Because this half marathon and all of the preparation for it has been one of the most amazing and fulfilling experiences of my life so far, it simply can’t be done in one post. It will absolutely take two. or three. We’ll see…
Before I recap the event, I have to tell you that I felt so amazingly prepared for this event. I followed training so closely and I only cut one long run short by a couple of miles during taper week. The only thing that I wouldn’t say I was necessarily very good about was eating smartly–I didn’t do that. But there’s always next time (November 20th is HM #2).
On Friday after work, I headed home, threw my last remnants into my bag, and Tim and I were off for Orlando. Before going to the hotel, we went to the expo at the Wide World of Sports to pick up my race packet, bib number, and goody bag.
I brought a proof of time from my 10k, and I got moved from Corral E to Corral A. I got a kick out of that before mentally freaking out that I would get left alone in the dark by all the other runners in the corral that I probably shouldn’t have been in.
But I took a few fun pictures to celebrate being at the event that I’ve been prepping for since I signed up for it in May.
I picked up my official t-shirt, which actually was actually pretty cute, but I also had to buy a keychain and a purple and sparkly (it has tasteful glitter inside the Epcot ball) active t-shirt to commemorate the weekend.
After walking around the vendors without doing too much other damage, we picked my mom up at her hotel (she came down from Tennessee to support me) and went to Downtown Disney to eat dinner and explore the shops. One of my mom’s friends sent a package of goodies, including the 13.1 sticker I’ll be putting on my car later.
We headed back to our hotel and settled in for an early night. After sleeping in until 9:30 we went to breakfast at Mimi’s Cafe, where I ate some protein and a whole bunch of wheat toast. The only thing that I didn’t feel confident about throughout the day is what I was eating and drinking. I hadn’t done a training run at night before, so I really had no idea what I was doing. I just went with some suggestions that I had read in the weeks prior to the event.
Oh, yes. I did miss the Alabama vs. Florida game due to my race, but it all worked out my way (sorry babe).
After a very long day spent at the hotel…
…I got my stuff ready and boarded a bus to the starting line at 6:55 PM.
…and from then the real fun begins. I’ll share the rest tomorrow!
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Best Damn Race 10k Recap
Jacksonville Bank Marathon Race Recap (The marathon I kind of swam)
Yay! I'm loving the shirts! You're definitely making me want to sign up for a Disney race. I'm considering the Disney Princess half, but those price tags (+ the price of travel) are hefty. There's always next year when we can do the W&D together and you can beat this year's time 😉
I can't wait to hear about the race itself!!
I love the shirts you guys got! Congrats on finishing your first half!
Wow – I'm so not athletic, so the idea of running any sort of distance makes my feet ache, BUT this would definitely be the way to do it!
Yay, I love this! What a great lead in to your race. Can't wait to see the pictures throughout.
And I hope you had a great birthday!
Emily w/Amazing Grapes
How exciting! Can't wait to read the rest!
I ran cross country and track in high school and trained for a marathon a few years ago. Running is an amazing sport. Looks like you are really enjoying this race!
That looks like so much fun! And it's making me want to go to Disney!
Yaaay! Sooo proud of you girl. Love the sticker you got for your car. Def something to use! 🙂
Eek!! I'm so excited for you! I've been not checking blogs lately, but I saw your post #2 and knew I had to go back and read part 1!