Man, where do I start?

This is my 3rd time running the runDisney Princess Half weekend, and the 2nd time completing all 3 races (not counting last year’s virtual). Sometimes I wonder if and when I’ll tire of it all, when will this feel monotonous and boring but this year surprised me by proving to be even better than the last in so many ways. Even surpassing my Dopey experience last month. It’s no longer about running the actual races anymore but the people I’ve met, come to be friends with, and developed close relationships with. Sometimes when I think I’ve gotten all I can out of running, it turns around and gives me more.

Sunrise Princess Yoga

This was the newest addition to the lineup of events for Princess. Usually it’s a 5k on Friday, 10k on Saturday and a half marathon on Sunday, but this time around, runDisney added in a new activity. Starting on Thursday now, before the expo opens, we now have the opportunity to experience doing group yoga in front of Cinderella’s Castle, right before the sun rises. For me, I found the experience absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. The sereneness of being in the kingdom that early in the morning was just…I can’t explain it. There’s something about the magic about Main Street in the morning. It’s funny because on regular days I can’t bring myself to ever wake up early but for runDisney days, I will do the 3am wake up calls fine.

I did read some reviews that did not enjoy the experience, thinking it was a one and done and overpriced, but for me personally, I enjoyed every minute of it. I worried I wouldn’t get a good spot because the crowd did look to be very big and my side didn’t seem to be moving as fast as the other side, but I did end up getting a nice spot with a good view of the castle, and there did end up being plenty of room for everyone. The cherry on top was getting to meet all the Crowned Athletics girls after it was over and everyone was taking pics in front of the castle before they ushered us out to get ready for rope drop and official park opening. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Kirsten of Crowned Athletics since June last year and it’s just absolutely amazing to see the impact she’s had on girls and women everywhere, especially at Princess weekend. I saw so many people wearing all her different styles of tops, skirts, leggings, headbands, and scrunchies and hearing how much people love her activewear line because it makes them feel beautiful and powerful, ready to conquer on all these miles. I’m glad to have been a part of this, helping to model various launches throughout the year.

The mat that we were given was one of the complaints. I do think it should have been a notch nicer, have some type of cute Disney branding on it, but I also read that this was partly due to a supply chain issue and thus we were given plain blue mats last minute in time for the event. Yes, the mats could be nicer, or a nicer girly color for Princess weekend, but no, honestly this in no way really affected or took away from my experience. The yoga session itself was very beginner friendly and lasted around 45 minutes according to my recorded video of the entire session. I do wish it lasted longer. I appreciated that the moves were easy to do and instructions were simple to follow. As we finished the sun was just starting to rise and they allowed us about 10-15 minutes for photos before they ushered everyone out, and by then the sun was finally up shining on the castle perfectly as we walked out. It was absolutely beautiful as we saw Minnie Mouse wave to us on our way out.

In the end, I believe your own experience is what you make of it. I went into this simply wanting a beautiful early morning view of the castle and an intimate experience inside the kingdom at that hour and it’s exactly what I got. I personally would love to do this again.

The Expo

The first time I attended the expo back in 2018 it was easy to get into, there were no lines. But in recent years with resellers going crazy for merch, it’s been a madhouse. I realized that I don’t really care about official merch as I barely even wear the t-shirts that we get and I don’t really want to collect more clutter I don’t use so this year I skipped the official merch building. I came to the expo to simply collect my bibs and race shirts and go. I don’t even bother browsing the vendors in the t-shirt building much anymore but I appreciate that Jeff Galloway is always there to meet fellow runners and give us advice before race day. He’s truly a nice person to talk to and I love that he’s so approachable at the expo, standing around like a regular person, not guarded behind tables or red tape or anything. It makes the sport less intimidating for sure.

I’m not crazy about spending too much time at the expo because I’d rather be in the parks but if this is your first time doing runDisney and you’re interested in getting official race merch like jerseys, wine glasses, mugs, replica pins of the medals, etc. I’d recommend getting there early on the first day and lining up before the expo opens to get exactly what you want. I do hear they restock often throughout the weekend but it’s not always a guarantee especially if you’re looking for clothing in your size. But if you’re like me and just need to pick up your race bibs and t-shirts, you can go anytime during expo hours as those pickup areas have no line really and the lines that they do have, move fairly quick.

The 5K

The first fun of Princess weekend! I honestly do this race simply to collect all the medals of the race weekend but it is definitely a nice warmup for the Fairytale challenge. It’s never my favorite because at this point, a 5k feels too short and honestly I want to run through more than just Epcot. Or at least if we’re running through Epcot, it would be nice to run through most of the world showcase and not just a few countries. Seriously just get rid of the parking lot stretch and have us run through the boardwalk and Epcot. It makes for much better views and a nicer running route. I also hate that this race isn’t officially timed. I know it’s purposely done for a more relaxed distance for beginners, but it would be nice to still give us the option so we know our results for research purposes so we know what to improve on.

I was asked to be part of a group costume where we mashed up superheroes and princesses and I chose to do Deadpool and Slave Jasmine. Unfortunately because my resort’s bus decided to be severely late, I was not able to make it to Epcot in time before they started lining everyone up into corrals. This was frustrating since I was up early and ready on time to meet them but alas, circumstances were put of my hands as this year’s runDisney buses were being handled by a new company that seemed to really just not know what the hell they were doing honestly. It was the same issue the day before for Princess Yoga. We literally could have walked across the street to get to Magic Kingdom but we weren’t allowed to as the central check-in spot for all participants was the TTC and the bus assigned to our resort simply forgot us. Luckily one of the girls on line with us at our resort had a friend who was already checking in at the TTC and she was able to tell a cast member who then had someone finally send us a bus. I do hope all these transportation hiccups are addressed for future race events.

The 10K

This route was the same as last month’s 10k for the WDW Marathon Weekend event. I love that we get to run through Hollywood Studios again. But again, I do hate that half the route is entirely highway stretches, and not more park. It’s not like there’s a scarcity of park space we can’t run through! Distance wise though, I do enjoy the 10k very much, as it’s one of my regular distances for a cardio workout back home when I’m training. I feel like it’s the baby bear of race distances. Not too short, not too long that you hate it, but just right.

The Half Marathon

Ah, the one we’ve been waiting for. I will forever love the half marathon at Disney because it’s the one that goes to Magic Kingdom. It’s one of the best feelings in the world running up Main Street, straight through the castle and passing all those photopasses at the bottom for that coveted magazine shot. This is my 4th time running this distance/route and it simply never gets old. I ran it last month for the Dopey challenge and I still love it so much. There is something I can’t explain in words about being in the kingdom at the break of dawn. It’s a feeling of euphoria I can’t replicate anywhere and through anything else. You just have to run it to feel it for yourself.

Now interestingly I did tell myself earlier this month before the race that I wasn’t running this for time. I was still nursing my Dopey injuries so I told myself to truly listen to my body and slow down when I needed it and I did. I ran all the way up to mile 7 of this distance and walked a bit of 8 and 9 before finally picking up the pace some to finish out the rest of it. And boy did I need to. Around mile 9, the sun was fully up and the Florida humidity was beating down on us with it. I took every Powerade and water stop available and took the Honey Stinger chews they gave us knowing my body needed the fuel. I successfully finished this race without injury and weeks later, I’m happy to report, my toenails are intact and there is no knee or ankle/mid-foot pain anymore lingering from my Dopey injuries! I do have to say this was definitely one of my slowest half marathons yet but it’s actually the one I had the most fun on! I met a great Mulan who introduced me to his group of #PrincessMen post race. I learned they do this every princess and it made me so happy to see how balls to the wall hardcore they get for these races. And because I took my time and listened to my body, I was also at the castle for my regular in-front-of-the-castle pic the same time Disney Parks’ official TikTok account was there and they saw me while I was waiting in line for my photo, loved my costume, took my pic for me (finally a decent civilian photo taken) and asked me to do a small clip for their video! It was fun being able to appear on their social media handle again after also appearing on their Halloween one last year dressed as Meg, Hercules and Pegasus.

Sometimes I think my low effort costumes aren’t enough to get noticed and then the universe has a way of surprising me still. It’s these little things that make me happy. And then on top of that, the universe also blessed me with me with my newest favorite finish line photo as Mulan. It’s funny because when I set out to do this costume, I wasn’t fully into it, thinking it wasn’t going to be as great as I wanted because of my own fault of how long I procrastinated putting this together with very little effort last minute. And somehow it turned out better than I thought. It’s even more ironic because Mulan was never my favorite out of spite and pettiness that I was always forced into being her growing up because I’m Asian and my peers didn’t realize how racist it was throwing me into it. Ah, microaggressions. But I’m older now and I should stop hating things because of those reasons. I want to reclaim everything I hated out of my own bitterness and petty defiance and this time, on my own terms. Sometimes, I feel like my reversal from going blonde back to dark was a metaphor for stepping back into my heritage as an Asian woman. I’m trying to feel more comfortable in my own skin still even at my age. It’s sad but we’re slowly getting there and it’s funny how a runDisney princess has become a part of that. Before this, my favorite race was always my first half marathon back in 2019 dressed as Sleeping Beauty simply because it was my first, but now, this half has become my favorite half to date, simply due to all the components making this experience so magical; from the love for my costume from all the runners, to knowing more people and having more runDisney friends this time around, to the great castle experience and my finish line photo finally surpassing my favorite one from 2019. And the funny part is, my time on this distance was actually one of my worst! I took more walk breaks and didn’t force myself to overexert anything, but none of this ruined the experience. My finish time on this had no negative effect on my experience. I had spoken to Crowned Athletics a month earlier and she had given me some advice knowing I was healing from Dopey’s injuries; this is not my first runDisney half. And it most likely won’t be my last. So don’t worry about PRing. Just PR in fun, take it easy and focus more on just having a great time on the course. And that’s exactly what I did and I actually did have a better time. Although I still have yet to stop for any character photos, haha! Although honestly I don’t feel like I’m missing out since I’m not a crazy fan of character photos when I’m all sweaty and in race attire. I prefer my park photos when I’m ready and all done up. My only regret is that sometimes there are characters that you never see in the parks, out on the race course. It does suck to pass up the opportunity with a rare character, but not enough to really affect my experience.

The Parks

I did the parks every day after each race, just as I did with Dopey. I even had time to squeeze in two shoots, on two different mornings before starting my park day with my friends. I was really trying to maximize as much time as possible seeing everyone I could, working with everyone I could and then as much time in the parks doing as many rides as I could. Honestly a runDisney weekend with me is exhausting so if you ever want to go on a race trip with me, I apologize ahead of time. The adrenaline gets me through most of the day. I found I was less tired with this trip than I was for Dopey though, but having to run just 3 races without one of them being a full marathon, is much less strenuous. My legs did definitely feel on the last race but I was still able to get a lot done on the last day in the parks so I guess my body is finally getting used to the mileage and the constant battering I put them through.
I do highly recommend going to the parks after each race though because it truly helped with recovery. I don’t feel as sore anymore the next day but it also may be my body finally conditioning itself to this. But it does definitely help to keep moving, even if you have to go a little slower.

The crowd level of Princess though, was definitely much higher than that of the January races. There were lines for everything, even getting dole whip took a while. I got a majority of the major rides I wanted to get done in each park though so still a success even with crowds. I will say though that the lines and crowds at Disney are much better than Universal. We did Universal for our first day flying in and it was pretty bad. We had express passes and it still felt like the lines were forever. Universal however does not have a reservation system in place for crowd control, however they also only have 2 parks while Disney has 4 to divvy up the crowds. I don’t think I’ll be back at Universal for a while though since the lines waiting for everything has turned me off. Even waiting for food at The Three Broomsticks has been a nightmare. Ordering was fine but once we were on line to get our food at the pickup windows, for some reason it took 30 minutes for the family in front of us to get their order before we could be up, meanwhile the line next to us moved faster and 5-6 families got their order just fine. There just needs to be a better system and it seems like Universal is just not it. The last time I was there in May 2021, we were seated, ordered and for some reason it took long for our food to arrive at our table then too. It was just too ridiculous.

At Disney though, we had a great experience at all our dining reservations. I got to dine at a 2 new spots; Yak & Yeti (although I accidentally mixed up our dragon bowl thinking the wasabi on top was avocado and then ended up not being able to eat most of my lunch but the staff again was amazing! When asked why I didn’t touch my food, they were really sweet about it, offering to make me something else and not charging me for it, which I really felt was my own fault not theirs but that touch is what makes Disney magical.) and Coral Reef (which had an AMAZING fish dish with mango in that was so damn good I pretty much licked my plate clean). We also dined at Cinderella’s Royal Table which is super pricey but as always a nice experience being able to look out the castle and view Fantasyland as people walk through. The Grand Floridian Cafe is slowly becoming one of my favorite new spots for breakfast too for its great prices and great selections of breakfast foods (I love that you can get french toast, Mickey waffles, steak and everything since I’m more of a savory girl myself for breakfast but I still want a Mickey waffle). The fact that it’s in the Grand Floridian always made me wary thinking it would be pricey and posh but it’s actually very affordable, up there with the current price of Ohana breakfast too (which is amazing since it’s an all you can eat buffet), as well as the fact that they also serve POG juice! And the aesthetic is just beautiful. I feel like I’m in a beautiful tea room with its beautiful high ceilings and windows bringing in so much light. Out of the restaurants we dined at, I would have to say Coral Reef was one of my favorites because of the aquarium. We got to sit right up next to a window and always had sharks and big schools of fish swimming by as we dined and even the divers in the tank cleaning the coral were fun to interact with. Our server was great and attentive and I honestly would love to come back here again.

I do have to note that we went to Ohana twice, once for breakfast and once for dinner and both experiences were really great. The staff and cook went the extra mile to make sure we had both vegan and vegetarian options for my friends and that everyone felt welcomed regardless of their dietary preferences/restrictions. The chef visiting our table to bring us extra food that we didn’t even ask to have prepared was really sweet. In these ways, I would have to disagree with the complainers who say the magic isn’t there anymore because everywhere I looked, it was an amazing experience with the cast members trying their best to make sure you had a great experience.

Upcoming Races

I’m a little sad that my runDisney races are done for the year. I don’t have any Disney trips planned for the rest of 2022 either but I feel it’s time to slow down a little on Disney to recover financially from these past two expensive run trips. Wine and Dine registration just happened but that event has never really called to me, with the exception of this year being Coco themed for the 5k and Raya for the 10k. Unfortunately I threw my name into the NYC Marathon lottery, and that race happens on the same weekend. I won’t know the results of the lottery til March 30th so I didn’t want to sign up for something that I’m not sure of, while this one is up in the air. And at the same time, I never really go to Disney during Wine & Dine because I prefer to go earlier for my birthday. So we’ll see.

For now, my next race is the CUCB Cherry Blossom 10 miler next weekend. And then the Women’s 5.8 loop in Central Park as part of the start of my 9+1 qualifier for the NYC Marathon for 2023 if I don’t get into this year’s lottery. And then the Brooklyn Half in May. At the beginning of this year, I thought my race season would be done by April and I could go back to regular maintenance runs and my regular gym lifting sessions. Somehow we went further down the rabbit hole than expected. I didn’t expect to be collecting my most medals yet in one year this year. But hey, like I always say, when it rains, it pours. There could be worse things I could be into.

For anyone thinking of trying runDisney, or just plain starting running, I wholeheartedly tell you I do NOT recommend it, and at the same time, DO IT. This is one expensive, crazy but wildly fun hobby and I have loved every minute of it since starting back in 2018. You learn a lot about yourself, your body, what it’s capable of, what your mind is capable of, discipline when motivation is lacking, perseverance when adversities come along, but most of all, that you are strong. You can do hard things. And you’ll be amazed at yourself every time you cross a finish line and look behind you thinking DAMN. I DID THAT.

So what are you are waiting for?

GO. DO. IT.