Disney 1/2 Marathon Recap

We did it!! The Disney World 1/2 Marathon was a huge success and a complete blast! There is just something magical about running through Cinderella's Castle and giving Mickey Mouse a high-five! They even shot fireworks to begin the race! 

Who cares that it is 5:00 in the morning?!

 The race started bright and early Saturday morning at 5:30am. Our alarms were set for 3:30am and we were out the front door of the hotel by 4:00am. I actually beat my goal time of 2:00 and completed the race in 1:58 min which is just shy of 9:00/mi. I was pretty pumped! However, I can not say that it was easy. I knew throughout the race that I was on the borderline of breaking 2:00 and I pushed myself so hard to achieve my goal. And boy was it worth it! I didn't realize how proud and accomplished I would feel once the race was over but I definitely see how 1/2 marathons and full marathons can be a bit addictive. I would lie if I said that I haven't already started searching for another 1/2 marathon for the future! 

One of the best things about the race being held in Disney World is that we got to PLAY!! And play we did! It was not much of a "vacation" seeing that we were on our feet 10 hours a day. But it was oh so much fun!!! 

Our first stop, the famous Tea Cups! Watching Anna Scott's expressions throughout this trip was priceless!

Then it was straight to the Carousel! 

Anna Scott got to meet all of her favorite Disney characters.....

 And we saw some pretty amazing shows at Hollywood Studios.....

We did ALOT of walking and this big girl didn't miss a beat!

 

Friday morning we went to pick up our race bibs and packets! 

And Friday night we celebrated my sweet Daddy's birthday at Prime Time Diner!

"Mamma" our hilarious waitress treated dad with a cupcake!

Happy Birthday to my most precious Dad!

After the race we came back to the hotel, showered, took quick naps, and then headed out for lunch around our hotel. We stayed at The Yacht Club near Epcot and I highly recommend it if you are planning a trip to Disney! It was so nice, pool and all, and very convenient to the parks!

We had such a magical time! Family vacations are becoming one of my favorite things since we rarely get to all be together at the same time.  I can't wait to go back to Disney in many years a few years when there are more kids to experience the fun with! There's nothing much sweeter than seeing that magical twinkle in this sweet baby girl's eyes!

"Where Dreams Come True"

It's Race Week

Around springtime last year I had the not so brilliant grand idea that my family should journey south to Orlando and compete leisurely run in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon.  At the time it sounded like ALL fun and not much thought was actually put into the whole "run 13.1 miles" part. Well this Saturday at 4:30am (I am already nauseated just thinking about that) I will approach the start line to complete my first ever half marathon. Luckily, I will not be doing this alone. My husband, sister, and brother-in-law will all be racing as well! Mom, Dad, and Anna Scott will be our cheerleaders on the sideline. 

All jokes aside, I am really excited about this trip, I have been training for 12 weeks and it really has not been all that bad.  My weekly schedule consisted of running 5 miles two days a week, one long run on the weekend that increased in mileage each week, and then strength training with some cardio thrown in the other days.  My longest run thus far is 11 miles. It was pretty tough, but if I can run 11 miles what's 2.1 more miles, right? Many have asked me what my "goal time" is.  Since this is my first half marathon ever, my goal is to cross that finish line without any of my body parts injured! The past two weeks my right ankle is having shooting pains beginning around mile three.....not good.  So, I'm just praying to get through without falling down :) I would love to finish in under 2 hours but I haven't really been consistent with that time during training.  And yes, Mary Catherine, Alan, and Scott will all beat me. And I have accepted that :)  They are all "experienced runners" and I am a rookie. That's my excuse! 

I know that hundreds of thousands of people run not only half marathons but full marathons (insane) all the time but I'm pretty proud of myself for setting a goal and sticking with it.  We will also get to spend three days playing in Disney and the Christmas lights are still up! I'm pretty pumped about that.

  
Starting 2013 off with a bang! 

Off to Disney.......Stay tuned for the race re-cap!