I would be so sad if I was leaving tomorrow! I still have so much to look forward to, and I can't wait! I never really considered myself an "athlete" before, but today I can say I do!

OH, one more fun fact. 13,091 people ran the race today. My place? 289! 289 out of 13,091 people who crossed the finish line. Meaning, I was faster than 12,802 of the runners. Now, let's be serious. Who can say they went skydiving and ran a half marathon in a span of 24 hours? I guess I can! 

I would recommend the Disney Princess Marathon to ANYONE!

Here are a few more pictures from my actual camera. Most of the pictures on this site are from my blackberry, but here are some from my small canon!