Princess 2012

So I'm sitting here trying to write this post and listening to Pandora, and the song "The Climb" comes on. I am not a huge Miley fan but I like that song and I got a little teary eyed thinking about how it is a fitting description of the past year.  Then I was thinking about "What Doesn't Kill You(Stronger)" by Kelly Clarkson and how it helped during the race. Of course, that is the next song that comes on and I break down crying. For any of you that ran the Princess, you understand the significance of "Stronger", and I felt like it was a sign that I just needed to start typing, haha.

In reality, I haven't posted about the race yet because I still have a really hard time processing the fact that it is over and I did it. I almost feel a little lost now. But anyway, I'll deal with all of that later, for now, I need to take you through that day. I'll probably talk about the entire trip in some other post(s) so this one can just be about the race. I will talk a lot about how this race compared to last year's and if you haven't already read it, take a moment to check out this post so you know my story and understand the significance of it all.

After running the Tinkerbell, I knew I could finish the Princess. I had big plans of being awesome and getting in all of my runs between the two but I didn't. As the race came nearer, I shifted my focus. I was more excited about the girls week I would have after the race and less focused on what the entire trip was about. I was still worried. There were so many more emotions tied to this race and it was just easier to ignore it.

I was scared of repeating last year. I was overwhelmingly sad that my husband wasn't going to be there cheering me on. I was ashamed that once again I had not trained as well as I should(though I had definitely trained this time).
 
 The alarm went off way to early that morning and Maggie and I got up to get ready. We drug our cheerleaders to the bus with us and made our way to Epcot. I was nervous, very nervous. It didn't help that the bus got caught in killer traffic and it felt like we were never going to get there. That was extremely frustrating since we had to drive past the starting line to get to the staging area. In the future, I will simply walk to the start from the resort because that is totally doable when you stay at Port Orleans. Anyway, once we finally arrived we made our way slowly to the start. I knew it was going to be very different this year simply because it took so long to get there. The crowd was insane. Once we got near the start, Maggie and I parted ways to head to our corrals. I was in D again this year thanks to early registration and a little fib about my time. Honestly, when I registered last year, I probably thought the time I put was possible but either way there was no proof needed and I wanted to guarantee plenty of time to finish and I am very glad I ended up in D. It was a little sad while I waited because I had no one to wait with. Last year I was lucky and the other ladies I had met up with there were either in the same corral or the chose to go back a corral to start with us so I had people to talk to while we waited. This time I was completely alone. Fortunately since it had taken so long to get there, the wait wasn't horrible. As the corrals moved up, I made my way to the front. Then there I was, in the front of our corral, on the start line. The countdown began and then we were off. I ran the first interval since I was in a pack and felt surprisingly good even though I had not done much to warm up. Once my first walk interval came, I made my way out of the way and slowed down. A girl that I am sure was trying to be nice came by and patted me on the shoulder and told me I was doing good and to keep pushing. I was very caught off guard and a little offended. I am sure she saw this fat chick walking and thought I was struggling when in fact I felt great and was simply following my interval plan.

I didn't get a look at the clock when I started so I wasn't exactly sure how much to subtract when I got to the first mile marker but I knew I was doing good so I kept moving. Mile two came and I did the math. I was under a 16 min mile. I didn't know the seconds because I didn't pay attention to those but I passed the 2 mile mark less than 16 minutes after crossing 1. I was very pleasantly surprised and got a little excited. At this point we were on the main road to Magic Kingdom. I saw the pirates ship(and the crazy long line for pics) and then the hot air balloon. All kinds of memories came flooding in from last year. I kept moving and was a little surprised when all of a sudden I see a police officer telling us to move to the other side of the road. Then I saw why. A woman was lying on the ground with her arm wrapped and very visibly in pain. I assumed that she had somehow gotten tripped up and fallen and was pretty seriously hurt. That is when I had a little spark of panic. I hadn't even thought about that possibility. There were so many people on the road that it was a very real possibility so I started praying. I just wanted to finish and I couldn't imagine how that woman felt as she was on the ground waiting on the ambulance to come pick her up.

Soon I was running through the MK gates and chuckling a little at the volunteers who have to stand out there and warn us about the speed bumps. It is a very necessary thing but you could tell that several of them were trying to find ways to have fun while doing it.  I quickly approached mile 3 and checked my time, still under 16 minutes. I couldn't wait to hit the 5K mark and find out what my split time was. I was faster than I have ever been for that distance and I was excited. After I crossed the mat I grabbed my phone to check what it had posted to facebook. As it popped up, I was PISSED. Apparently I started too far to one side and my chip did not read when I crossed the start line so they used the clock time to figure out my pace. So the pace it posted was over a 21 min/mile pace. I immediately posted under it that it was wrong to keep my husband from worrying(he was the only one that could see it) and I kept moving. I was a little defeated at that point though. I knew that my times were all going to be wrong so I stopped worrying as much about moving as fast as I could. If I had started a timer or something when I started, it would have been different but I had nothing but the chip and that was screwed up.

After mile 3, as I ran through the parking lot area, I passed a DJ. As I approached her, she said she was going to play a power song for us and then played "Eye of the Tiger" I smiled and started crying a little. It was a good time to hear it and it made me feel like my husband was with me even though he was half a world away. There is a long(but funny) story behind that song, well actually a Rocky marathon and our relationship. Every now and then, he will play that song and it makes us both laugh and remember those times. Knowing that he wasn't going to be at the TTC where Rachel and Grace were waiting had been hard for me to swallow all morning. Last year he was the reason I was able to keep going. Seeing him there and getting a quick kiss gave me the strength to keep moving and this year he wasn't there. I felt like hearing that song was God's way of giving me the little push Mac couldn't. As I reached the TTC I started looking for my cheering squad. It was so different from last year because there were still so many people there. I was afraid I wasn't going to find them and then finally, at the end of the line of people, I saw them. Rach was holding up a poster, that I couldn't read but it still made me smile. I went over, said hey really quick and handed Rachel the silver ring I wear on my right hand because it was getting a little tight. She freaked out a little because she thought I was giving her my wedding ring but that one never comes off. As I ran towards MK, I thought about how different I felt this year compared to last year. Last year, I was already tired and hurting and this year, I still felt good and I was still keeping a sub 16 min/mile pace. I was also very happy that it was cloudy this year. I remembered fighting the sun as I turned near MK last year and that was not a problem at all this time. I still hate that stupid dip right before MK but it was much easier this time around. I made my way around and into the back lot area of MK.

That's when I started getting the butterflies again. I remembered what it felt like to make that turn last year and I couldn't wait to do it again. I kept thinking about how many more people there were, partly because I wasn't falling as far behind and also because there were just so many more runners. Main street was still full of spectators this time while last year it was mostly just cast members. Either way, I still cried as I ran around the corner and saw the castle, saw the people and heard the cheers. I snapped a quick pic of the castle on my phone and headed into Tomorrowland. This is were a new flood of memories hit me. Last year, as I walked past Tomorrowland Speedway, I was passed by a woman with balloons tied to her. I had no idea why she had balloons but I soon learned. Somehow I managed to pass her within MK but the first time she passed me was in that spot. Of course I turned around and of course, there were no balloons in sight. I was doing it. I was going to make it this time. Running through the castle is always breathtaking and I couldn't help but smile. I made my way through the rest of the park and hit my first 16 min mile at mile 6. I was still doing really good. Since I knew my times were screwed up, I stopped for a quick potty break in the other back lot area since the lines were very short. Then it was back out of MK and onto the stretch that lead to where I was picked up last year.

 First up though was the firefighters. Last year, they were definitely a bright spot on the course. By the time I had gotten there last year, they had been out there for hours and the end was in sight, literally, so one of the guys was shirtless and standing on the firetruck dancing, trying to pump us up. This year, there was a dj again and one guy waving. It was kind of disappointing. Then we neared the halfway point and that is where the song "Stronger" came in to play. Runners were able to vote on what song they wanted to hear at mile 7 and that is what won. I had never heard the song much and hadn't really listened to the words. As I ran through the rows of speakers I started listening and choked up a little when I heard, "What doesn't kill you makes a fighter,  Footsteps even lighter" and it just reminded me of where I had come from. There I was at mile 7, still running. That wasn't even close to possible at that point the year before. Being swept had not killed me as I feared it would. It gave me the strength to fight and train and because of that I was running at the half way point.  Soon I reached the Grand Floridian and I knew it wouldn't be much longer before I reached the Poly and the 8 mile mark. They definitely tried to keep that stretch from being boring and they packed it with characters and wedding singers and a million speakers playing Kelly Clarkson. I know that it was probably great for most people but I kind of missed the quiet from the year before. For most people, the two lane road out of MK through the woods of Disney is boring and they hate it. For me, it is peaceful and full of reflection. That is where I came to terms with a lot of things last year and where I found the resolve to move forward and make a change. Maybe being a country girl is why I feel so at home on a stretch that is surrounded by huge oaks and pines or maybe it was the stillness of that area that allowed God to get through to me last year, either way, I love that stretch and I had looked forward to it. It was very different this time though because of all the things Disney had added to distract us and the sheer number of people that still surrounded me.

Last year, I was alone there was no one within 100 feet in front of or behind me. This time there were still people everywhere, and no bus in sight. I saw my cheerleaders again and then headed towards the 8 mile mark. I took a quick pic, shed a few tears and continued on. I had done it. I had made it farther than last year. I was still surrounded by runners and there was no immediate threat of being picked up. I finally got to see more of the course. I grabbed a gel around mile 9 and crossed the last on course split-time mat. That's when I decided to slow down. I was starting to get a little tired and my feet were a little achy so I decided to walk a little more and not run every interval I was supposed to. By mile 10, I had decided I wasn't running any more. The only times I ran after that were either on a downhill area or at the end. I quickly approached the dreaded overpass and I had a game plan. Most people's complaints were about the banking of the road and it's effects on your joints and I knew how to avoid that. As I approached the giant circle that was the overpass, I made my way onto the shoulder of the road, which is flat. I walked on the inside shoulder all the way up and really felt like it wasn't so bad. The incline actually isn't very steep because it is so long and walking on level ground meant it really wasn't that hard. At the top, there was a green army man with a mic on. He was yelling at us and every now and then would give a loud "HOOAH" and I would smile because once again I felt Mac with me even though he was thousands of miles away. I made it to the top and looked at the course behind me. I was shocked at how many people I could see and for how far. I also noticed that I didn't see any buses so I smiled and felt a little more relief. I had just conquered the cloverleaf overpass and I thought the worst was behind me. I was WRONG. Around mile 11, there was another hill. It sucked. Then you could here a guy yelling the names of cities and states that the runners were from and every now and then he would say, "You're almost there!" We were close to Epcot but we still had about 2 miles to go so by the time I got to him, I wanted to punch him, but I didn't, I simply said, "Ft Hood, Tx" and made the stupidly tight turn onto another freakin' overpass. I was pissed and tired. I was also emotional because I could see the big ball in Epcot and I knew, that I really was almost there. Once the last overpass was behind me, the course wound through part of the parking lot and through the resort bus stations. That's where spectators started popping up again and I saw two little boys around the age of 10 or 11. They were off by themselves and cheering as hard as they could for EVERYONE. One was yelling, "Let's go girls! You can do it! You're doing great! I'm so proud of you!"  and that's when I started crying again. It just made my heart smile that there was this little boy that didn't know any of us but was still cheering us on as though we were his mom or sister. It gave me just a little hope for the kids in this world.

I saw Rachel and Grace one more time before I headed into Epcot's back lot area. Just before entering though, I almost mowed down a few people that decided they were going to cross the course so that they could go to the park. As I ran into Epcot, the tears started falling and they just wouldn't stop. I was so close to the end. I never ran a step in Epcot last year and there I was making my way towards the big ball. I ran down and did the little u-turn to head back to the ball and out of Epcot to the finish. Once in the back lot area again, I saw the gospel choir. I knew the end was within reach. There was a girl standing near one of the turns saying we were almost there, just one more turn to go. The lady next to me asked if the girl promised and she swore it was really close. She was right. Soon I was passing the 13 mile mark and then I could see it, there was the finish. Of course I started running at this point(and crying but that is a given). I was about to finish. I was about to accomplish what I had been working for all year. I crossed the finish line and headed over for my medal. The medal that I knew I deserved. The medal that I had worked so hard to get. It started to rain as I headed over to the Coast to Coast table. Finally, they were going to cut off that stupid plastic band and I was going to receive my third medal in a month. I was shocked at the size and weight of the medal but I couldn't help but beam as it was placed around my neck.

I had my picture snapped, grabbed a banana and snack box and headed towards the gate to find Rachel and Grace. That's when the pain set in. My feet were killing me and my body was screaming, "B*+c#, we're done, why are you still moving?!?" I knew I had to find my way to the will call area(our meet-up spot) as quickly as I could so I could just sit down. I finally made it over, got a few hugs and sat down. I was done and I knew it shouldn't be long before my husband called. While I showed my friends my medals, one of them said that the princess medal looked like something was missing. I checked and sure enough, the purple jewel had fallen off. I wanted to cry. I'm sure the C2C medal knocked it off while I was walking and I knew that they would give me a new one but I wanted to cry because of how far I would have to walk to get it. Fortunately, Grace loves me enough that she offered to take it back for me so I was able to rest a little longer as we waited for Maggie to finish. Finally, the whole gang was back together and we were headed to breakfast with the Princesses at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. Since Maggie and I just wanted to finish and didn't want to risk it to wait in line, we decided we would get our pics after the race at breakfast.

I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I did it. All of the hard work and even the struggles of the past year had lead to this and it was amazing. I know that technically, the Tinkerbell was the first half marathon that I finished but honestly, crossing that line at the Princess was so much sweeter. It meant a million times more to me because that course is where it had all started just a year before. If I had not tried and failed, I would have never had the strength, motivation and determination to do what I have done in the past year. It has changed my life in so many ways and I can't wait to see how far I have progressed when I do it again next year.

Put on all my medals before heading to breakfast.