Does this Glass Slipper come in a men's 13?

 

 

Does this Glass Slipper come in a men's 13?

 

 

If you missed the first part of my 2014 runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend recap, you can read it here. 

Day 3: Saturday's Enchanted 10K and mmm...S'mores

The Enchanted10K was an inaugural event and also the first leg of the runDisney Inaugural Glass Slipper Challenge.  After our 'homelessness' drama of the previous day, it was such a relief to be back in a hotel room  near Walt Disney World. It made getting to the race so much easier that morning. 

I ran the Enchanted 10K with DisneyBride.  Of the many runDisney races we had both done, we had only run un-timed  events (5Ks) side-by-side.  Running a timed Disney race together opened my eyes to a few things I have not experienced before.  More on this below.  

RunDisney must have listened to the criticism from runners that the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend's Inaugural 10K lacked entertainment.  This 10K was on the same course, but they added a group of kite fliers, another character, and more music to the first three miles - plus several more characters through EPCOT.

I would occasionally run ahead of DisneyBride to get in line for photos.  The one photo I was really looking forward to was Sports Goofy at the Boardwalk.  I didn't stop for him during Marathon Weekend and I really wish I had.  This time I got my photo. 

I would like to take a second and pat myself on the back. DisneyBride and I got across the finish line in front of the balloon ladies and we are still married.  I have a tendency to push her a little too hard on runs, much to her annoyance. But apparently, I was on my "A Game" that morning. 

To the Back of the Pack Runners, I have an even deeper respect for all of you and how tough it can be.  Let me explain:

1) I was constantly looking over my shoulders for the balloon ladies.  It is amazing how obsessed and concerned I was.  I am by no means fast, however, I have never had to worry about seeing them.  So, to those of you who do have that worry, I don't know how you do it. 

2) I know I am guilty of the things I am about to talk about.  I definitely won't be doing this any more.  I understand people are trying to be supportive and encouraging, but the constant "You look good" or "You're going to make it" come across quite patronizing.  It made me wonder how bad we looked that we constantly got these comments.  I know these spectators and fellow runners meant to be encouraging, but it just didn't come across that way.  I will have to try to come up with new things to use to cheer runners on.  

It really was a fun morning. It seems like we bumped into half the blogosphere either pre-race or on the course that morning, and that was awesome.  We even managed to run the last portion and cross the finish line with fellow bloggers, Patty of Margarita Miles and the Mouse and Julie of Run Walk Fastpass Repeat.

 

Saturday evening we headed to The Wilderness Lodge to meet up with the Racing the Dream Facebook group.  They had organized a gathering featuring the most delicious of all campfire desserts: s'mores!  I had a few.  

Many more than any adult should.  This was a lot of fun and I'm going to add the Chip and Dale Campfire Sing-A-Long to our Must Do List. 


Day 4: Sunday's Princess Half Marathon and I think I love everything on Sanaa's menu

The Princess Half Marathon is the final leg of the Glass Slipper Challenge.  This race I ran solo, with DisneyBride as my support crew. 

It is quite a scene being so outnumbered race morning. 

Why are all these Princesses chasing me???

It was VERY humid.  As you can see from almost all my pics I am drenched and my glasses are constantly fogged up.  Just before my now infamous Buzz Lightyear character stop, I paused on Main Street for a photo.  The random stranger who took this pic may just have taken the best Main Street photo of me yet.  Thank You!

I ALWAYS ALWAYS stop for Buzz. 

Everyone on the course this year was extremely upbeat, from what I saw.  Given the temperature and humidity that was pretty amazing.  I was even more impressed by the sportsmanship I witnessed.  Twice I was near a runner who tripped. Within split seconds, dozens of people stopped to help. 

I was sad running through Tomorrow Land in Magic Kingdom knowing that Push, the Talking Trash Can would never be seen again.  But I soldiered on, and ran through the coolest part of the half marathon course- Cinderella's Castle.  To the random stranger who took my castle photo: Thanks...  I guess the top half of the castle isn't that important...  ha ha

During my 2013 Princess Half Marathon race, I didn't stop at the Wedding Pavilion.  So I was glad to see the 'wanna-be' Disney Grooms were out again this year.  Let me dispel all the myths here and now: I am the real @Disney_Groom, all others are just posers.  

It was fun watching them interact with all the female runners. 

Just after the faux grooms, I ran into DisneyBride for the second time, right in front of the Polynesian Resort near Mile 8.  She completely surprised me by getting me some fresh bacon from Captain Cooks.  She also took my favorite race photo ever.  

The look on my face is priceless.  I will note that the bacon was excellent - salty and still crispy.  I highly recommend bacon as a mid-race pick-me-up. 

During the last half of the race I took the opportunity to stop for a couple of characters I have skipped in the past: Captain Jack Sparrow and Fairy Godmother.   

They always seem to have such long waits, but this race when I went through, the line was non-existent and I had a zero wait.  I think the humidity left runners just wanting to get across the finish line.  A win for me.

I collected my bling and got a photo with Ariel. 

If you've been reading our blog awhile, you may recall the 2013 Princess Half Marathon was our first 1/2 marathon.  DisneyBride and I had gone from Couch to 1/2 Marathon in less than five months.  That was a rough event for us both.  

Wow. What a difference a year makes!  I crossed the finish line with a better time, many more photo stops, and I felt great.  I know I look tired in this photo, but really I was just STARVING!  And we had a great celebratory meal planned!  

Following the race, after we showered, changed, and checked out of our room, we headed to Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge's Kidani Village for lunch.  Dining here was a first for us.  The food offering were African and Indian influenced - and everything was delicious, especially the butter chicken.  Yep. BUTTER. I earned it.  I will definitely try to find the butter chicken on property again. 

This is DisneyBride's vegetarian entree.  I tried some of each dish and it was really good too.  But not as good as the butter chicken.  There are no pictures of it because I ate it ALL!

With our bellies full, we got on the road headed north and back to reality.  But reality isn't as awesome as a runDisney weekend.  I keep hoping that one day I will pull into my office parking lot and find a DJ playing dance tunes to get me amped up.


So here is the fruit of months of training.  Ten runDisney medals
Six from the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Dopey Challenge (recaps here) and four from Princess Half Marathon Weekend.   

Not sure what our next Disney race will be, but I know I'll be back for Dopey Challenge.  In the meantime, we've got big plans for this year and also planning for next. 

Stay tuned for DisneyBride's recap from Princess weekend.

~DisneyGroom

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DisneyGroom's Princess Half Marathon Weekend Recap: Days 1 & 2

Things have been pretty busy at the Running Happily Ever After household for both of us - with work, community activities, and of course - training and more races.  So I apologize for this post coming out a few weeks after the event.

Day 1: Thursday - Fit for a Princess Health and Fitness Expo and Disbroads meetup 

We set out from Tallahassee around 8am and arrived at Walt Disney World around noon.  As has become our custom, we go straight to the expo before doing anything else. 

Knowing the expo had been open a few hours already, and anticipating the Black Friday atmosphere that often plagues this area, we made a bee line for the runDisney merchandise booth to grab a few items.  We always grab a pin or two and a medal for DisneyBride's Mickey Vinylmation.  I got the new shirt that reads "My favorite Disney Princess is my Wife". DisneyBride approves.

With our purchases in hand, we headed to get our packets and race shirts.  This year it was a breeze.  No lines, and within a few minutes I had managed to get my Glass Slipper and 5K bibs, plus my Glass Slipper Shirts.  I did have to return to the Josten's Center building to get my 5K shirt, but this was not a big deal.

DisneyBride also quickly got her bib and shirts for the 5K and 10K.  Next, we spent some time checking out the vendors.  We made a special stop at Apera Bags and chatted with the CEO.  More on this to come in a future post. 

If you attended in years 2013 and 2014, you know that the expo was far less crowded this year.  The 2013 expo was held at Coronado Springs, you can check out our post from last year to see the difference.  Being back in the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex this time made things SO much easier to navigate. 

Loaded like a pack mule (if you read my post: How To Survince Princess Weekend: A Guide for Men, then here is proof I was telling the truth), I headed out to get us checked into our hotel.  Actually this time it wasn't that bad.  But of course, we went back the next day...

This is where our least favorite part of the weekend comes in.  We booked the Clarion Inn by Downtown Disney through Priceline.  Upon arrival, the hotel claimed that weather issues kept guests from traveling home and that they were still occupying their rooms... OUR room.  They sent us to a sister property- more than 10 miles away.  We had no choice but to make the long trek to our new hotel.  The hotel was very nice, however, the property was entirely too far away from Walt Disney World and our weekend events, including the races.

We ate dinner Thursday night at Nile Ethiopian Restaurant. It came highly recommended to me by a colleague.  DisneyBride and I both really enjoy Ethiopian food so this is going to be a welcome addition to our dining rotation while in Orlando.

We ended the evening at the Disbroads meet-up.  It was really nice getting to meet social media friends that I only know from Facebook and Twitter.  The Disbroads had  arranged a gathering at The Wave Lounge in the Contemporary Resort.  It was already in full swing when we arrived, and we were made to feel welcome right away.  They had a pretty impressive array of door prizes, including all sorts of bags and baskets full of stuff runners love.  Unfortunately, we did not win anything in the raffle. To quote Patty: #SadTrombone   We still had a fun time, there were many sample size items of runner goodies and of course the best part was chatting with other runDisney peeps.  Nice way to end the first day and a relaxing event to ease into a super action packed weekend.




Day 2: Friday- Cinderella's Royal Family 5K, Expo Round 2,  a Jolly Breakfast with Mary Poppins, and oh yeah... we don't have a hotel room!

I am beginning to notice that it gets easier to wake myself and DisneyBride up early for Disney races.  We needed that extra time though, as the drive to the race was entirely too long due to our hotel snafu.  People always seem to be concerned with driving to runDisney events, but if you leave when the resort buses do, it's not bad. 

Like we usually do with Disney 5Ks, we ran this race together.  The theme was Cinderella's Royal Family 5K.  The Fairy Godmother and Cinderella did the send off for the runners that morning.

The course did not seem to be as packed as during WDW Marathon Weekend.  (The Dopey Factor was noticeably absent.) Even the character stops seemed less crowded to me.  Perhaps that was just me, as DisneyBride disagrees.  We still managed to grab a couple of great photos.   It was really nice to see some characters we don't often see.

To runDisney, a comment:  It is cruel to put so many kegs right next to the water stop.  Please consider providing beer at the aid stations during the 5K.  Better yet, provide beer at all aid stations regardless of the distance.

I am obviously not alone in my thinking - as I saw numerous runners on the course taking photos with the kegs and 'jokingly' trying to tap them.  (DisneyBride is rolling her eyes at the thought of beer at 6am.) 


And so, the first medal of Princess Half Marathon weekend was earned.

Following the race we headed back to the Expo.  Race shirt sizing is always a gamble - and this time we found that the 5K shirts ran far too small.  We headed to try and swap shirts at the shirt exchange.  People have complained about shirt exchange in the past, but I found the process to be quite quick and painless.  Important to note: They will only exchange 5K shirts AFTER the race has occurred. 

Walking past the runDisney booth, we spotted Barbara Galloway.  We've met her several times at the expos and also in Tallahassee through the Galloway group, and my retreat last March.  We took a few minutes to talk and catch up.  Mrs. Galloway is a wonderful lady and she always remembers us.  She and DisneyBride immediately start chatting away like long lost friends.

Within a few minutes, Jeff arrived and we took a few minutes to catch up with him as well.  We also took the opportunity to buy one of Jeff's new books, Trail Running.  DisneyBride and I both really enjoy trails and off-road running. 

Mrs. Galloway decided to photo-bomb us at the last minute!

(Note: We normally would not still be in our race outfits.  But as we are so far from our hotel, we don't have a chance to shower and change until later.  At least we now had our 5K race shirts to change into.  We hadn't thought to bring anything that morning, and we were so grateful for something clean to wear.)


Following the expo we headed to breakfast at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian Resort.  Neither of us had eaten here before.  The characters were fun and very interactive.  We got tons of photos with Alice and Pooh also.  But these are our favorite characters at this breakfast.

Mary Poppins even gave me permission to have an extra spoon full of sugar since I was running so much.  Special props to the Mad Hatter.  He really seemed to take pride in his role as host, and he was very entertaining.

Photos don't lie and we appear dead tired. 

The hotel we were moved to was over near Universal Studios.   As if runDisney races didn't require an early enough wakeup, we had to leave an extra 30 minutes earlier that morning due to the distance.  It was taking its toll and during breakfast, DisneyBride almost took a nosedive into her Mickey waffles.  We are both good about not drinking soda and we don't drink coffee. But this time, it was unavoidable.  Copious amounts of Diet Coke followed.

Fortunately, I was able to convince our original hotel to honor our reservations this time. (Hanging around the registration desk in sweaty costumes didn't hurt.) This was good news, but it turned into a huge hassle checking out of the hotel we were already in and then moving back to where we should have been in the first place.  Due to our breakfast reservation, we had missed checkout.  We flew across the city of Orlando in record time, and had about 12 minutes to shower, pack up the room and check out late.

There would be no napping that afternoon though, as we couldn't check into our original hotel until after 4:30pm.  And that's IF they had a room open up.  We were on vacation, but exhausted and homeless. (At least temporarily.)

Getting to the 5K Friday morning took far too long and that was just the first of three race days. Dealing with this hotel snafu may have sealed the deal that during race weekends we will try to stay on property.  After all the back and forth and headaches, and lack of a room,  it really wasn't worth saving a few bucks.  Back to your regularly scheduled recap.

That afternoon we attended the #runnerslove meetup hosted by Kristy of Kristy Runs Kato and Meg of Runaway Royalty.   Everyone got prizes in duplicate and triplicate and we made many new runner friends.  The meetup took place at the beach at the Polynesian Resort.  This is actually one of our favorite places on property. I don't use this phrase often - but I can honestly say it here:  a good time was had by all.   It kept threatening to rain, and it did at the end, but we were very glad we went.

 DisneyBride wants to especially apologize to everyone she met that day, particularly at the meet-up for her zombie-like state.  We were without a hotel room at this point and also nap-deprived.

Our day ended with a light dinner from the nearby Whole Foods and a brief stop at Downtown Disney to pick up a last minute costume accessory.  We finally got to bed after being up for 21 hours straight.  Whew!


Next up... my Glass Slipper Challenge!

~DisneyGroom


(If you like the light up vest DisneyBride was wearing for the 5K, check out her review and giveaway here.)

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Are you ready for the Inaugural Enchanted 10K?

Last spring runDisney made a big announcement in conjunction with Princess Half Marathon weekend.  Following suit with the most recent Disneyland Half, Walt Disney World Marathon, and Tinker Bell Half weekends, the Princess Half Marathon weekend would have a new 10K event added as well.  The Enchanted 10K could be a stand alone race, or done as part of the Glass Slipper Challenge, when combined with the Princess Half Marathon.

 

The popular event sold out months ago as Disney runners seem to be especially eager to try out Inaugural races.  With the addition of the Glass Slipper Challenge, there were even fewer spots available for runners 'only' completing the 10K.

 

While runDisney 5Ks and Half Marathons continue to be extremely popular, the 10K distance provides a nice 'bridge' in distance for runners ready to try a distance beyond 3.1 miles but not quite ready for 13.1.  Or like me - you may just like the 6.2 mile distance and crave anything associated with Disney Princesses.  I did not need any convincing to sign up! 

 

 

The Bling:

Check out this pretty medal!  This beauty will be presented to all finishers of the Enchanted 10K.  I especially like the pumpkin coach - as that is also the symbol used by Disney Fairy Tale Weddings.  And I love things that reminds me of my wedding.

 

When: 

This Inaugural event is scheduled for Saturday, February 22, 2014 with a start time of 5:30am EST. 

 

Where:

Like the 5K and Half Marathon taking place this weekend, the start area will be at EPCOT.

 

The Course: 

This course is certified by USA Track and Field and is labeled EPCOT 10K.  This is the same course as the new 2014 Walt Disney World Inaugural 'Minnie' 10K that took place in January.

 

 

 

 

For a detailed description of the course, you can view the official map on the USATF site here.

 

DisneyGroom and I both ran the Inaugural Walt Disney World 10K so this will not be our first time running this course.

 

Course Breakdown:

 

Mile 1 Loop around and out of the EPCOT parking area

Mile 2 Enter Osceola Parkway (the on ramp contains a long but not steep, gradual hill)

Mile 3 Continue on Osceola Parkway

Mile 4: Head into World Showcase

Mile 5: Starts when you are halfway through World Showcase, continue through the park and run out International Gateway and through the Boardwalk Resort area

Mile 6: Begins at the Yacht & Beach Club Resort area and goes back into EPCOT, ending just beyond Spaceship Earth.

Finish chute: Takes you right back to the starting area.

 

Pace/Chip Timing:

This event is chip timed and runners are required to maintain a 16 minute per miles pace.  If not, they run the risk of being swept.  Runners were swept at the 10K during Marathon weekend, so it is reasonable to expect this will be enforced at the Enchanted 10K as well.

 

Awards:

There will be overall and age group awards. Men running are not eligible for awards - keeping in mind that the races held during Princess Half Marathon weekend are still classified as 'women's events' that have permitted men to run.

 

Character/Photo opportunities:

 

Prior to the race start, there *might* be some characters out in the staging area.  If they are not there pre-race, some will definitely be there after the race, so runners can get photos wearing their medals.

 

Generally, when one goes through World Showcase, the characters match up with the countries/region - e.g. Mulan in China, Snow White in Germany, Jasmine in Morocco, Sleeping Beauty in France, etc.  There is much speculation on the appearance of the new Princesses: Anna and (Queen) Elsa from the hit film, Frozen.  Norway seems to be a likely choice.  Character locations on the course are no longer published by runDisney.  Since this is a new event, we can't know for sure which characters will be out.  Of course, I am hoping to see the Princesses with their Princes. (fingers crossed)

 

 

 

Be sure to take advantage of the beautiful backdrops available in World Showcase. Each of the countries represented has wonderfully designed buildings and create a beautiful setting.  My personal favorite is Italy.

 

So are you excited for this Inaugural race?

DisneyGroom and I will be running this event together in coordinating costumes.  Be sure to check back after the race for our recaps!

 

See you at Princess weekend!

Run Happily!
~DisneyBride

Check out other 2014 Princess Half Marathon Weekend related blog posts on the Virtual Blog Hop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2014 Princess Half & Glass Slipper Challenge Corral Info

Calling all Princesses!

Eager to find out your corral info?  Corral Info has been posted on the runDisney page: http://www.rundisney.com/princess-half-marathon/

First - get your waiver here:  http://trackshack.com/disneysports/prinw14/verify.php

Enter your last name and date of birth to get to your waiver.

This will take you to this page:

You must select PRINT Waiver.  Your bib number appears at the bottom.

The corrals are up for Glass Slipper Challenge AND the Princess Half Marathon only.  Look up your number on the charts below to find your corral placement.

10K bibs and 5K bibs are not posted - and if past practice dictates, they will not be.

NOTE: If you do not see your name come up and you know you are registered- do not panic!  One of two things are likely the issue:  Wrong Birthday or Name Misspelling. My name did not come up.  But I found out trackshack/rundisney entered my wrong birthday.  It happened to DisneyGroom last year also!  Call runDisney 407-939-iRun or send them an email: disneysports@trackshack.com to get it sorted. 

So what corral did you get?

DisneyGroom put in a 10K time and got Corral E.  He is really happy about it!

I'm only running 5K and 10K so my corral info will be a surprise at bib pickup.

Run Happily!

~DisneyBride

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DisneyGroom’s Year in Review and a Salute to All Nations (But Mostly America)

I know my last post did not include my usual humorous tone. So buckle-up and enjoy. Every blogger on the internet is doing a Year in Review, so you certainly don't want to read another one.  Instead, I’ll include some predictions for next year and a couple of suggestions for new runDisney products. 
 
Prepare yourself- this will be my last post for 2013. No need to be sad. You will just have to wait until next year for more of my wit and insight.

Mark 2013 as the year DisneyBride created a monster.

During 2012, DisneyBride and I had only done a couple of 5Ks.  Then in 2013, the monster appeared. Somehow I managed to complete eleven 5Ks, one 8K, one 20K, one half marathon, and two marathons.  Now I am looking forward to my first endurance series (Dopey Challenge). It is quite amazing what can be accomplished when you are married to the ultimate enabler. 

More important than just completing the races, (and I never in a million year thought I would say this) I now enjoy running. It takes about 7ish miles for me to hit my stride, but when I do, don’t step in front of me. Even more impressive, I have managed to get DisneyBride to a place where she enjoys trails. (I probably have nothing to do with this change, but as much as she resisted hiking while we were dating, I am going to call this a victory for me). 


Looking Forward

runDisney challenges
Dopey, Glass Slipper, Dumbo Double Dare, Coast to Coast. BRING IT!  I'm taking it all!

GOING LONG:
I hope to run a 50K towards the end of 2014. I have a few options for races in my area, so we will have to see what level of crazy I want to achieve. Further, I hope to run a marathon with DisneyBride. (I can hear her laughing across town.) This may be the most ambitious goal for the year, she has been pretty adamant that she has no desire to run anything longer than a half.

BACON:
If you are a potential sponsor: take note! I am still hoping to be endorsed by a bacon company. I maintain that bacon is the perfect mid-race fuel and that I should be the face that promotes the idea.



#BACON at Mile 18 #SPACECOASTMARATHON

MARATHON TRAVEL

I want to run a marathon in another state. I am open to suggestions, please feel free to post them in the comments section.

And now... my ideas for new products fellow Disney Runners would enjoy.

Proposed runDisney Merchandise for 2014

2013 seems to be the year that runDisney has presented us with a a number of (what I believe are) pretty absurd products. Not the least of which are commemorative race-specific shoe sole inserts. "Hey DisneyBride, I am going to hang my sweaty shoe insoles on the wall, right next to our medals." With each nostril insulting whiff, you will remember why we keep the running shoes in the garage. So in the interest of more crazy ideas, here are a few of mine. If you are reading this runDisney, I better get my cut.

Mickey Nipple Guards

Nipple chafing is serious. And crossing the finish line with bloody nipples is not very Disney. Mickey nipple guards serve the dual purpose in shielding younger spectators from a bloody running spectacle, and in bringing "Hidden Mickey" hunting to an entirely new level.

Jabba the Hut Anti-Chafing Gel 

No one knows chafing better than Jabba the Hut.  With everyone starved for Star Wars merchandise and/or a Star Wars themed race, the gentle giant is a marketer's dream. 

MuShu Alarm Clock (porridge sold separately)

Getting up for early races is the worst. I am glad Disney Bride wakes up easily for races (yet not any other time of the year). A small annoying dragon throwing insults is the perfect way to wake up and get you motivated - be it for race day or a training run. 





I had two other ideas, however, I don’t think a runDisney Bobcat Goldthwaite alarm clock would be approved for licensing. And the Sam Eagle “A Salute to All Nations (But Mostly America)” themed alarm clock complete with fireworks display may present a fire hazard.  But it really is so spectacular, I'm showing it here for your enjoyment.

 

If you ever see me write about how I love to get up early, rest assured I have become a zombie or have been replaced by an alien or robot. You will know what to do.

Grey Stuff Goo (energy gels)

Sugary, delicious, and portable fuel for running. This needs no further explanation. 

 

 

Finish Line Food: Tonga Toast with Pineapple DoleWhip topping

This combines two of my favorite Disney treats - in a cool, rush of sugary heaven. Perfect #Recovery food. Not merchandise per se, but this is what I want, so I assume everyone else wants it too. 

We just ran 26.2 miles and paid a lot of money to do so.  With an army of the finest chefs at their disposal, I think Disney can do better than three stale crackers and warm hummus.

So these are my top picks.

What products would you like to see runDisney offer?

-Disney Groom

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