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Princess Half Marathon 2015 Recap Part 1: Expo, New Gear & Costumes

This is the race that was the catalyst for my love for running. Last year, I saw so many inspiring girls on social media at the Princess Half Marathon in their cute outfits smiling from ear to ear and I looked on with a tinge of jealousy because after all I could barely run a 5k–how on earth would I be able to run 13.1 miles?

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A few months later I ran a 5k and actually liked it. A wonderful blog friend commented and told me that I should admit I actually like running and the rest is history. 2 10ks, 3 Half Marathons later and I was ready to run the Princess Half Marathon.

The Expo

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We got there relatively easily and we stayed on Disney property at the Port Orleans French Quarter Resort. The special race weekend transportation took us to the expo Saturday with barely 4 hours to spare before they closed up shop (with my bib!).

I got my bib then ventured over to another building in the complex for my technical tee and other gear.

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The expo was just a little smaller than the Philadelphia Marathon Expo, and definitely smaller than the NYC Marathon Expo. I wanted to hold on to my money but that didn’t happen!

The first thing I got was a commemorative jacket. I wish I had preordered the official jacket when I registered but it’s so hard to pay for something that you haven’t seen! (The jackets ended up being really cute). The next thing I got was another tee for the gym and the gazillion races I will be doing for guaranteed marathon entry next year.

There were lots of gu, glide, headbands etc on sale. Standard expo fare. I bought a really cute sparkly yellow headband to match my costume. (Because no costume is complete without a headband!).

Next I went over to New Balance where I was hoping and praying that the 2015 commemorative Minnie sneakers were still in stock. Thankfully they were! I loved them even more in person.

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Check out the quick video of a taste of what the Princess Half Marathon Expo is like!

After that we took a cab over to downtown Disney because hubby wanted to go to Bongos Cuban Cafe and I had no objections! After Lunch/Dinner we headed back to the room for an early night. Staying at Port Orleans French Quarter allowed us to take a boat from DTD which was just so cool!

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In true RunDisney fashion, had to be up by 3am to be on a bus by 3:30am. I laid out all the essentials including my FlipBelt filled with Clif Shots and a portable battery charger for my phone.

I was in bed by 7pm. It wasn’t easy with all the butterflies but once I took a couple of deep breaths I was sleeping like a baby. Surprisingly enough I didn’t have any of the usual pre race missing the alarm clock dreams. The next morning I was up at exactly 2:48am ready to go. Wide awake, ready to officially get my bling!

Even though I told the hubby not to wake up with me he insisted on taking some pictures in the room.

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We double checked our plan to meet later and then it was off to the races!

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Stay tuned for part two that includes corral fun, characters galore and a mile by mile breakdown of the Princess Half Marathon.

If you have stayed on Disney Property before, which is your favorite resort? What is the earliest you have ever had to get up for a race? Which princess would you dress up as??

Road To The NYC Marathon: Vacation Miles - Week 8 + 9 Recap - Brooklyn Active Mama

Friday 11th of September 2015

[…] I was able to run AND cross train with Yoga and Strength Training for a total of 5 workout days. Felt good just to lift again. I already have decided to really jump back into Jamie Eason as soon as this marathon is over! I know I’m going to need a running break and I will use November & the beginning of December to really strength train exclusively until training begins for Disney Princess Weekend 2016. (I did mention that I registered for that…right? As if I could stay away after last year!) […]

Michelle

Sunday 22nd of March 2015

Love the costume! Now I am on to your other recap. I finally just got through writing mine!

2015 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon Recap #RnRDC - Brooklyn Active Mama

Thursday 19th of March 2015

[…] bad habit of scheduling myself too thin when it comes to these races! I did it in Philadelphia, Disney and now in DC. Believe it or not I had a 32 minute window to pickup my bib and gear, my swag bag […]

Leslie

Wednesday 11th of March 2015

First off, I love that you got to walk a red carpet to the expo. They must have rolled it out just for you! 3 am wake up calls are no fun, and the look on your face in the last picture just about says it all!

Tamara

Tuesday 10th of March 2015

I would dress up as Belle or as Elsa, maybe! I've stayed at one of the resorts but it was decades ago and I can't remember which. I remember it was so convenient to get to and from the parks. When we went in January and last year, we stayed off-site and it wasn't very easy to get out of there after the fireworks!