Princess Half Marathon Meet Up

For once, I happened to be in the right place (twitter) at the right time (Thursday @ noon) and scored a spot in the pre-race meet up sponsored by Run Disney!  I guess this has been happening every year, but it's the first time for me.  I wasn't sure what it would be like, but I was very excited to find out.

We all received RunDisney shirts to wear.

I met the group at Epcot Friday morning at 6:30am to run a couple miles with Jeff Galloway, Rachel Booth, Suzy Favor Hamilton, Betty Wong and about 80 other Princess runners. 

We had the choice of walk/running our miles with Jeff Galloway or running with the Olympic runners (Suzy and Rachel). Even though I didn't want to run too hard, I decided to go with the smaller group that would run the 2 miles. 


I ran about a 9 min pace and was no where near the front. They were too fast for me. I fell into line with a few others whose pace matched mine and we got to talk and enjoy the scenery as we ran through the deserted park.  It was beautiful and peaceful. Not something you get a lot of opportunities to experience. 

Both groups ended at the Beer Garden in Germany.

Once inside we were treated to a buffet of muffins, danish, fresh fruit, bagels, coffee, juice and water. Each seat was decorated with a tiara too! I went with my go to PB and J on a bagel.


Next we heard from the featured runners:  

Jeff Galloway was up first. He is such a friendly guy. He believes running should be more than trying to get from point A to point to point B as fast as you can. I so agree!  Where is the joy in that?  Realistically that approach is only going to leave me frustrated.  I want to  find the joy in each race and appreciate what I am able to do instead of being disappointed in my shortcomings.


Rachel Booth, an Olympic runner, talked about what running is like for her as she juggles a family, part time work and her training. 

Lori Lovell from Disney Mom's Panel shared how she loves running through the castle. The panel is made of everyday people like Lori who answer at least 25 questions  a week. 
Next was Betty Wong, Editor in Chief of Fitness magazine.  She gave us all a copy of the current edition and talked about how to lose weight while running.  She said that upping the intensity is what makes the difference.  For instance, if you typically run 3 miles in 30 minutes, try to do 4 miles in that time. Weight training is important too.

Suzy Favor Hamilton was a hoot!  She is also an Olympic athlete and is very outgoing!  She shared some personal stories including her struggle with depression and by the end  had every one up and dancing to Firework by Katy Perry.

Our final guest was Minnie Mouse dressed in a royal gown of pink from head to toe.  She was dazzling!





The morning ended with us getting some photos with other Disney royalty and receiving a 1 day Park Hopper ticket!  This was such a great morning from start to finish!

Rapunzel

Snow White

I had the chance to meet some great people who all love to run!  I also got a chance to meet face to face with some twitter friends.
  
It was a privilege to be included and we were treated so nicely. I thoroughly enjoyed myself!  If this sounds like something you would like, keep your eyes and ears peeled for next years so maybe you can attend too.