Hi everyone! In case you didn’t notice, I’ve been writing a lot of sappy posts about how much I love running lately. Yes, it was Valentine’s week last week, but I’m still loving running way more than normal. And there’s really only one explanation for that: the Disney Princess Half Marathon is THIS WEEKEND! Like less than one week away!!!!! We’re leaving Wednesday morning super early and driving down to Savannah where we’ll spend the night before making the last leg of our drive. Our first stop will be Disney’s Fit For A Princess Expo on Thursday morning, Friday we’ll spend the day at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and Saturday I’ll make sure to get a lot of rest and hydration in before my big 3:30 am wakeup call on Sunday for my very first half marathon! I’m a whole mess of emotions right now – nervous, excited, nervous, happy, nervous…did I mention nervous? My longest run so far was 11 miles so there’s a tiny bit of self doubt about getting through those last 2.1 miles (especially in humidity), but I did my training and learned how to fuel correctly so I need to remember that I’ve got this! I think I’m really just nervous because of what this race means to me. Get ready guys, because this is about to get serious.
This is only the 6th year of the Disney Princess Half Marathon, but ever since I heard about it I had this secret dream of running it. I know that sounds dumb now since I’m a runner and I’m allowed to dream about races, but back when I had that secret dream I wasn’t a runner at all so it was kind of a big, out-of-reach dream. I heard about thousands of girls running down Main Street and through Cinderella’s castle dressed like princesses and thought “If I ever run a half marathon that’s the one I’ll do” because it sounded like so much fun. I then went back to my boring non-runner life, but I kept that dream in my heart. When I started running a year and a half ago, I started thinking about that dream more and more. Last winter when I was going through a mini break with running I spent DPH weekend looking at pictures of the race on Facebook and wishing that I could have been there. And when I got back from my honeymoon last year, I stalked the RunDisney website until DPH registration opened. But when it opened, I didn’t register. I checked the website almost daily, watching the race fill up more and more each day for a few weeks until one day it was 99% full. I realized that my secret dream had the possibility to become a really scary reality. At that point I’d only been able to run 6.2 miles and I’d only done it once. The thought of doing over double that amount scared me to death, but I knew that if I was going to do a half marathon at some point in my life the DPH was the one to do. I went to bed that night feeling sick because my heart was telling me to sign up but my brain was telling me no. My husband noticed that I was tossing and turning and asked me what was wrong, so I told him everything. He turned the light back on, brought me my computer, and told me I needed to sign up or I was going to regret it and be really upset for the next year. So that is how I signed up for one of the very last available spots in the 2014 Disney Princess Half.
That decision actually caused a ripple effect in my running life. I needed to submit a proof of time for a better corral, but I wasn’t sure my 10k time would be able to get me into a high enough corral. So I signed up for two fall 10ks to improve my corral placement, and ended up PRing on each one! I began loving running more than ever (as seen in my last few posts) and when it became time to start my half marathon training plan I wasn’t even scared anymore. Each time I reached a new distance PR I felt stronger and more confident about the half marathon. I know I wasn’t ready to run this race last year, but this year is my year. I’ve put in the training, done my research, and even made an insanely awesome princess costume of my own. So THIS WEEKEND I am going to wake up earlier than I ever thought possible, pin on bib #3652, and line up in corral G with thousands of other amazing women. When the Fairy Godmother sets off fireworks and we start to run I’ll probably cry (as well as on Main Street and at the finish line!) but I’ll make sure to cherish every moment of this race. Because when I cross the finish line, I’ll finally have made my super secret wish come true.
Look for tons of updates on everything going on this week on twitter (follow me @RunAwayWithKK) and get excited about my upcoming expo and race recap posts! And if you happen be in corral G with me, come find me to wish me luck! I’ll be the girl in shiny scale-print tights with a dinglehopper in my hair 🙂
Do you have a super secret race dream? Have you ever been this excited/nervous about a race? And who else is running with me this weekend?
Mom in the Mtns 
Your first is always memorable! You’ve done the training now it’s time to let your body rest and do what it knows how to do on race day. Good luck and have a blast!
Thank you! I’m so excited!
You are going to TOTALLY ROCK the Princess half! I’m so excited for you and can’t wait to hear all about your adventures. 🙂
Yay! I can’t wait to tell everyone all about it!
I am SO EXCITED for you! The excitement of race day will carry you through the last 2.1 miles with no problem 🙂
It’s totally this normal to get this excited for races. I love the feeling of butterflies on the starting line 🙂
I usually get super nervous, but I’ve never been excited before so this is a first for me! I know the excitement will help but I did read in many race recaps that miles 9-11 are tough so once I get past there I think I’ll be good!
SO excited for you!! What a wonderful dream come true! :0) I hope you have the time of your life, Princess is such a fun race! I’ll be there, too!
Yay! I’ll have to look for you there!
aw, so exciting for you! you’ll rock it I’m sure. Sadly I had to cancel my plans to Disney and the glass slipper challenge due to a foot injury but looking forward to everyone’s recaps!
Oh no! Well I’ll make sure to run extra hard for you 🙂
So exciting! You are going to be awesome. Disney races are the perfect choice for any first big race because they really are so much fun! good luck 🙂
Thanks! I figured it would be a great way to get started with half marathon running because it’s such a low-pressure race and taking lots of breaks is emphasized 🙂
I cannot wait to hear all about it! Don’t even worry about the miles. The adrenaline will kick in like you would not believe. I ran 13.1 miles at a pace I had run even my 4 & 5 mile easy runs. I was just overcome with emotion and adrenaline. You’ve got this!
Wow that’s so awesome to hear! I’m going to try to remember that when I’m running out of steam in mile 11!
Good luck!!!!
My super secret dream wish was always to run an Ironman. I’ve always watched he Kona coverage every year and even before getting into triathlon I thought it seemed incredible. And now I’m on my way my first Ironman.
So proud of you =)
Thank you!!! You’re totally kicking ass with your own dreams as well! Look at us Junebugs, doing great things 🙂
SO SO SO SO excited for you, and can’t wait to hear all about it!!! You’re going to rock it 🙂
Thank you!!!! I can’t wait to recap everything! I’ll probably be on the SPA runners board with pictures right after the race!
I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!!!! I will be following every step of the way. You are going to rock this race so hard! (And yes you will cry. I did. No shame haha.)
Yaaaaaaay! I cried like 10 times at my wedding so I expect nothing less at my first half marathon! I even cried when I ran my first 10 miler 2 weeks ago! I’m going out to buy waterproof mascara tomorrow!
The day I’ve (I know, I know, YOU’ve) been waiting for!! 🙂 I absolutely can’t wait to hear how it goes!!
My dream race would be the Marine Corps Marathon. My dad was a Marine and it’d be a very emotional race for me
Haha I love it! Everyone has been hearing about this for so long! And you should totally try for MCM! It sounds like an incredible race!
How exciting!! I’ll be sure to look for updates on the race this weekend. Good luck, you got this! Thanks for linking up today!
Thanks! I can’t wait to get down there!
It’s not so secret but my running dream is the same as yours! I want to run through The Magic Kingdom in the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I’m starting my running journey now. From couch to half marathon in one year. 5ks and 10ks in the mean time. DPH2015 here I come!
YOU GOT THIS!!!! There will be crazy hard moments but with a goal like Disney it’s so worth it! I can’t wait to hear all about it!
Wheeee! Have a great time! You’ve so got this!