Disney World Half-Marathon

When is the last time you set your alarm for 3:15am? Prior to this past Saturday, I would have had a hard time answering that question as well. But Sarah and I popped right out of bed when our alarms went off and quickly got dressed and brushed our teeth, before heading downstairs to catch the shuttle over to Epcot for the start of the race, and my second half-marathon.

At the Race Expo on Thursday

The race didn't actually begin until 5:30, but due to traffic the shuttles stopped running at 4am, so we caught our shuttle at 3:30am, ate our peanut butter and banana breakfast, and arrived at Epcot around 4:00am. Let us remember that while Florida is generally a state that has very favorable temperatures, it was 4:00 in the morning and it was COLD! Wearing just a tanktop and Nike running leggings for an hour and a half before my race started, I was so cold, and I don't think my hands EVER got warm!

I started in the third "corral," or wave, and it was a race to remember. Disney really does it up right. There were fireworks at the starting line before each corral began running and different entertainment and characters at each half mile. This ranged from cheerleaders, bands, disney characters and much more. It was so organized and it was very motivating to be able to run through the castle at Magic Kingdom and around the huge ball at Epcot! Someone said it very well before the race even began, "just when you feel like stopping, you will run upon a character or something that motivates you to just keep running!" It was definitely that way for me. I never really said this out loud because I knew this race was going to be more fun and one that I would want to just enjoy instead of running for time, but I am also a pretty goal-oriented person and wanted to finish the race in under 2 hours.

Fireworks at the beginning of each corral (Source)

I didn't check my watch before the start so I was unable to keep my own time. Based on the time posted at each mile marker, I wasn't sure if I was going to accomplish that goal. I finished the race and learned my official finishing time was 1:56:29! I beat my goal! But let me tell you, my knees were screaming at me - it must have been all that pavement! Luckily, they felt much better later in the day so I was not too worried about them.

Sarah finished the race in 2:18:53, which is an awesome time, especially since it was her first half-marathon! What a rockstar!

Sarah and I after the race!

We both agreed that it was a great race that was really well put on. My one tiny complaint - the early hour of the race. I mean, 3:15 is the middle of the night! But then again, I finished running 13.1 miles before many (normal) people were even awake!

Check out that hardware! (Source)

After the race, it was time to get some real food in our bellies, shower, and head to the park we had been most anticipating for MONTHS (nine months to be exact) - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

Magic Kingdom

Sorry for the absence from blogging - just when I was finally making good on my resolution of blogging regularly. However, I know this hiatus would happen, as I just returned from Disney World yesterday afternoon. I am going to split my trip into at least four different posts - and here comes the first one!

Sarah and I spent our first full day at Magic Kingdom Park - the first park built at the Disney World Resort. It holds Cinderella's Castle, the famous Space Mountain and plenty of Disney characters and shows. It is a great first impression of Disney World and all it's magic and we couldn't wait to get started.

Me with Belle - my favorite Disney princess (must be the brown hair!)

The beautiful castle!

We started out the day with a short run, just to prepare ourselves for the half marathon the next day before getting a delicious breakfast at our hotel and catching the shuttle to Magic Kingdom.

Let the Memories Begin!

Once inside, we quickly made our way over to Tomorrowland so we could ride Space Mountain, before the line got too crazy. We were really glad we rode it early because when we went back early in the day, the wait time was 85 minutes! Space Mountain is a roller coaster that takes place in the dark, so you can't see what twists and turns lie ahead of you. It is an extremely popular ride and really a lot of fun. A must-do roller coaster if you are ever at Magic Kingdom.

Sarah and I in line for Space Mountain

We then wanted to find Splash Mountain - another pretty popular ride at Magic Kingdom. This one is a log ride and those are some of my absolute favorite rides of all time. Before that, however, we found the Dumbo ride! Even though it is mainly a ride for little kids, we couldn't resist riding it, as it is part of the Disney fun.

Sarah and I on the Dumbo ride!

We finally found Splash Mountain over in Frontierland, and we quickly discovered that it would become our favorite ride of the park because we rode it three times. Yes, we took the fifty-foot plunge three times and I feel confident that had the line not gotten so long and the fast pass return time so late, we would have ridden it over and over again. It is well worth the wait though, because it is a very long log ride and when it says you may get wet, it means you will DEFINITELY get wet!

Splash Mountain round two - before getting hit by a monsoon!

Sitting in the front means you get SOAKED!

Round three - HORNS UP!

We rode plenty of other rides - those were just the most memorable! We also stopped on Main Street to watch the big Disney parade with all of the princesses and characters and it was done so well! Disney does a phenomenal job of catering to its guests and really giving them a great experience!

We were ready for dinner around 4:00 because we would be going to bed around 7:30pm for a 3:15am wake-up call the next morning, and after a little stint with a restaurant located within Magic Kingdom, we decided to head back to our hotel and grab dinner there. It was delicious and the perfect pre-race meal.

Shortly after that we got ready for bed, where it took me quite some time to fall asleep, despite all the walking and fun we had had that day. 7:30 is just rather early, especially when it felt like 6:30 Texas time!

Look for the Half-Marathon post coming next!

Destination Disney World

This time tomorrow morning I will be getting ready to board the first plane on my trip to Disney World for the Disney World Half Marathon. Then I will have a nice hour long layover in Houston. Yes, that is correct. I am driving two and a half hours to catch a plane in Austin to fly back to Houston before finally departing for Orlando. Flights from Austin were so much cheaper than from Houston so I decided to bite the bullet and take off from Austin. Besides, it's my mom who will be driving me anyway! :)

There's nothing like driving in to Austin!

Sarah and I plan on getting to the hotel, and hitting up the race expo before doing anything else. We are staying at the Pop Century Resort on Disney property and we could not be more excited! I can't wait to check it all out, and get a good night's sleep before hitting the parks the next day! Since we only have three days to do the parks, we are going to Magic Kingdom, HARRY POTTER WORLD, and Hollywood Studios. Can you guess which one I am most excited about?

Today will be a day full of last-minute errands, packing, and a little bit of running to prepare myself for the half. I don't feel quite as nervous as I was earlier in the week because I have been running some every day and I will be surrounded by thousands of people cheering me on, Disney characters, and princess castles. What could be better than that? It should be a great trip and I am really looking forward to it.

Breakfast + Workout

I am trying to avoid eating a whole lot of dairy product, ie yogurt, and even cereal because although I eat it with almond milk, it still might not settle as well as something else I could eat. So I opted for some toast with peanut butter and banana on top and it was delicious! Banana and peanut butter is definitely one of my favorite combinations!

I am letting my breakfast settle (and letting the weather warm up a bit!) before heading out for a five- to six- mile run this morning. It is a little chilly outside, and I know I should just go run to be ready for the conditions in Orlando, but I have no idea what the Orlando weather will actually be like, since the highs and lows for the week are so varied.

Hope it starts to warm up before I arrive!

After my run, I might head to the MAC for a few arm weights before heading back home to finish up my packing. I am so excited and I can't believe I will be headed to Florida in just about 24 hours!