Glass Slippers and wizards and DisBrides, oh my! A PHM trip report **Complete**
- Thread starter librarygeek
- Start date
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
Thank you! The weather can be so varied at that time of year. This past year it was definitely chilly at first. It was in the 50's the first couple of days, and when we were up early in the morning for the races it was down to 45. Then the last couple of days we were there it was usually about the low 60's.
On the other hand, when I was there the same week in 2014 it was much, much warmer. It was in the 70's and even 80's most of the week - one day it was up to 85 so we went to one of the water parks, that's how hot it was! So it's a little crazy because you can have anything from 45 to 85 degrees.
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
Princess Half Marathon!!
For the second day in a row I was up before 3 am. Only Disney could have me being that crazy! I was excited, and really a bit nervous, for my very first half marathon. I had run the 13.1 distance in training but it was pretty painful each time, so I was just hoping it wouldn't be too bad once I did it "for real." The good news was that I was really excited about my costume! This is not the best pic but there are more later. I went as Anna.
Thank goodness it was a little bit warmer this morning than the previous day. Though I still had a throwaway jacket, I didn't feel like I was freezing even with it on while we waited. A large group of us hung out together until we decided to get into our corrals.
I was in corral I, and one of the other girls was in that corral with me. Her name is Brittany and I had never met her before but we hung out together and it was an awesome opportunity to get to know her a little bit. She's the absolute sweetest thing, and also a bit of a "facebook star"! She has a fitness/healthy living page with a crazy amount of fans, and one of the people in our corral actually recognized her and asked for a pic. I thought that was so cool!
Around 6 am we took off! Fireworks were set off with every corral to leave, and it was just so exciting. We ran out of Epcot and started making our way down the streets to the Magic Kingdom.
Characters were very plentiful - much more so than the 10k. Jack Sparrow was the first one I saw, and it was not only him but a whole pirate ship! Up next were the group of "heroes" - John Smith, Aladdin, Eric, Hercules, and Phoebus. I would have loved to stop since they're such rare characters, but the line for them was super long. And before I knew it we were entering the Magic Kingdom area!
My pace started out well, since I didn't want to stop for pics yet. DH was planning to be in a couple of spots to see me run, and his first destination was the ticket and transportation center. He was with a couple of the other husbands. However, their wives were in later corrals so they started a bit later than me, and he was texting me his progress and it seemed like it might not be in place by the time I ran by there at my current pace - so I decided to make a couple of stops! There was no wait for a pic with the Richard Petty race car here, so why not! I also saw Brittany getting a pic right before me!
I passed Vanellope, and then there was a spot where the villains were set up. When I went by they had Cruella, Maleficent, and the Evil Queen. I think later on they switched out, because I saw other photos later with different villains. This line was also crazy long, but next to it they had a throne set up. This looked like a fun photo op and the line was much shorter so I went for it!
And that did indeed give DH enough time to get to his spectator spot because I saw him shortly before mile 4:
He planned to head into MK by monorail to meet me as well, so he had to leave his friends at this point to keep up with me. I ran on into Magic Kingdom and found him waiting there for me on Main Street! I know everyone that does these races says how awesome it is to run into MK and to the castle, but it's really true. That view is so amazing normally, but to see it when you know you're accomplishing something big is just really moving. And it was a gorgeous morning. I took a lot of pics around MK. Even though I didn't stop for characters really I just wanted to soak it all in which slowed down my pace but it didn't matter, I was running through Disney!
Going through Tomorrowland we passed a line for Buzz Lightyear, and then around Fantasyland there was Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Their line didn't look too long so I jumped in, but then their handler said they were leaving for a few minutes. Well, a few minutes when you're in a race is too much, so I jumped back out and kept going! You run through the back of the castle, and they had Frozen characters up above. Anna happened to see me running by and called out to me, complimenting my outfit!
Then in Frontierland I passed Woody, and then stopped for a quick pic with the 6 mile sign since it had Anna and Elsa.
We went out of MK a back way, and just before we left they had the train out and I got a pic with the conductor!
The opposite of most people, the second half of the race my pace really picked up again because I wasn't as interested in stopping for characters and I was just eager to finish. We passed Aurora and Phillip, a group of men holding glass slippers by the Wedding Pavilion, and the Genie but I didn't stop. Pain started to set in at mile 8 (I can't seem to get rid of the hip pain when I run longer distances), but I pushed through it. In addition to the characters there were lots of encouraging or funny signs along the way:
There were also DJs every so often. I mean really there wasn't a stretch of a mile without something going on which was awesome. The green army man was out and giving everyone a hard time! If you slowed down he yelled at you to run faster, and made some people stop to give him push ups! I ran fast by him because there was no way I was stopping for push ups haha!
After ten miles I was so ready to be done. I saw DH right around mile 12 in the Epcot parking lot and that really encouraged me to keep going. I was ready for my last mile through Epcot.
I passed Sophia the First, but then I saw the Fairy Godmother. At this point people just want to be done with the race and they don't want to stop, so there was virtually no line. Seemed like the perfect character to get a pic with for the Princess half!
Right before the finish line thre was a gospel choir singing. I mean, how many other races have that?
This means I'm almost done!!!
And then, finally, I was crossing that finish line! I earned two medals - my first half marathon medal, and my Glass Slipper Challenge medal for completing both the 10k and the half! I had finished my first half marathon in 2 hours and 45 minutes.
I got my snacks and headed back to the room with DH for a much needed 2 hour nap!
For the second day in a row I was up before 3 am. Only Disney could have me being that crazy! I was excited, and really a bit nervous, for my very first half marathon. I had run the 13.1 distance in training but it was pretty painful each time, so I was just hoping it wouldn't be too bad once I did it "for real." The good news was that I was really excited about my costume! This is not the best pic but there are more later. I went as Anna.
Thank goodness it was a little bit warmer this morning than the previous day. Though I still had a throwaway jacket, I didn't feel like I was freezing even with it on while we waited. A large group of us hung out together until we decided to get into our corrals.
I was in corral I, and one of the other girls was in that corral with me. Her name is Brittany and I had never met her before but we hung out together and it was an awesome opportunity to get to know her a little bit. She's the absolute sweetest thing, and also a bit of a "facebook star"! She has a fitness/healthy living page with a crazy amount of fans, and one of the people in our corral actually recognized her and asked for a pic. I thought that was so cool!
Around 6 am we took off! Fireworks were set off with every corral to leave, and it was just so exciting. We ran out of Epcot and started making our way down the streets to the Magic Kingdom.
Characters were very plentiful - much more so than the 10k. Jack Sparrow was the first one I saw, and it was not only him but a whole pirate ship! Up next were the group of "heroes" - John Smith, Aladdin, Eric, Hercules, and Phoebus. I would have loved to stop since they're such rare characters, but the line for them was super long. And before I knew it we were entering the Magic Kingdom area!
My pace started out well, since I didn't want to stop for pics yet. DH was planning to be in a couple of spots to see me run, and his first destination was the ticket and transportation center. He was with a couple of the other husbands. However, their wives were in later corrals so they started a bit later than me, and he was texting me his progress and it seemed like it might not be in place by the time I ran by there at my current pace - so I decided to make a couple of stops! There was no wait for a pic with the Richard Petty race car here, so why not! I also saw Brittany getting a pic right before me!
I passed Vanellope, and then there was a spot where the villains were set up. When I went by they had Cruella, Maleficent, and the Evil Queen. I think later on they switched out, because I saw other photos later with different villains. This line was also crazy long, but next to it they had a throne set up. This looked like a fun photo op and the line was much shorter so I went for it!
And that did indeed give DH enough time to get to his spectator spot because I saw him shortly before mile 4:
He planned to head into MK by monorail to meet me as well, so he had to leave his friends at this point to keep up with me. I ran on into Magic Kingdom and found him waiting there for me on Main Street! I know everyone that does these races says how awesome it is to run into MK and to the castle, but it's really true. That view is so amazing normally, but to see it when you know you're accomplishing something big is just really moving. And it was a gorgeous morning. I took a lot of pics around MK. Even though I didn't stop for characters really I just wanted to soak it all in which slowed down my pace but it didn't matter, I was running through Disney!
Going through Tomorrowland we passed a line for Buzz Lightyear, and then around Fantasyland there was Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Their line didn't look too long so I jumped in, but then their handler said they were leaving for a few minutes. Well, a few minutes when you're in a race is too much, so I jumped back out and kept going! You run through the back of the castle, and they had Frozen characters up above. Anna happened to see me running by and called out to me, complimenting my outfit!
Then in Frontierland I passed Woody, and then stopped for a quick pic with the 6 mile sign since it had Anna and Elsa.
We went out of MK a back way, and just before we left they had the train out and I got a pic with the conductor!
The opposite of most people, the second half of the race my pace really picked up again because I wasn't as interested in stopping for characters and I was just eager to finish. We passed Aurora and Phillip, a group of men holding glass slippers by the Wedding Pavilion, and the Genie but I didn't stop. Pain started to set in at mile 8 (I can't seem to get rid of the hip pain when I run longer distances), but I pushed through it. In addition to the characters there were lots of encouraging or funny signs along the way:
There were also DJs every so often. I mean really there wasn't a stretch of a mile without something going on which was awesome. The green army man was out and giving everyone a hard time! If you slowed down he yelled at you to run faster, and made some people stop to give him push ups! I ran fast by him because there was no way I was stopping for push ups haha!
After ten miles I was so ready to be done. I saw DH right around mile 12 in the Epcot parking lot and that really encouraged me to keep going. I was ready for my last mile through Epcot.
I passed Sophia the First, but then I saw the Fairy Godmother. At this point people just want to be done with the race and they don't want to stop, so there was virtually no line. Seemed like the perfect character to get a pic with for the Princess half!
Right before the finish line thre was a gospel choir singing. I mean, how many other races have that?
This means I'm almost done!!!
And then, finally, I was crossing that finish line! I earned two medals - my first half marathon medal, and my Glass Slipper Challenge medal for completing both the 10k and the half! I had finished my first half marathon in 2 hours and 45 minutes.
I got my snacks and headed back to the room with DH for a much needed 2 hour nap!
DisneyKid4Life
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2013
Oh Becky, I love this!!!! You're too cute.
That's a good looking group right there.
How awesome!!! I guess it's appropriate for Anna to mingle with (Facebook) royalty.
PLUS, he can always lie and say he was running as well. Well I would anyway.
This is FABULOUS Becky. Congratulations!
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
\
Thank you so much!
It was funny, and such great entertainment! Running 13.1 miles at Disney is certainly more bearable than the training runs I did at home!
PLUS, he can always lie and say he was running as well. Well I would anyway.
This is FABULOUS Becky. Congratulations!
Haha, DH more or less "traveled the course" with me - it's just that he used a car and the monorail
Something that's really cool now is when we're in Disney and driving down the road from Epcot to MK I can say, "Hey, I ran this whole thing!"Thank you!!
MiaBella05
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2006
congrats!
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
Thanks so much! It was so much fun to plan and put together! I love doing costumes
Thanks!!
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
Post-Race Celebrations
After a nice long nap, it was time to get back up and into the day. So how did we celebrate finishing the half marathon? Well, to start, DH and I headed down to Pop Century food court to get lunch. I had the fish and chips and he had a burger, but to celebrate I had to treat myself to dessert:
After we ate it was just about time for photos at ESPN Wide World of Sports with the great photographers and David and Vicki Arndt. They have photographed a bunch of the weddings for some of the girls in our group, and were willing to do some post race pictures with us! They are the best photographers - they did our 2nd anniversary pics with us at Art of Animation back in August 2013, and they are also going to be doing 4th anniversary pics when we go to Disneyland in September since they happen to be there the same weekend! Here's one photo of the group of runners we got back from them:
DH also took a couple of pics during the photo shoot. Here's the group of us that completed the Glass Slipper Challenge of the 10k and the half marathon:
David directs us where to stand to get the best pics:
And we even did some pics of the friends and spouses that came to cheer us on!
Once that was done we had some time before our late dinner reservation at Yachtsman, so DH and I went back to Pop to change for dinner. Since we'd have to go somewhere to change buses anyway we decided to head into DTD for a little bit before heading over to the Yacht Club! I thought this was an appropriate time to wear my Glass Slipper Challenge "I Did It!" headband, and amazingly it matched my dress pretty darn well!
It was neat to see DTD begin the transformation to Disney Springs. Although there's still a lot of construction, the new areas look really nice and I think it's going to be awesome once it's done.
We visited a few shops and decided to get a snack, since our dinner reservation wasn't until 9:00. I had heard about the food trucks and wanted to check them out! We checked out the menus on the various trucks and decided to go with this one:
DH and I shared the naan with dipping sauces, and it was the perfect little snack! I wish there was more naan though because we ended up with some sauces left over.
Eventually we made our way to the Yachtsman for dinner. We met up with two other couples that had run today. It was also one of their birthdays! Dinner took a really long time (about 2 1/2 hours), but it was absolutely delicious. And one of the girls we ate with was a CM and had a coupon to get a discount on 4 meals, and she was kind enough to share that with us. It happened to be her birthday and she had also ordered a cake to share! It was gorgeous and so delicious, even after the very filling dinner.
By the time we were done we were exhausted. It was almost midnight and remember I had been up at 3 am - even with a nap that was a really long day! So DH and I decided to do something we never do because I'm cheap, and we took a cap back to Pop. Best decision ever. It was only $12 including tip and we were back in 10 minutes and able to go right to bed. Definitely something I'll consider doing again in the future when we need to travel from resort to resort - probably worth saving the 1 - 1 1/2 hours it takes to use Disney transportation! I needed to get my rest so I could enjoy a day in the Magic Kingdom!
After a nice long nap, it was time to get back up and into the day. So how did we celebrate finishing the half marathon? Well, to start, DH and I headed down to Pop Century food court to get lunch. I had the fish and chips and he had a burger, but to celebrate I had to treat myself to dessert:
After we ate it was just about time for photos at ESPN Wide World of Sports with the great photographers and David and Vicki Arndt. They have photographed a bunch of the weddings for some of the girls in our group, and were willing to do some post race pictures with us! They are the best photographers - they did our 2nd anniversary pics with us at Art of Animation back in August 2013, and they are also going to be doing 4th anniversary pics when we go to Disneyland in September since they happen to be there the same weekend! Here's one photo of the group of runners we got back from them:
DH also took a couple of pics during the photo shoot. Here's the group of us that completed the Glass Slipper Challenge of the 10k and the half marathon:
David directs us where to stand to get the best pics:
And we even did some pics of the friends and spouses that came to cheer us on!
Once that was done we had some time before our late dinner reservation at Yachtsman, so DH and I went back to Pop to change for dinner. Since we'd have to go somewhere to change buses anyway we decided to head into DTD for a little bit before heading over to the Yacht Club! I thought this was an appropriate time to wear my Glass Slipper Challenge "I Did It!" headband, and amazingly it matched my dress pretty darn well!
It was neat to see DTD begin the transformation to Disney Springs. Although there's still a lot of construction, the new areas look really nice and I think it's going to be awesome once it's done.
We visited a few shops and decided to get a snack, since our dinner reservation wasn't until 9:00. I had heard about the food trucks and wanted to check them out! We checked out the menus on the various trucks and decided to go with this one:
DH and I shared the naan with dipping sauces, and it was the perfect little snack! I wish there was more naan though because we ended up with some sauces left over.
Eventually we made our way to the Yachtsman for dinner. We met up with two other couples that had run today. It was also one of their birthdays! Dinner took a really long time (about 2 1/2 hours), but it was absolutely delicious. And one of the girls we ate with was a CM and had a coupon to get a discount on 4 meals, and she was kind enough to share that with us. It happened to be her birthday and she had also ordered a cake to share! It was gorgeous and so delicious, even after the very filling dinner.
By the time we were done we were exhausted. It was almost midnight and remember I had been up at 3 am - even with a nap that was a really long day! So DH and I decided to do something we never do because I'm cheap, and we took a cap back to Pop. Best decision ever. It was only $12 including tip and we were back in 10 minutes and able to go right to bed. Definitely something I'll consider doing again in the future when we need to travel from resort to resort - probably worth saving the 1 - 1 1/2 hours it takes to use Disney transportation! I needed to get my rest so I could enjoy a day in the Magic Kingdom!
DisneyKid4Life
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2013
I have been known to partake in this little beauty before. Yum!
I certainly remember those amazing photos from your anniversary shoot. These folks are good. And they clearly didn't disappoint here either.
I feel ya there, but I also agree, sometimes it's necessary.
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
Exactly, I never even really think about a cab! But it was beyond worth it in this case
Thanks! We were so happy with our anniversary photos. And now we're taking our first trip out to Disneyland in September, and by somewhat of a coincidence (with it being the DL half marathon weekend), those photographers will be in Disneyland at the same time as us - so we booked another anniversary shoot with them! The super exciting thing is that in California they are allowed to do photo shoots inside the parks, so I think we will get some really fun shots!
TruLovesKiss
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2013
Hi Becky! I'm so excited that I found your TR. I hoping to do the GSC in 2016 so I really enjoyed reading about your race experiences. It looks like you had a blast! Absolutely love your Snow White & Anna costumes too! 
Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.
Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
Hi Becky! I'm so excited that I found your TR. I hoping to do the GSC in 2016 so I really enjoyed reading about your race experiences. It looks like you had a blast! Absolutely love your Snow White & Anna costumes too!
Oh yay, you will love GSC - it's so much fun! I'm planning to do it again in 2016. Disney races are the best!
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
Thank you! There will be more coming up in future TR's too
I'm doing the Disneyland Half in September and will hopefully be back for Princess in 2016!
librarygeek
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2011
Morning In My Happy Place
Now that the races were done we had a couple of days to enjoy the parks! Monday was our Magic Kingdom day. We tried to get there early, because I love the opening show, but we sadly just missed it. We made our way first to Fantasyland, stopping for a couple of pics of the castle along the way!
My first goal was to do Peter Pan. I hadn't been on it in awhile, and they have the new queue that I really wanted to see. Since we didn't have a FP for it, I figured going there first made the most sense since those lines can get crazy long. Luckily we were there early enough that we didn't have much of a wait, and the queue was really cool - I think I actually enjoyed walking through there better than the actual ride!
Next we had a FP+ for Splash Mountain, so we headed toward Frontierland. We saw Chip and Dale in their western gear with almost no wait, so we decided to stop for a quick picture!
Splash Mountain is my favorite ride. It was still a little chilly that morning, but luckily we didn't really get very wet. And while in the area we also rode Big Thunder Mountain!
There was still some time before our FP for Mine Train, so we headed toward Fantasyland but stopped at the Haunted Mansion along the way. We then got on Mine Train. I had done it in October but it was DH's first time. His reaction was about the same as mine - it was an enjoyable little ride, but nothing super special.
By then we were hungry for lunch. We are usually Columbia Harbor House people, but we felt like trying something we hadn't before on this trip so we headed to Pinocchio's Village Haus instead!
I actually really enjoyed it! My flatbread was really good, and the garlic knots we got were tasty as well. We didn't have much of a plan for the afternoon, so we wandered around New Fantasyland for a bit. Then we saw bot the White Rabbit and Tweedle Dee/Dum doing meet and greets. DH was kind enough to wait with me, since I hadn't gotten to meet them before, and I had just missed out on Dee/Dum at the race the previous day. They were fun - Tweedle Dee tried to put my medal in his mouth and eat it!
We then did Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor before the Next FP+. The funniest part was Mike Wazowksi's nephew - he was talking to a kid in the audience about all the snow we've been getting up north, and the kid said that he liked snow. Marty's response: "You're a freak!"
And then it was time to finally meet Anna and Elsa! We got right in with our FP+ and met Elsa first. She commented on DH's shirt about how his favorite princess was his wife. DH thought she was implying that SHE should be his favorite princess. But no, she told us she is not interested in a man right now. Then we moved on to Anna, where DH managed to say something (I can't remember what!) to convince her that he might be from the southern isles! And Elsa yelled across the room, "Do you need me to freeze him for you?" I also showed Anna my running costume from yesterday, and she liked it but commented that my skirt was too short, lol. I told her that was much more comfortable for running!
We had plenty more MK adventures but I will continue them in another post!
Now that the races were done we had a couple of days to enjoy the parks! Monday was our Magic Kingdom day. We tried to get there early, because I love the opening show, but we sadly just missed it. We made our way first to Fantasyland, stopping for a couple of pics of the castle along the way!
My first goal was to do Peter Pan. I hadn't been on it in awhile, and they have the new queue that I really wanted to see. Since we didn't have a FP for it, I figured going there first made the most sense since those lines can get crazy long. Luckily we were there early enough that we didn't have much of a wait, and the queue was really cool - I think I actually enjoyed walking through there better than the actual ride!
Next we had a FP+ for Splash Mountain, so we headed toward Frontierland. We saw Chip and Dale in their western gear with almost no wait, so we decided to stop for a quick picture!
Splash Mountain is my favorite ride. It was still a little chilly that morning, but luckily we didn't really get very wet. And while in the area we also rode Big Thunder Mountain!
There was still some time before our FP for Mine Train, so we headed toward Fantasyland but stopped at the Haunted Mansion along the way. We then got on Mine Train. I had done it in October but it was DH's first time. His reaction was about the same as mine - it was an enjoyable little ride, but nothing super special.
By then we were hungry for lunch. We are usually Columbia Harbor House people, but we felt like trying something we hadn't before on this trip so we headed to Pinocchio's Village Haus instead!
I actually really enjoyed it! My flatbread was really good, and the garlic knots we got were tasty as well. We didn't have much of a plan for the afternoon, so we wandered around New Fantasyland for a bit. Then we saw bot the White Rabbit and Tweedle Dee/Dum doing meet and greets. DH was kind enough to wait with me, since I hadn't gotten to meet them before, and I had just missed out on Dee/Dum at the race the previous day. They were fun - Tweedle Dee tried to put my medal in his mouth and eat it!
We then did Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor before the Next FP+. The funniest part was Mike Wazowksi's nephew - he was talking to a kid in the audience about all the snow we've been getting up north, and the kid said that he liked snow. Marty's response: "You're a freak!"
And then it was time to finally meet Anna and Elsa! We got right in with our FP+ and met Elsa first. She commented on DH's shirt about how his favorite princess was his wife. DH thought she was implying that SHE should be his favorite princess. But no, she told us she is not interested in a man right now. Then we moved on to Anna, where DH managed to say something (I can't remember what!) to convince her that he might be from the southern isles! And Elsa yelled across the room, "Do you need me to freeze him for you?" I also showed Anna my running costume from yesterday, and she liked it but commented that my skirt was too short, lol. I told her that was much more comfortable for running!
We had plenty more MK adventures but I will continue them in another post!
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