One year ago today...

I ran my very first half marathon - Disney Princess Half Marathon.  It was an amazing experience.  It changed my life.  Really.  I don't say that lightly.

I came off my first real running injury of a pulled hamstring in early December.  Which means I was perfectly in time to start training.  A friend who has been running for years designed a training plan for me and I started the first Monday in December.  It was crazy to think I was training for a half marathon.  Many thought I could do it.  I was not among them.

I trained in December, through the holidays.  It was cold, but not too bad.  I trained after getting my first job in a year and a half.  I went out at night with a head lamp and reflective gear (realizing as I did that I wasn't a fan).  I trained after I was let go from that job.  It made training a lot easier and my stress level sure went down.  I trained in the snow.  I trained in unbelievable wind. 

Then it was off to Florida.  It was nerve wracking.  It was fabulous reaching a warmer climate.  Winter in the Mid-Atlantic is kinda chilly.  We had some flight issues, but eventually arrived, hours after anticipated.  Saturday's first stop was the Fit for a Princess Expo.  :-)

It was held at ESPN Wide World of Sports and while we waited for the doors to open we could hear the little ones running their races.  I was thinking I would have been better off signing up for those.  Then it was inside to sign my life away and check out (and spend more money than I had a right to) the vendors.

After our trip around the expo, we headed off to Epcot.  Maybe walking the entire park the day before my first half marathon wasn't the best idea, but eh.  What else were we to do?  We had reservations in Italy for dinner and all it did was make me wish I was back in the real deal.

We wandered a bit more, then headed back to the hotel - Disney's All-Star Sports Resort.  It was one of the best choices we made.  It was always the first stop on the buses and the first dropped off.  It was fabulous!  I chatted with my coach and went to bed.

It was an early Sunday morning though.  The race buses started at 3:00 a.m. and I heard the lines could be long.  So, up at 2:30 a.m. and at the bus stop by 3:00 a.m.  I had my outfit all laid out the night before so it was pretty easy to get ready in 30 minutes.  ;-)

It was an early morning.  This is the sight you see of Epcot, but usually at night

Hubby and I hung out at the staging area, waiting for the signal to walk to the start

Shortly after this, I hit the road to the starting line.  A very long 1 mile walk in the dark. Who knew?  But, I got there and waited for my corral to go.  I was scheduled for 6:27 a.m.  Very precise Disney.  It wasn't too bad waiting, though my feet started to hurt from standing around so long.

Hubby was kind enough to take photos of me on the course.  :-)

There were also some official photos

I'll admit, as I crossed the finish line I wasn't a happy camper.  I refused to make a decision as to whether I would do this again.  When asked if I would do another one, I stated I was holding my own counsel.  I honestly couldn't imagine ever doing that again.  I had a feeling it would be the bucket list thing.




After showering and changing hubby and I hit the Magic Kingdom.  I like being able to say I went to Disney World after my race.  Heehee! 

It was an amazing experience and I'm so glad I did it.  There is nothing like your first time.  And it lead to running the Philadelphia Half Marathon and in three weeks the Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon.  I guess I didn't follow through the idea of never doing another half marathon.