Princesses, Tiaras, and Fairy Dust, Oh My

I ran my very first half marathon in Orlando last month at Disney World – The Disney Princess Half Marathon – 13.1 miles…21,235 princesses…1,499 princes….and one AMAZING time!

Photo Credit: Run Disney

We touched down in sunny Orlando the day before the race and took the Disney Magic Express Bus to our hotel, the Disney Cornado Springs Resort. We opted against renting a car since we were only staying 2 nights and Disney Transportation would take us everywhere we needed to go.

This my second time staying on Disney Property and the Disney Cornado Springs is my absolute favorite so far. So peaceful and relaxing, it was a good place to unwind before and after the race.

After check -in, we headed over to the expo to pick up my race packet and I also picked up some race gear – a sparkly running skirt from Sparkle Skirts, a princess headband from Lady Foot Locker, compression calf sleeves from Sigvaris, a spibelt, and some gel shots to keep me going during the race. Most of the lines weren’t too bad probably since this was day 2 of the expo, but the line to get into the official Run Disney section was too long for me to even consider waiting in line. After flying in from NYC, I was excited to check out the expo then relax and lounge by the pool.

After lounging poolside we had spaghetti, salad, and chocolate covered strawberries delivered to the room for dinner before turning in for the night. I was so anxious I don’t think I fell asleep until around 10 or 11pm.

At 3:00am the alarm went off, and I hit the snooze button once…maybe twice before getting up to get ready. I had a cup of tea and a muffin then headed to the bus to get dropped off near the starting lines. All was calm at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot before the race began.

The walk to the corrals was long, about a 15-20min walk, but DJ’s kept the morale up and porta-potties were in place for any last minute stops before the race. I saw so many great costumes – princess leia, the little mermaid, tinkerbell, and others as I made my way to my corral.

When they annouced corral F we made our way to the starting line – the engery was flowing, the crowd was hype, and the DJ was jammin as Fairy God mother and fireworks sent us on our way. Next stop – Magic Kingdom :)

Charaters and DJ’s were all along the course to keep us entertained like; Lilo and Stitch, Toy Soldiers, Meeko from Pocahantas, the Genie from Aladdin, and Prince Charming. The excitement of nearing the end began to sink in once I reached mile 12. I made one last stop at the medical table to get some tylenol and bio freeze then made my way to the finish line. It felt so good to run across the finish line, and as each runner crossed we were dusted with fairy dust, then sent to pick up our race bling and post-run snacks.

Next year I’ve decided to take on the Coast to Coast Challenge and run both the Tinker Bell Half Marathon and the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Have you ever run a Disney Race before?

See you in the park!

Love AGT :)

Ending and Beginning the Year on a High Note

Hey Guys! Happy New Year! I took some time off from the blog last month to study for some promotion exams at work (I passed!), get ready for my vaca, and to learn how to use my new macbook pro. You weren’t far from my thoughts though :) I can’t believe how quickly 2012 went by, and that we are already 9 days into the new year! A year of new adventures, setting new goals and maintaining old ones, and new opportunities.

I think the best way to end and begin the year by far is on vacation…a relaxing, stress-free environment with friends and family. No worries, no cares….just relaxation, sunshine, adventures, and good times. This is the first year we’ve decided to end and begin the year on vacation…we tried out a New Year’s Eve cruise via Carnival Cruise Lines out of Port Canaveral, FL. It was so nice not to have to worry about anything other than having a good time. This is definitely trip I am pretty sure will become a tradition for years to come.

I went down a few days early to spend time with friends of mine that I was previously stationed with here in NYC. We hung out in Cocoa Beach, went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure (the Harry Potter ride and butter beer were AMAZING!), and danced to Dance Central on the Xbox (loads of fun and an awesome workout too).

We sailed away from Port Canaveral around 5:30pm and rang in the New Year at Sea!

Ventured down Duval Street in Key West

enjoyed beautiful sunsets, soaked up the sun, and made new friends at sea

Stopped in Nassau, Bahamas for Stand-up Paddle Boarding…I’ll admit, I sat down for some of it…my excuse “I’m on vacation”

and laid of the beach in Freeport, Bahamas sipping daiquiris and eating run cake before returning back to Port Canaveral.

I still feel relaxed and at ease 9 days into the New Year, and I’m looking forward to new adventures in NYC, the US, and abroad. How did you ring in the New Year?

Check out more pictures on my Facebook page an hit the like button while you’re there :)

Love AGT :)