After the disappointment of the
Tower of Terror 10 miler in September 2012, I was determined to finish a runDisney half marathon. Originally I signed up for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January 2013 but I was unable to run it due to conflicting business travel and I
deferred to the 2013 Princess Half Marathon. Using the
Jeff Galloway Half Marathon Training Plan, I entered events into my Google Calendar to remind me to train. Even the most well laid plans do not always work, life got in the way and I missed a lot of training runs.
Feeling defeated already the week before the Princess Half, I had not run in 3 weeks. The week before the Princess Half, I got myself back to training. For my long run that week, I went to Disney's Boardwalk Resort and ran the path around the Boardwalk, International Gateway, Yacht and Beach Club, Disney's Swan and Dolphin Hotels, and Disney Hollywood Studios...TWICE. That's just about 5 miles, a very far cry from the 14 mile run I was supposed to do. I tried to focus on the positive - I did run 5 miles at a 17 min/mi pace after taking off for 3 weeks.
By the end of the week I was running a comfortable 16 min/mi pace which was my goal for this race. I did 30 sec run/60 sec walk to achieve this. It also helped that I was bound and determined to cross the finish line because I had preordered the very special Dooney & Bourke 2013 Princess Half Marathon handbag. I did not want to carry that bag around if it reminded me of a race that I was unable to finish.
The first morning of the Fit for a Princess Expo, I got up extra early to be one of the first people in line. I followed the directions provided by runDisney and I took a shuttle from Downtown Disney West Side to Coronado Springs. It turned out to be a major hassle! First, the bus driver was incredibly cranky and kept cursing under his breath. It was a very un-Disney experience and many people on my bus were upset. Once we got off the bus, we had to walk to the back of the incredibly long line. It was apparent to me at that point that this event was not well organized. There was absolutely no one there to usher us into line or to make sure there was no line cutting, it was pandemonium!
The line did move quickly, I think I only stood in it for about 20 minutes. I had 2 things on my agenda for the day - pick up my bib and Dooney :)
I finally got to the entrance and was about to experience my very first Fit for a Princess Expo!
When I got inside, it looked like the place was nearly empty! Where had all those people gone?? More on that later...first I checked in to get my bib! I walked right up, there was no one in line!
Princess Shelley running for Team Princess Aurora!
Then I made my way to the packet pickup area which was behind all the merch booths - and I knew immediately what had happened to all of those people in line. They were all in line either at the New Balance booth to get the newly released Mickey inspired running shoes, or at the runDisney Official Merchandise corner where the line was coming out the door! I had no problem picking up my race packet and I was very happy with the swag for this year!
Next I had to pick up my preordered Dooney bag. I was dreading this and for good reason. The line was out the door and was not moving quickly. By the time I got into the teeny tiny merch area, it was an absolute nightmare! People were pushing and shoving, saying rude things, and it was very difficult to navigate through the shoulder to shoulder crowd. Luckily I'm very short so I was able to squeeze through relatively quickly, although at the disdain of many who gave me dirty looks. In those situations, all I can do is say "Excuse me" and try to get through as politely as I can.
Finally I got up to the Dooney booth and there was a short line. A line that many people cut and I said in a polite but assertive manner "Excuse me, the line starts back here." Again, the staff did nothing to help the situation. It didn't seem like there was enough staff in general. I was also surprised to see that there was not a separate line or area for preorders. People in front of me were shopping for the bags, picking them up, scrutinizing them, and taking a very long time to make a decision. After waiting for over 30 minutes, it was my turn! I handed over my receipt and got my beautiful Dooney!!
And then I had to find a way to leave. I noticed a side entrance to the merch area so I made my way over there. I was really glad I got there early because the merch area was just getting more and more crowded. When I left, the line to enter the merch area was out the door to the convention center. As I exited, the staff apologized to me for the disorganized event. I didn't say anything to them, they apologized without my asking. I am happy that they acknowledged the mishap (good manners!) but I do hope that next year they are able to hold the expo at Wide World of Sports which is where it belongs.
Next time I do hope to spend more time at the Expo. I have never watched any of the presentations and I know a lot of people who met Jeff Galloway at this event. I would like to meet him just to thank him for inspiring me to get off the couch and get running. Stay tuned for my recap of the runDisney Princess Half Marathon 2013!
