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

by Nellie March 9, 2015

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?

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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??

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An Inspirational Workout with Billy Blanks + A Fabletics Review

by Nellie February 3, 2014

Yesterday morning I got up bright and early to head all the way Uptown to Harlem to workout with the legendary Billy Blanks. This was a free event that I signed up for that was being hosted by Celebrity Sweat in conjunction with the Super Bowl Weekend.

I really didn’t know what to expect! I actually kinda like it that way ;). I put on my new Fabletics outfit (more on that later) to see how it would hold up against the Tae Bo master himself.

The ride from inner Brooklyn all the way Uptown is long, but on a Sunday? I might as well have walked! It’s a good thing Billy (yes, we are totally on a first name basis now) made the travel worth it.

When I exited the station I asked someone where City College was because I had never been. They pointed to very top of a hill. There was an entire park and about 15 flights of stairs between me and Billy. By the time I reached the top I was exhausted! I consider my fitness threshold to be pretty high but man, that was tough! I can already tell that I will be back in the spring to get some work in. Besides, it is one of the most beautiful breathtaking parks I’ve seen in New York City.

There were lots of folks there when I arrived. We got a quick stretch warm up then we heard a motivational message from Evander Holyfield. I totally wasn’t expecting him but it was a very pleasant surprise.

After that Billy Blanks came out to begin the workout. It wasn’t very long or very hard but it was intense! There was tons of the classic moves like jabs, kicks, hooks etc. But what I really liked was the actual instruction, he didn’t stay in front of the class and give a show, instead he was on the floor with us individually showing us how to engage our core and get the most out of each move.

When it was all said and done I burned 400 calories which is nice because I never workout on Sundays and I am sticking to my goal of switching up my routine every week.

The best part though? Billy asked the entire class to sit Indian style around him as he dropped some knowledge. He told us to be strong in our will and in our mind and the rest will come naturally. He encouraged us to use the power that we have inside ourselves. He was extremely genuine and real. I taped a portion of his the with us and you can listen if you have a moment.

httpv://youtu.be/_gPnlcEo_Gw

I have all the respect in the world for this Fitness guru now, and I am now a believer. *runs to download Billy Blanks Workouts*

Fabletics Review

I purchased Fabletics with my own coins. Since the first workout outfit is only $25 (my normal range for outfits) I decided to take the plunge and fork over my cash. Kate Hudson designed the line, and I Love her so it didn’t take much. 🙂

I love the outfit. It stayed up pretty well against Billy! I never had to pull my pants up (a constant problem for girls with big booties like myself) or adjust my shirt. Both pieces stayed put.

I really loved the pockets in the top which I would imagine could be good for runners. The colors are great and the airy mesh in the back is fantastic for when your body starts to heat up.

If this sounds appealing to you, you can sign up here for your $25 first outfit, free shipping, no commitment. Just note that this is a subscription service so after the initial month, you will be charged $49.95 per outfit, but you totally have the option to skip a month. Each outfit can be two to three pieces all with free shipping.

If you sign up with my link, You get me a free outfit. Did I mention it’s my birthday week? *cough, cough* 🙂

Have you ever done a Billy Blanks workout? How often do you purchase workout clothes?

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Getting In the Ring With Triple H & Stephanie McMahon for #MilkWins! (One on One Interview!)

by Nellie August 26, 2013

In our house we are Milk Experts.

We literally go through 3-4 gallons of milk per week. The baby still has milk before he goes to bed, my 4 year old loves his cereal and his chocolate milk. I personally love a tall glass randomly and my hubby loves his cereal and occasional chocolate milk as well. We even know the best places to buy the best kind of milk (BJs milk lasts for what seems like forever) and the worst place (we no longer buy milk from the corner bodega).

The wonderful folks at Got Milk kicked off their new #MilkWins campaign at the legendary Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn Heights. I have always known that there are wonderful benefits to milk, but there were some new ones that I learned as well!

When I entered the gym there was a wonderful spread of protein filled breakfast, and I was provided (quite appropriately) with a tall glass of milk. Which was simply delicious considering that I had just left my workout.

There were some awesome boxers practicing in the ring too! I had never actually seen a boxing ring in person before so that was really cool. These guys and girls were so GOOD and fit!

We got awesome introductions from the Got Milk team and we got to view some awesome cute short and funny videos about why Milk is the better choice over most alternative breakfast choices.

Triple H & Stephanie McMahon for #MilkWins

Got Milk has teamed up with the amazing Triple H and Stephanie McMahon (and other WWE superstars) to show how much of a great protein source that Milk is. I personally sat in awe because when I first met my husband 15 years again in high school, I was a WWE Superfan, right around the time The Rock was HUGE. So seeing them in person was so cool, and let me tell ya, my hubby was pretty darn jealous of me!!

It was a understandably a bit of a media circus because of the amount of celebrity in the room:

I was SO lucky to get a one on one interview with them! Getting into the ring was a bit of a challenge, one person held one rope up while another held one down and I barely slithered in the ring with my narrow skirt. (Who knew it was so hard to get in and out of the boxing ring?!!)

I was super nervous, but when Triple H looked at me and said “Hey, Nellie!” I knew I was going to be fine. Triple H and his wife Stephanie are extremely cool, down to earth and quite the funny pair. See my interview with them here:

Once I was finished, I was assisted out of the ring (again) and I made my way back to the real world, back to work. It truly was a fantastic event and I was honored to attend the #MilkWins event.

If you are a milk drinker, did you know all of the awesome benefits to milk? Are you a wrestling fan? Have you ever been in a boxing ring?

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