My quick trip for Princess was a whirlwind of food, drinks, and Milly! Oh, and there was some running in there somewhere. As for the race itself, I inadvertently came in under 3, even with a ton of character photos (and lines), at 2:59:57. I wasn’t aiming for an under 3, as I haven’t been training much at all and wanted to take it easy and get some fun photos. Mostly, I was tired, hot, and sweaty.
With a two a.m. alarm, so I could get on a bus shortly after three to get to the race retreat in time for a photo, I was exhausted. I am not a morning person. I also was about three weeks behind on sleep so I look like roadkill mermaid.
At the race retreat, I hung out with Tiana and her man for a bit…
…Before heading off to the corrals. Corral G was uneventful. The walk to the corral is always so long. I want to remind the princesses that there are Porta-Potties both along the walk and near the corrals. You don’t have to get in the crazy long line before the walk.I heard lots of chatter from runners around me about the potty locations.
Saw the runDisney cheerleaders for the only time the whole weekend. They were being interviewed as my corral set off.
Then it was the start line of Princess, and the start of my Pink Coast to Coast, which ends at Tink in May. Running only one race in a weekend was an unusual experience for me, but it meant I was little more excited about the start.
The first mile was uneventful, but oh that humidity. It was not cool, not warm, just humid.
Did I mention that I ran with my good friend Sebastian? He kept me company the entire race. He also visited with various characters and waved at runners.
The first 5ish miles are running to this sign. But wait, there is a still a mile or so of being routed around parking lots and through underpasses until we’re in a park.
This is my favorite part of the entire course. I don’t know why, but maybe it’s the crazy hand guy or the insults he’s throwing at runners, or just the downhill slope before Space Mountain.
I was trying to get a Space Mountain selfie, which I succeeded in doing, but my face is a mess, so I thought I’d share this blurry sort of but not really flattering photo instead.
And we’re finally in the Magic Kingdom, for about 3/4 of a mile. But hey, we ran through the castle. Sebastian was hoping to ride the teacups, but the line was too long.
Sebastian is a sneaky devil and wanted to goose Aurora, but I kept him far away.
I took a break to make lunch reservations at the Jungle Cruise restaurant. Yeah, I know it’s not actually called that, but I took a break to make reservations. And a potty break, and some photo stops, and suddenly I was at the halfway mark–6.7 Miles marked with a guy yelling about the halfway mark. Magic Kingdom was over and it was back on the long road home. I was a sweaty mess, although Sebastian was faring better. We stopped to chat with the bridal party as Sebastian wanted to try on the glass slipper. It fit, but perhaps not on the correct foot!
Stopped for a moment to find my Prince. He wasn’t here. The sun was though, he came out to say hello. I’m going to be real honest, I don’t know who any of these guys are.
This is Mile 10. The climb to that overpass and the subsequent off ramps and overpasses is where my legs start to hurt every time I’m forced to run this section by the Evil Disney. It’s not the inclines but the cambered (sloped) conditions. Last time it was my right ankle and this time it’s my left shin. It really brings out any weakness. I ran a little, walked a little, and tried to keep the extremities from stretching too far to the right or left. Basically I was pretty slow. I did hang out and dance a little to the Children’s Miracle Mile DJ; she was fun!
Mile 12 signifies the end is near. Just a quick jaunt to Epcot. Sebastian liked the guy taking the happy selfie a bit too much, so I hurried us into the park.
I get the upward angle helps the globe shot, but it doesn’t nothing for my calves or Sebastian’s teeth.
Mile 13 really isn’t anything special. There are rumors that the Princess on this mile marker will be the theme for next year’s race. Sebastian thought he was more important than some princess.
After a quick high five to Donald, we crossed the finish line. And then it was over and I had two medals. Sebastian, on the other hand, was a bandit. Not only was he denied a medal, but he’s been banned from all future runDisney races. He’s also been taken into custody by Milly.
After the race, I headed off to the quarter for breakfast. There was some talk about a voodoo spell, a prince, and a medallion. Louis stopped the whole thing unfortunately. Although, Louis and Sebastian bonded over being anthropomorphic and confusing. Something along the lines of I’m not a lobster, I’m not a crocodile.
Undeterred by the runDisney police (also known as other runners with too much time in their hands who witchhunt suspected cheaters by scouring through race result pages ), Sebastian enjoyed a glass of champagne at the finish line. I’m sure his face will be shamed all over the Internet next week.
Also I’m positive Sebastian did not earn this Coast to Coast as he had someone else run the first half for him in California while he hung out at some toy store. But hey at least we found Epcot (it should have been easier).
And that concludes this Princess journey. Please join me next time at Star Wars in April.
Did you run Princess this year?
