Princess 1/2 Marathon Success!

Well, after months of training and wondering if I would survive 13.1 miles - I DID! 

We did it- Alexandra, Gretchen, Marcelle & I did it!  

Friday, February 22 we arrived at Walt Disney World!  It was the beginning of one crazy weekend.  Mom and I went straight to the Princess 1/2 Marathon Expo.  Insanity there, I tell you.  There were so many people, it was hot and messy.  I quickly picked up my race packet, did a quick look around and headed out.  It was not worth the hassle.

We headed straight to Magic Kingdom!

First thing we saw getting in the park was my FAVORITE - Mary Poppins!  Of course, I needed to make a stop for a photo op ~ 

Then we found some VIP seats to watch the Parade! 

Mandatory Main Street, USA/Castle Picture

Saturday morning started out with the Princess Breakfast at EPCOT.  It was a great morning and we even got to hangout with Merida.  She is one badass Princess!

We spent all day Saturday at EPCOT where we had a chance to catch up with Alexandra, Marcelle and Gretchen and their respective families! 

It had been way too long since we had all gotten together!!

And what trip to Disney World is complete without Minnie ears??  

Sunday morning started out bright and early at 2:30 am!  A bus ride later - we all met up ready for the race!

Princesses ready for battle!

I was lucky to have my very own chEAR Squad ~ 

Mom's ready for her cheering duties!

The weather was hot and humid!  My poor lungs didn't know what to do with that.  I had trained in Maryland, where the weather has been SUPER cold.  The race was VERY crowded.  It made it very hard to keep or even set your pace.  My pace was much slower than during my entire training - but not much I could do about it.  

As we started running I realized I had thought of all the physical aspects of the race but never thought about how to handle my "mind"!  I didn't want to spend the whole race thinking about stressful things... So, I told myself that I had to smile thru it - which surprisingly enough was a lot easier to than I thought.  

Three hours later --- we FINISHED the race!!  

I had a blast running.  My new playlist was awesome and had me singing along and aloud (embarrassingly so) at times.  And just like that ~  made it to mile 13 and could see the finish line ahead!  It was amazing.  

Appropriately enough Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat" came on my shuffle right before the finish line!  How PERFECT!  

What's next you ask?  

That's correct - I registered for the Marine Corps Marathon yesterday!  Am I crazy? Yes, just a little bit.  My 30s have been all about stepping out of my comfort zone and I will continue to do so with God's help and the support of my amazing family and friends!!