2:36:39.

I am fully aware that this post is long overdue, but my life has been nonstop schoolwork and studying since I got home on Sunday night.... but now that my midterms are done, here's it is:

I actually did it.  I actually completed the Disney Coast to Coast Challenge.  A half-marathon on the west coast, a half-marathon on the east coast.... and in less than a month.  Crazy!

Needless to say, I had a blast in Florida.  This weekend (like the one in Anaheim) was so jam-packed with Disney goodness that I'm not even going to bother trying to narrate it and just skip straight to the pictures!

Saturday morning, circa 5:45 am... We arrive at Epcot for Courtney to run the Tangled 5K, and who should we see but Maximus!! (If you haven't seen Tangled, go watch it right now.  It's so cute and Maximus is one hilarious horse).

Rapunzel bailed on us, but we got to meet Flynn!

Rapunzel and Flynn posing at the finish line... The race has been on for about seven minutes by this point, and we only had to wait another ten to see the winner cross!

Courtney crossing the finish line (she's in the white jacket) with the Epcot ball in the background.

She's got her race bling on!

We headed over to the race expo to pick up my race bib and ran into these two dapper gentlemen in their golden breeches... so fancy!

Bib #17399, Corral C... ready to race!!!

My race shirt and bib... and my lucky Green Lantern lying facedown on the bed.  I love that little guy.

After the expo, we headed to.... (drum roll).... Magic Kingdom!  Get a load of that castle... There's actually a restaurant inside it, but it's super pricey.  I've also heard rumors about there being super-duper-deluxe honeymoon suites in the castle, too, but it's probably just Disney urban legend.

Race morning, approximately 3:45 am.... got my blue dress on and I'm ready to roll!!   I decided to dress as Belle for obvious reasons (she's my favorite), but I opted for the blue dress because it's the one I had (and loved) as a little girl.  Note Mrs. Potts and Chip on the apron- it's exactly like the one I used to have!

Starting line.... 20,00 runners!  Can you believe it?

Done, done, and done!!!

Minnie and Mickey looking quite regal at the finish line!!
(Ok, I admit, I took this picture off of the Run Disney Facebook page..... it's just so cute!)

In front of the Epcot Ball - sweaty, tired, and happy.

Me and my race bling... plus the commemorative tiara  bought at the expo.  It lights up!!!

After I took a shower, we headed to Downtown Disney for lunch, and I just had to have my picture taken with Belle in the World of Disney store.  That place is huge - the largest Disney store in the world!  My three-year-old self would have died.

There they are - all three medals!  Tinkerbell, Coast to Coast, and Princess... hard to believe I actually made it.

As far as the actual race, there were ups and downs.  I did not hit the 2:35 goal I was aiming for, but I did make a new PR (I beat my Tinkerbell time by over two minutes), so I really can't complain.  Admittedly, I didn't feel great.  It was a tough race and I had to push a lot harder than I did at Tinkerbell. I think the biggest problem for me was traveling.  Before Tinkerbell, I was very strict in the days leading up to the race about what I ate, how much I slept, the amount of time I spent on my feet, etc.  Before Princess, everything went out the window: I was running on very little sleep, traveling made it hard to find the foods I wanted and needed, and I walked around at Disneyland all day the day before.  Going in the race, I was totally aware of those of those deficits, and I just compensated by pushing harder.  I ran poorly, but I set a PR... does that make any sense to anyone?!

Anyways, all in all, a great weekend.  Definitely a lot of traveling, though.... I think I'm going to stick to California races from now on!  I've got a few races lines up in the next dew months, but there won't be any more half-marathons until at least May... my hip has been hurting a little, so I'm going to ease up and run some shorter distances.  I really don't want to end up getting seriously hurt!

You know, I'm positive I had a few more things I wanted to say in this post, but they're just evading me right now.  I'm sure I had some deeper thoughts, realizations, and emotions to share upon the completion of my second long-distance race, but these midterms have drained me so badly that I can't for the life of me remember what they were.  Ah, well.... If I remember, I'll let you know.

Just for posterity and reference, a shot of the original Belle dress.  And yes, I am celebrating a PowerBar I had just received for my birthday... don't judge me.