Princess Half Marathon Trip Report -- February 2019 (My first TR)

[DebiPT]

Longtime lurker on the boards. I’ve learned so much about all aspects of Disney travel from trip reports so here I go with my first. I am a physical therapist living just outside New York City. I just moved to NY after 37 years if living in Florida. I have two little Beagles who are my whole world.



February 22, 2019 - Travel Day



I had a later afternoon flight out of Westchester Airport, so I spent the morning dropping off the pups, easy last minute cardio before the race, cleaning, packing. After 37 years of living in Florida, it’s still a little weird to have to fly to Disney, but now I’m a New Yorker and this is what I do.



Small hiccup on the way to the airport, I realized halfway there that I might have left the bathtub running (I was doing a Drano flush), so I ask the Uber driver to take back and then back to the airport.


My mom picked me up from the Orlando and we met my brother and niece for dinner at BJs. I was trying to eat lighter so I wouldn’t feel so heavy for the race. I made a pit stop at Publix (miss them so much living in New York). I got some watery fruit, bagels, peanut butter and light Lemonade for the room. That night I slept at my brothers house.

 

[DebiPT]

Saturday, February 23 — Anima Kingdom Lodge, Magic Kingdom



Originally, I planned to pick up my race pack on Friday when I got it, but my flight was really late and by the time I got my luggage it was 6:30 and the expo ended at 7.



The next morning we headed to Disney!!! We got to ESPN Wide World of Sports and it was pretty crowded. All the lines for check in were about 20 deep — except mine which only had one person. A particularly “heIpful” dude tried to tell me I was skipping everyone before another woman explained that it was two different lines (depending on your bib number). I got my bib and my preordered merchandise. I’ve started always preordering my pins and magnets because they sold out one year. Although, I always forget what I ordered when I get there. The expo has gotten a little complicated. I have make three different stops in three different buildings. One for the bib, one for the race shirt and then my merchandise.











While I was in the expo, I got a text that our room was ready. Really early!! My mom drove us over to drop off my stuff. This was my first stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge and it’s beautiful. I think the rooms are smaller than BW or Y&B, and there is not a pullout bed for a fifth person. Still super nice room and I had a view of the pool. Another downside was there were no USB ports, which I have gotten spoiled with at other resorts. So, I was constantly moving around my plugs because I only brought one box.

 

[DebiPT]

Saturday, February 23 — Anima Kingdom Lodge, Magic Kingdom (part 2)

After getting some of my stuff unpacked, my mom dropped me off at MK to meet my best friend and her family.

Funny story, on the monorail ride over a woman was asking everyone what time MK closed. A man replied that he didn’t know but since it was summer and a Saturday, it was probably 11 or 12. I thought about it for a minute and then was like, “hey, it’s February, not summertime.” But was so hot and so crowded, I think every felt like it was summertime.

Nicole and I have run two other races together, so we have a good little system down. Nicole is the bomb at scheduling FastPasses. She reschedules them and keeps checking for new ones all day. We rode Mine Train, Thunder Mountain, Hall of Presidents, and Space Mountain.











It was extremely hot all day — especially for February. 87 degrees at one point. I was trying to sip water all day to keep hydrated for the race. In between rides, we stopped to cool off in the shade and I indulged for a Cheshire Cat Tail. So good!! Better than expected. It’s got chocolate inside a pastry with icing on top. I also stole popcorn, candied nuts and Mickey pretzel from Nicole’s sons. It’s really hard to quiet my inner fat kid in these situations and not eat whatever the kids want to give me.

Nicole and her family had dinner reservations at Diamond Horseshoe. I had never been there before and they were able to add me to their reservation. It’s a family style place with great cornbread and lot of different meats plus Mac and cheese, mashed sweet potatoes and beans.





After dinner we headed back to the resort. I stopped and bought a race pack for her from Mara, which had a bagel, banana, peanut butter, granola bar and a water (I think it was around $8). Every resort I've stayed at on property has had one of these. Nicole always stays with me on the night before the race so she can get good sleep and it’s easier for us to go to the race together. I unpacked and set out my outfit for the morning, plus kept trying to hydrate with Gatorade and watermelon. Side note, I could not turn the TV on to save my life. I had to call and they sent engineering up to turn it on for me. I wasn’t doing anything wrong — just wasn’t hitting the sweet spot. Kinda embarrassing.



We talked a little bit before trying to sleep. 2:30 comes really fast.

 

[DebiPT]

Sunday, February 24 — Race Day! Plus Hollywood Studios

Welp, 2:30 rolled around, and we were up and at it. We had two alarms plus the wake up call. I love the sound of Winnie the Pooh in the morning. I get wake up calls even when I don’t need it.



It’s dumb, but I do like to look as cute as possible so it takes a little longer to get dressed. I didn’t have time to eat so I grabbed my bagel. Note to self: don’t forget to get knife for the peanut butter otherwise you will be spreading it on with your fingers.



When we got down to the lobby, a race bus was waiting for us. (Side note: I really enjoyed the bus system from AKL). Nicole and I waited in line for the restrooms when we first got there. I like to wait as long as possible without having to hurry to the corrals. Some races I’ve waited up to 30 minutes so it’s a delicate balance.



The starting line for the race was behind the Epcot parking lot. The rough part about starting from this spot is that it there is a long walk to the corrals. I looked at my watch when I got there and I had already walked 2.5 miles that morning. The start line had the usually shenanigans and special appearances like Miss America to sing the national anthem.



The was the first race in awhile that I didn’t have Proof of Time to get a better corral. I was in F which they also broke up into 9 waves. I think it defeats some of the purpose of having time based corrals if you break them into waves. Now, I feel like I need to get there earlier to get to the front otherwise you may start 30 minutes later, which means more time between my last bathroom stop and the start of the race.



The race was a hot one and I’m torn on the course. Obviously I love running through MK but it’s a long road down there and back with nothing real interesting going on. It also ends with some brutal overpasses into Epcot. There lots of characters on the course, but I never stop. I know I saw, Tinkerbell, Jack Sparrow, the female villains all together and the princes all together.



It’s dumb but I got a little teary eyed running down Main Street.





The race was a hot!!!! Especially since I have been training in 30 degree weather lately. Saving grace was overcast until the last mile where the sun came out bright and shining.



My mom came to watch me finish. Nicole finished almost an hour before me so she headed back to her hotel room. My mom was there to see me finish (so supportive). I didn’t take any character pictures because they are usually just Princesses and I only stop for Mickey. LOL!! My mom had driven so she drove us back to AKL. I don’t recommend this as traffic was crazy getting out. I much prefer taking the bus back.

 

[DebiPT]

Sunday, February 24 — Race Day! Plus Hollywood Studios (part 2)

I showered and we went down the Mara quick service for some food. They were actually still serving breakfast so I got my coveted Mickey waffles. I napped in the room for awhile. I had intended to meet Nicole and her family again for a day at Epcot, but I was so exhausted and dehydrated. She is a park beast. I guess that comes from having two young boys. Sometime in there I headed back to Mara for a flatbread and cupcake for later. My mom also headed the gym which was very nice.







My mom and I did head to DHS that evening because I can’t have a park trip without run on Toy Story Mania. We lucked out that it had been closed all day and opened up right as we walked up. So we pretty much walked right through. We tried to do Muppet Vision but it closed at 6. We tried to eat but most of the quick services were closed. It was kinda odd since the park didn’t close until 8.













Instead, we headed back to the room and another trip to Mara. This time I got the ribs and fries. I also made a stop at the gift shop for some pins and chocolate for my coworkers. Interesting note on Zebra Domes, my boss has Celiac’s disease and can’t have gluten so I’m always on the lookout for gluten free snacks for her. My mom got some Zebra Domes and the label said gluten friendly so we ate those and came back on Monday morning to get more. When I got back to the room, I saw the label said May Contain Gluten. I thought this was odd that the same snack would be gluten friendly one day but not the next. Moral of the story, check the labels every time. I don’t have any allergies so this is not usually an issue.

We ate, watched a little Wall-E and headed to sleep.

 

[DebiPT]

Monday, February 25 — Checkout, Kona Cafe, Shopping



I took sometime wandering the resort, taking pictures. I like to consider myself a bit a photographer, but I really I just point, click a lot, and hope something good comes from it.











On my way back I grabbed the ill-fated Zebra Domes, which I did take back to New York safely stowed in my tummy. My mom grabbed our stuff and headed out. One of my friends/coworkers also ran in the half marathon with her sisters and they kindly invite me to join in their Kona Cafe reservations. (I really rode my friends coattails when it came to planning this trip). For those of you that know, Kona is known for their Tonga Toast. It a cinnamony, banana filled delight, it their macadamia nut pancakes are also really good. So, we split those two and a poached eggs, three ways.



After breakfast, my friend headed to MK with her family and my mom and walked around until it was time to meet my brother for some shopping. My mom actually bought me the Minnie Kate Spade I had my eye on.







After that we headed off property to my nephew’s baseball game. That night, I slept at my brothers, but not before another trip to Publix for a chicken tenders Pub sub.

 

[DebiPT]

Tuesday, February 26 - Goodbye Disney



I had a super early flight back to White Plains. Uneventful.



Now time to plan my Star Wars Half trip.



Thanks for following along. Ask any questions.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[eey777]

I enjoyed your trip report! So, was your bathtub still running when you checked it? I've done something similar (had an OMG, did I leave a pot on the stove? moment)

 

[DebiPT]

I enjoyed your trip report! So, was your bathtub still running when you checked it? I've done something similar (had an OMG, did I leave a pot on the stove? moment)

Nope, I went all the way back for nothing! But I'm glad I did. I still got there in plenty of time and I would have worried so much about it. I usually go through a little checklist in my mind. Stove, check. Oven, check. Both cats are inside, check. But I got caught up with calling my Uber and forgot.

 

[PJofNB]

I enjoyed your trip report, thanks for sharing. The princess half this year was my first runDisney event - I will try to follow your lead and post my own report soon.

Your photos are great, in the parks and especially at the resort. Animal Kingdom Lodge looks so beautiful; I would love to stay there some day.

Congratulations on your run. The heat and humidity were certainly an adjustment for me after several months of below-freezing temperatures!

 

[DebiPT]

I enjoyed your trip report, thanks for sharing. The princess half this year was my first runDisney event - I will try to follow your lead and post my own report soon.

Your photos are great, in the parks and especially at the resort. Animal Kingdom Lodge looks so beautiful; I would love to stay there some day.

Congratulations on your run. The heat and humidity were certainly an adjustment for me after several months of below-freezing temperatures!

Congrats on your run as well and thanks for following along! I did really like AKL, although next time I'd like to splurge for the Savannah view room.

Be careful, these runDisney events are addictive. Three years ago I thought I was going to do just one and this was my sixth (soon to be seventh with Star Wars).

 

[Pluto4Me]

Nice report and congratulations on your run!

I am an avid cyclist - I've tried running (as I would love to participate in one of these events) but running just isn't for me - always a little in awe of those that can finish a half or full marathon!

Congrats again.

J

 

[cheryllarsen]

Amazing trip report with photos. Thanks for posting. Enjoyed reading.

 

[cheryllarsen]

I've thought about joining the marathon but haven't taken that step yet!

 

[DebiPT]

Nice report and congratulations on your run!

I am an avid cyclist - I've tried running (as I would love to participate in one of these events) but running just isn't for me - always a little in awe of those that can finish a half or full marathon!

Congrats again.

J

Thanks so much!
Thanks for following along. I'm sure you COULD from a physical standpoint. I always feel that if I can do it anyone can

 

[DebiPT]

Amazing trip report with photos. Thanks for posting. Enjoyed reading.

Thanks for following along!

 

[DebiPT]

I've thought about joining the marathon but haven't taken that step yet!

Yes, I did the 2018. It was the most awful and wonderful experience of my life. And I think I'm going to the 2020. My goal is to train well enough to make it a little more enjoyable this time around.