The Beginner's Guide to Disney's Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon Weekend

So, you are running or planning on running the Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon or brand new Pixi Dust Challenge for the very first time and it is your very first visit to Disneyland? Then you probably have some questions! I hope this beginner's guide helps answer some of your questions about the race weekend. I am by no means an expert, but I want to pass along what I have learned!

Last January was my very first visit to Disneyland, I have always gone strictly to Disney World. Let me tell you first, that while bearing the name Disney, they are two very different creatures!! :)

You can read my race re-cap here:

Expo and Neverland 5k
Tinkerbell 10k
Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon


HOW LONG SHOULD I STAY?
When planning for your Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon weekend, the first thing you need to think about is the amount of time you wish to spend in Disneyland.

The Race Expo opens on Thursday, and because I am one of those people who like to be there right when the expo opens, we decided to fly in on Wednesday night, which allowed us to play in the park on Thursday morning and then hit the expo in the afternoon when it first opens. Many people who live in the area arrive to the expo, depending on which races they are running either late Thursday or early Friday. The expo is much less crowded than the Princess 1/ 2 Marathon Expo and offers much of the same merchandise, however, I think it may be a bit smaller.

Since my sister and I ran all three races, we planned on staying until Monday afternoon. This was enough time to do everything we wanted to do, as well as have time to just relax. There was not a minute of this trip that I felt rushed or like I wasn't going to miss out on something.

If you don't care about getting to the expo right when it opens, or if you are passing on any of the races,  I suggest arriving later in the week, as you will have plenty of time for parks around the races!

HOW DO I GET TO DISNEYLAND:
There are a few different airports that you can fly to in order to get to Disneyland, this is a big difference from Disney World. You can fly into LAX, John Wayne, or Long Beach. The John Wayne airport is the closest to the parks, but for me is usually the most expensive and always has the dreaded layover!! We found that flying into LAX was the cheapest and the most convenient for us.

Now, those of you who are Disney World regulars, are used to getting off your flight and onto the Magical Express. There is no such thing here. The closest thing is The Disneyland Resort Express which provides  transportation between LAX and the Disneyland Resort area — including Disneyland Resort and Anaheim Resort hotels. Reservations are not required, but there is a fee to ride.

We did not take this option as our hotel was not serviced by this bus. We instead took the Super Shuttle
which costs only $17 one way! You will have to make reservations for this shuttle, which you can do online. It was very easy to use, and only took about an hour to make it to our hotel. 

There are lots of other companies that provide shuttles to the Disneyland area, most with competitive rates. 

You can also, of course, rent a car and drive, but please note that you will pay around $20 a night for parking, and we did not really find it necessary to have a car during our time in Disneyland!

WHERE SHOULD I STAY?
This was the question that I found hardest to get an answer to when I was first planning my trip. Because I am so well versed in the ways of Disney World, I was completely lost when it came to figuring out where to stay in Disneyland. 

The reason is, there are so many options!! Of course there are the Disney Hotels: the Disneyland Hotel, Paradise Pier and the Grand Californian. These are great hotels to stay at, and one day I would LOVE to stay at the Grand Californian, but I am a budget kinda girl, so we stayed "off property". 

"Off Property" is kind of a funny term here, because everything seems to be really close to the parks. When choosing a hotel I took a lot of care in finding the right location. I wanted a hotel from which I could easily walk to the start of the races, I don't like surprises on race mornings, and I wanted to know that I could make it to the start of the race easily on my own. I also wanted to be close to the parks, even though there is free transportation to the parks for racers that weekend, I again wanted to be able to get around on my own. Lastly, I wanted to be close to a grocery store, or somewhere that I could stock up on water and pre-race food. It is so nice to be able to eat what you are used to eating on a race morning (one of my pet peeves of Disney World races!). 

I really hate sharing my hotel, as it was the perfect hotel for the race, and I don't want it to be sold out when I want to make a reservation for 2015, but I have to share, because I love you guys and because the location of our hotel made for an amazingly easy race weekend!

We stayed at the Best Western Stovall's Inn, which was to our surprise quite a nice place! From the outside it looks old and gross, but the rooms are actually very nice. They all include a fridge and microwave, and plenty of space for a couple of racers and all their race gear (costumes!!). 

The best part however, was that the racer's village was right across the street. SERIOUSLY!! We were able to wake up, get race ready and walk to the bag check area in less than an hour. We only had to walk across the street and less than a block away was bag check and…..wait for it……wait for it……THE FINISH LINE!!!!!!!!!!! It was so amazing to finish a race and be back at your hotel (in the shower!) in less than 10 minutes!! 

The start of the 10k and the 1/2 marathon were only about 2 blocks from the staging area/finish line/bag check. Which made getting to the races a piece of cake! 

This hotel is located about 2 blocks from Paradise Pier, 3 blocks from the Grand Californian and about 4 blocks from the Disneyland Hotel (where the expo is located). 

We chose this hotel mainly because of its location to the finish/start lines of the 10k and the 1/2 marathon. The 5k, however, starts on Main Street in Disneyland, which is a bit of a walk from our hotel. 

In order to get to the parks from our chosen hotel, we had to walk to the Disneyland Hotel (about 4 blocks) and then through Downtown Disney. The entire walk takes about 35 minutes (?) but is very enjoyable! We loved walking through Downtown Disney everyday, and planned most of our meals in this area. There is also a Monorail station located in Downtown Disney, which takes guest right to Tomorrowland. 

I have to say that the walk from our hotel to the start of the 5k (and to the parks in general) is not nearly as long as the "death march" from the Epcot parking lot to the start of the Princess 1/2 Marathon! It is much more pleasant too!! :)

There are lots of hotels located around Disneyland, and it is very important that you research the location of the hotel with the location of the start and finish of the races. I didn't mind walking further to the parks, because of the easy walk to and from the races. It was for me, of course, a race weekend! The parks were just a perk!!


WHAT KIND OF PARK TICKETS SHOULD I GET?
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are the two parks that make up the Disneyland area, and if you are, again, a WDW regular, you will be shocked by the ease of visiting these parks. Both parks are small in comparison to WDW. I have heard that you can fit 3 Disneylands into the Magic Kingdom parking lot and still have room to park 300 cars!!! 

That being said, it is very crowded! I never feel too crowded by people in Disney World, but in Disneyland there were times I felt almost claustrophobic! 

While the layout of Disneyland is very similar to the Magic Kingdom, there are slight differences and some different rides! We spent a few hours each day in this park. But we really enjoyed Disney California Adventure. I think because it was something completely different! 

Disneyland and CA are separated by a plaza, which I would compare to the size of the bus depot at the Magic Kingdom (maybe?). You can seriously walk from one park to the other in a matter of 2-3 minutes, which makes getting a park hopper ticket completely worth it!

We went with the park hopper at the very last minute, and I am so glad we did! It is so easy to move from one park to another, and it is nice to head to the more open spaces of CA when Disneyland gets too crowded! We purchased a 4 day park hopper pass, and were very pleased with the our decision. Of course, because Disneyland and CA are so much smaller than Disney World, we had plenty of time in the parks, but it was nice to be able to take it slower and just have a relaxing visit. I think that you could see both parks in one day, but you would feel really rushed. If you are concerned about spending too much money, I would buy a two-day pass (not a park hopper) and visit one park each day. You will have plenty of time. If you can afford it, do the park hopper! :)


During this trip I completely fell in LOVE with Disneyland, I hate to admit it, but I think I like it more than Disney World (gasp!!). I like the smaller size of the parks and the general area, and this being my first Disneyland race weekend, I have to say that it felt more relaxed than WDW race weekends, and I felt much more in control of myself (I didn't have to rely on Disney as much!). Overall this was my favorite RunDisney weekend ever and I am looking forward to heading back in 2015!!  

If you are visiting Disneyland for the first time, I suggest you do your research, I know I spent at least a month researching all of my options, and I am sure that I came away with the best trip for me. My flight and hotel together were less than $500, which made me very happy (more money to spend at the expo!). 

Please leave me any questions, as I want this is be a living document, I will update and add answers to your questions!

Princess 1/2 Marathon Race Re-Cap….finally!

It has been a long time coming on this race recap! I just simply haven't had the time!! My life has been pretty crazy, traveling all over for work, and blogging has had to take a back seat.

It was over a month ago now that I was in the midst of running the Glass Slipper Challenge, and the 5k which has been affectionately called "Dopey Lite" and having a blast with my BRFF Meg!!


After finishing the 5k and the 10k, it was now time for the main event: the 1/2 marathon!!


Yet another early wake-up call, this one wasn't as bad, I think I got used to it. If that is possible. I quickly got dressed -- Anna from Frozen, and made my way to the busses.

POP Century and RunDisney really had their stuff together as far as the transportation to the races were concerned, we didn't have to wait even a minute and we were on our way.

After a few pictures, Anne and I made our way to the Race Retreat tent to eat some breakfast and check our bags. We had packed all of our California medals, since we would be receiving our Coast-to-Coast medal and wanted some pictures of all the BLING!!

Inside the tent I helped myself to a bagel, peanut butter, a banana and some coffee. Anne and I sat quietly for about 30 minutes, just taking it all in. It was bittersweet. This was our last RunDisney race (or so we thought!!), and while I was excited to get running, I was also trying to savor every minute of the ride that brought my sister and I closer together.

Too soon it was time to head to the corrals. Having run the race before, I knew what to expect. It is a long, crowded walk. Anne couldn't believe how far we had to walk, I thought it seemed shorter than the past time, maybe because I knew it would be long!

Anne and I wished each other luck as we separated at corral F (Anne was in D), and then I was alone in a crowd. It was right then that my corral panic set in, and the idea of waiting really scared me. I was tired, I was sore, I was hot……it was really, really, really humid and I was already sweating!! Yuck!

During my panic, in which I tried multiple times to talk myself both out of and into running this race, was when the Princess issues started. Princess 1/2 Marathon is well known for having some drama, and some drama queens, and corral F was brimming with them. I was standing near the front of the corral, and was just about knocked over by a whole group of women who were dressed as Snow White (yes, they all were!). They literally pushed me to the side, and I tripped on a woman who was sitting on the ground. I was beyond annoyed.

It only got worse with these ladies. They were completely annoying. One woman -- who was wearing her hair down-- spent about 15 minutes scrunching her hair and making duck faces in her cell phone. It was so humid, and she was wearing full on make-up, and worrying about her hair?!?

Anyway, I tried to ignore the craziness around me, and just focus on staying calm. It worked for awhile. Not soon enough, corral F was sent off with fireworks and I got away from the Snow Whites!

From the very minute I started running, I knew I would struggle with the humidity. It was at 99%!! Something this northern girl just cannot handle.

My initial race plan was to have fun, stop at all the characters and enjoy the race. At mile 1, I completely changed my plan, I would just run, and try to finish. I would only stop at photos that I really needed, and that had short lines.

At mile 2 I was soaking, I could wring my shirt out, and my braids were heavy with sweat (note to self: never run with braids). I was running, but I was miserable!!

I think it was around mile 3, that I met up with irundisney's Jindy!! I was struggling, and stuck with her for a couple of miles. It felt really good to talk and have someone to run with. It took my mind off of the humidity, for awhile. Jindy was running intervals, something I have very little experience with, so it was hard for me, but I enjoyed the company so much, I stuck it out.

In the Magic Kingdom, Jindy planned on using the restroom, and we parted ways.

I always have fun running through the Magic Kingdom and this particular run was no different! I actually got to RUN through the castle! It was great!!

The time spent inside of the Magic Kingdom is just too short in my opinion, and much before I would have liked, we were running out of the park!

It was around this time that I met up with a #Runnerslove friend Caroline!!! It was so much fun to chat with her for awhile!! We took a few pictures together, and then she took off to claim her PR!! Woo!!

At around mile 10, I completely fell apart! The entire race, I had been taking 2 waters at each water stop: one to drink and one to pour over myself. The humidity was insane, and I was really struggling. While the water I poured on myself helped for about a minute, it left me soaking wet and miserable!

I was just completely done with this race by this point, so I stopped for a few pics, and started texting Meg. She is always so encouraging, and pretty much told me to "suck it up and run"!! I needed a that, and kept plugging along.

It really took me all I had to power up the highway on-ramps, and finish the last 3 miles! My Marathonphoto pictures show all the pain I was in!! Seriously, the humidity killed me!!!

At mile 12, I knewI was close, and caught a small second wind, enough to get me to the finish line!!!

I had already received pictures from my sister, as she had finished, and the thought of claiming 3 medals was also a BIG motivator for me.

As I crossed the finish line, I cried, tears streaked down my cheeks, and for a moment, I broke into a complete sob. I had finished, not that I thought I wouldn't, nor was I even close to being swept, but I finished!! What I had started over a year before was now complete. I had done it! I was so proud!

Walking through the finisher's chute, I was bombarded with water, Powerade, a cool towel (THE BEST!) and a mesh backpack to stick it all in.

I was shaking so hard I couldn't get my water open, luckily a volunteer saw my struggles and helped! I wanted to hug her!!! I was pretty emotional!

After what seemed like a LONG walk, I finally got my medal! The tears and sobbing started again when I received my coast-to-coast medal for completing both the Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon in Disneyland and the PHM, and then to top it all off the Glass Slipper Challenge medal was placed around my neck. I just couldn't keep it together!! I was so proud of myself, and so emotional about the entire journey and how much I had gained through it.

I made my way quickly into the Race Retreat tent, and got some hot food! It tasted so good!! My cousins and Anne were waiting there for me. Anne presented me with a beautiful necklace and my cousins had bought us Mickey roses!!  It was a great celebration!!

Almost instantly my suffering on the course was forgotten, and I was sad that it was all over. Anne and I took a few picture with all of our RunDisney medals, and then we made our way to the bus line.

OMG!!! It was a disaster!! I think we waited in line to get on the bus for over an hour. It was truly awful!

The rest of the afternoon was pretty nondescript. We had early dinner reservations at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review, and I was so excited to eat!! The show was so much fun, and the food was delicious!!

Afterwards, my cousins went to Downtown Disney and Anne and I went to the Magic Kingdom to take a few more medal pics with the castle!

We had an amazing time, and hardly felt tired from our day! We pretty much walked onto all of the rides, saw the fireworks (FINALLY!!) and the castle show. I broke down again and cried during the castle show, it was amazing to watch, but what was even more amazing is that I was there with Anne, and we were glowing in our accomplishment.

This entire race weekend was special, from meeting Meg, to the 3 races, to the coast-to-coast medal, it was magical. I cannot express the love I felt.

What is more important to me than any medal, or any finish line is the friendship and closeness I have build with Anne through this process. It warms my heart.

I cannot wait for our next Disney Adventure!! :)

#Runnerslove Meet-Up

Have you heard the news!?!?

I am currently in the planning stages for a meet-up event during Disney's Princess 1/2 Marathon Weekend with my very favorite RBFF (Running Best Friend Forever) @Warsawmermaid (AKA: http://www.runawayroyaltymeg.com)!!!

Meg and I met through Twitter and through following each other's blogs. Right away we had so much in common and this girl had so much positive energy it was contagious!! We both are running the Glass Slipper Challenge during PHM weekend in Disney World, and have been so excited about meeting each other in person, that we thought it appropriate to share our love with all of our social media followers, hence #Runnerslove was created!!

#Runnerslove is a casual runners meet-up and everyone is invited to attend our event being held on Friday, February 21st at the Poly Poolside Bar.

By attending #Runnerslove, you will not only meet a whole group of amazing runners, you will also be able to win prizes!! Meg and I have been collecting AMAZING prizes from OUTSTANDING running companies! We already have over 30 companies participating in #runnerlove!! Here are just a few!

KT TAPE
Armpocket
Island Boost
Energybits
BeeCause Charms
Sweaty Bands
A Princess Prerogative Disney Inspired Bows
PRO Compression
Skratch Labs
Nuun Hydration
The Runner's Guide to WDW
Sparkle Athletic
Women's Running Magazine
One More Mile Running Apparel
Bulu Box
Knuckle Lights
Sonic Endurance
Rock City Skirts
Headsweats
PocketFuel Naturals
Mudlove Pottery
Bondi Band
HB Tune
SkirtSports
Gladsoles
Moving Comfort
Greeper Laces USA
Barefooters
yurbuds™
Fitletic

Please RSVP here and look for updates to our meet-up! We are looking forward to meeting you!!

Please look forward to many product reviews coming up!!

Welcome to Team #runDisney Blog Hop, where we have the grand opportunity to meet and connect with new bloggers, such as myself! This is a great opportunity to meet some new friends and share our training journeys before running our RunDisney races!

 Enjoy!

Rules (Not really rules but a guide):

1. Please Follow your host's blog 

I am your host,  Kristy @ KristyRunsKato and I am the first linky. 

Please leave a comment and introduce yourself!

2. Link it!

Link up your blog . Share your race recaps, your RunDisney plans, or anything that you love this week. Please, please, please, share the love and include a link back to this blog hop.

3. Spread it!

This is a blog hop after all, so hop around! Visit other blogs and say Hi!

4. Tweet it!

Tweet

Please help me to promote this blog hop by sharing it to others. 

So tweet it to show everyone where you link up on Thursdays!

6. The most important rule of them all, HAVE FUN BLOG HOPPING!

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN! ENTER YOUR BLOG HERE! LET'S START THE FUN!

I have created a button you can use for your blog to direct readers to our Blog Hop! 

  <a href="http://kristyrunskato.blogspot.com"><img border="0" src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilAui_2Y6OM5ffcXfZpb9HyBD_fsZGB4AjEFxKN5f3ppF582MUKS6Z2c6IAYa7WDYsUiQE9wwZOpC1MJtcjnMDJQ6B3bYbq4qh27qgpmdhVoiXWMiStcjWhyylMdY1lUqc82kWB0wRPnU/w164-h154-p-no/ "/></a>

Race Schedule

Here are my up-coming races:


August: Team Ortho Women Rock 1/2 Marathon:

October: Mankato 1/2 Marathon (2014)

 October: Team Ortho Monster Dash 1/2 Marathon

October: TC Looney Challenge (5k, 10k & 10 Miler)

November: Disney's Wine & Dine --> Disney World

November: Disney's Avenger's 1/2 Marathon --> Disneyland

April: Big Sur

May: Pixi Dust Challenge

Do you have any races coming up? What is on your calendar? Are you running any of these races?

Lots of Excitement!

This is going to be mine!!!

Wow! Where has the time gone? I haven't blogged in a few weeks, even though it was one of my goals. I have been very busy training, and my mind and body are so tired at the end of the day, I just cannot get it together to blog!! I need to schedule some time to blog!

Wanted to just give a very quick update! I know I am never quick, I am a very long winded writer!

I just wanted to share my excitement! My sister registered for the Tinkerbell 1/2 marathon!!!!! Woot!
I cannot express how excited I am about this! First off I am excited that I will not be traveling to Disneyland alone!! But I am excited to share the RunDisney experience with her!! This will not only be her first 1/2 marathon but also her first ever race!!

Post Run Coffee!

My sister is a much better and faster runner than I am, so I know she will have no problem running this race. She has also vowed that she will run with me and not race ahead! So, this will be the first 1/2 marathon that I have run with someone! Very exciting!

I have a very big surprise for her as a thank you for signing up! -- I will announce that later!! :)

This week has been very, very exciting! Having my sister register for the race was just part of the excitement! Here are the other exciting things happening -->

1. I found an amazing new running route! Next week I am going to post some pictures, and more info about this amazing route. I have lived in the same town pretty much all of my life, and I never knew this area existed! It is always exciting to find a new place!!

Shoe Blow out!

2. As many of you know, I love Newton Running shoes (I swear by them!). Well, my favorite shoe is the MV2, but I have had some issues with it tearing. This week, my 3rd pair torn!! I tweeted Newton, and they are not only sending me a new pair, they are sending me the newest version of the shoe the MV3....they are not even for sale yet! I am so excited to try them out!!

3. It is a double messy race weekend for me! I am running a mud run (with 20 obstacles) on Saturday and the Color Run on Sunday! I have never done anything like this before, so I am excited (and nervous!!) for these experiences!! Look for my race recaps and LOTS of pictures!!

Keeping it short! Have a great weekend everyone!

What are you all up to this weekend? Racing? Running? Resting?

Week 2 Recap & Thoughts on Tinkerbell

I just finished week 2 on my quest for weigh-loss and increased fitness (not to mention, training for my three 1/2 marathons!!).

Love my Zensah sleeves for recovery

Week 2 was much more tame than week 1. I cut back from running and biking everyday to doing each activity on alternate days. This was much more manageable, and it made it easier for me to hit each workout and bring my best. I was even feeling good enough this week to add in an extra ab session on Friday.

My workouts were great, and I started feeling much more confident in the free-weights room! I actually looked forward to my strength training and felt pretty strong.

Relaxing after a HOT run!

I got all of my runs in, including a 8.5 mile run on Saturday! It was so humid out, I had trouble breathing, but I finished, and felt good enough to go for a 3.5 mile walk that evening! I was pretty proud of myself! Even completed that run in 1.5 hours!! Go me!!

Loving my Fitbit Flex!

My eating was a whole other issue. While I was finding success in the gym, my eating was out of control!! On Monday, my department held a party for a teacher who is retiring, and I just HAD to try all of the yummy treats! I went out to eat way too many times this week. The BF and I helped his parents celebrate their anniversary this week with a huge meal (and dessert!) and then we went away this weekend, and indulged in all of our favorite restaurants.

One of the many restaurants I visited this week!

I was afraid to step on the scale this morning! That is how awful my eating has been! The scale was nice to me, and I am thinking that all of my workouts helped, but I did not gain anything.... but I did not lose anything either!!! While I am not happy about this, I completely know what I did wrong this week, and how I need to change it for this upcoming week! I think that now that my workouts are feeling good, and I am in a routine, that I can really focus on my eating!

I did treat myself to some new clothes this weekend.... a size smaller!! Woot! So, something good is happening in my body!!

What is really motivating me to get out there each day are my three 1/2 marathon registrations! The first of which is coming up in October, followed by the Tinkerbell 1/2 in Disneyland in January.

This week could be a BIG week for us RunDisney fans....!!


With registration opening for the Tinkerbell 1/2 the first week of July, everyone is waiting to for an announcement from Disney about the fabled 10k and/or challenge associated with this race!

Whether you are hoping for the announcement, and the challenge, or if you are hoping that Disney stops introducing new races, you cannot deny that this will be an exciting week! I love the anticipation!

While I am already registered for the 1/2, I am very much looking forward to Disney announcing a 10k and a challenge! MORE BLING!!! While my bank account is not looking forward to paying for more Disney races, I really want more medals (don't judge!!).

Are you hoping for a Tinkerbell Challenge?? Will you be running it if they have one?

It's Official!! I am completely NUTS!!!

I'm in!! I made it!! I'm exhausted!!

These are the thoughts that were going through my head at around 11:02am last Thursday! My heart was pounding in my chest, I was starting to sweat and was even shaking a little bit! Anyone reading this right now, and thinking that I completed a race, would be terribly wrong!! I had just registered for the coveted Glass Slipper Challenge (GSC) and the Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon, and will be receiving my first ever Coast -2- Coast (C2C) medal!!

For any of you reading this who do not already know what the GSC, the Tinkerbell 1/2  or Coast -2 -Coast is, let me explain. The GSC is the newest challenge to be presented by RunDisney. It is taking place during the 2014 Princess 1/2 Marathon weekend in Disney World taking place Feb. 20-23. This challenge includes running the Enchanted 10k on Saturday and then the Princess 1/2 (PHM) on Sunday. The draw for many people is the BLING!! For completing this challenge, runners will receive not only the 10k medal and the 1/2 medal but a special Glass Slipper medal!!! Everyone who knows me knows I run for the bling!! It is sad how much a medal can motivate me!! :) The Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon in Disneyland takes place January 17-19. Receiving a C2C medal means that you have run one Disney race on each coast during the same year. This year running the Tinkerbell and the Princess 1/2's allow you to receive the new PINK C2C medal!! (WANT!!!)

Okay, now that you are in the loop, let me explain the issue I was having on Thursday!

Before any talk of the GSC or the new C2C, I had already decided to run both the Tinkerbell and the PHM in 2014. I was lucky to run the PHM in 2012, and it was such a motivating factor for my health and fitness that I just needed some more of that special Disney motivation. At this point, I was not the least bit nervous about registration, I really didn't even think about it, I was just going to log on and register when the time was right.... and then it happened....

Disney announced the GSC and the new C2C and things on all the social media networks started going crazy!! People worrying about the race selling out in record time, getting into PHM and then not getting registered for Tink. The information coming out of Facebook groups and Twitter was mind numbing and got me nervous about not being able to make my dream come true!!

Once it was announced that Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club members and Disney Visa card holders would be able to register early on June 6th, things got even crazier! I was constantly watching Facebook to make sure I had the information right, and I was planning my day to make sure I was available at noon EST to register!!

On Saturday, June 1 the registration link accidentally went live and from what I understand around 50 people used that link to register. Luckily, Disney did not honor those registrations and things calmed down.

On Thursday morning, things on Facebook were blowing up! People were panicking and just generally very excited! I followed a post that had over 300 comments in just a few minutes! I have to admit, that is was a lot of fun to be part of the madness, it just added to my excitement about these races! At about 10 minutes to 12:00 EST, the link went live!!!

I entered my information on the registration site so fast, my heart was racing!! I was so excited to get the option to register for both the GSC and Tink at the same time (Tink registration doesn't open until July!!).

So, in the end I registered for GSC, the Royal Family 5k, the GSC Race Retreat and the Tinkerbell 1/2!! Disney got a HUGE chunk of my paycheck that day!!

It did not take long for the advance registration of GSC to sell out... I hope all of you who wanted to register and could register early got in. If not, remember registration opens on July 11th to the public!!

I am hoping that Disney announces a 10k at the Tinkerbell 1/2 weekend too! I will, of course, register for that too!!! I still have to register for the Neverland 5k in July, but, that doesn't fill up as fast!!

I am so, so excited about running these races!! And of course, getting the medals!!! I am hopping to meet up with all the amazing RunDisney people I have met online in the last year!! :)

Now, I just have to decide on costumes....

Did you register? Which races are you running?

Disney does it again!! Glass Slipper Challenge!!

Oh boy!! Disney has done it again! Just a few weeks ago, it seemed like the entire @RunDisney community was going crazy for the newly announced Dopey Race! Even I have to admit, I was going a bit mad trying to decide if I should step up for the Dopey!

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with RunDisney, here is a brief overview of the newly announced Dopey. During WDW Marathon weekend, those people who are "crazy" enough, can participate in the Dopey Challenge, which includes running the 5k, 10k, 1/2 and Full Marathons!! These are back-to-back races spanning over 4 days!

Now, I say "people who are crazy enough", and I do have to admit that for about 8 hours, I was seriously considering this, so I count myself as one of the "crazies!" The catch for me here is, that over the course of 4 days, runners can earn 6 medals!!! 6 MEDALS!!!!! Now, anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for medals, and I will run just about anything, as long as I can receive a medal at the end of the race!! So, you can imagine how excited this made me!! 6 DISNEY MEDALS!!!!!

But, having never run a full marathon, nor having run any back-to-back races, I decided that the challenge just wasn't going to be mine....this year! Oh, and did I mention that I had already committed to running both the Tinkerbell 1/2 and the Princess 1/2? Yeah, well I didn't think my body, or my wallet could handle 3 1/2 marathons and a full marathon in just a couple of months!! It was a hard decision to make, and I was very happy when Dopey sold out....I didn't have to think about it anymore!

Well, last week, Disney announced what was for me, the most exciting new race challenge: The Glass Slipper Challenge announcement about the new Glass Slipper and new Coast-to-Coast medal!!

I first head about the announcement through Heather Bridges Montgomery  and her blog Through Heather's Looking Glass (if you don't read this girl's blog, you should start....now!!)

It was about 9am and I for the rest of the day I was glued to all my social media channels, reading everyone's thoughts and excitement about this new challenge and the new medals!!

Okay, so here is the breakdown:

Special Pink Coast-to-Coast

The first change I heard about was the Glass Slipper Challenge. It involves running back-to-back races during the Princess 1/2 marathon weekend. The Glass Slipper Challenge includes running the newly announced 10k (I don't think this race has a name yet?) and the 1/2 marathon. Participants will not only receive the 10k and 1/2 Marathon medals, but will also receive a special "Glass Slipper" medal!!!

I was already planning on running the Princess 1/2 and Royal Family 5k in 2014 again, so this announcement had me SUPER excited. Again....I can earn MORE MEDALS!!! Plus, I really love the 10k distance and I am excited to see what type of course this may involve.....another chance to run through the castle?!

If that was not enough excitement for one day, Disney had more in store.......don't they always?!!!

They also announced that participants who ran the Tinkerbell 1/2 and the Princess 1/2 would receive a special Coast-to-Coast medal!! The challenge of running one Disney race on each coast in the same year and receiving a Coast-to-Coast medal is nothing new, just the medal its self is new.....and PINK!!

Again, this was more exciting than one can possibly imagine, as I had already made a commitment to running both the Tinkerbell and the Princess, and a special PINK medal is right up my alley!!

So, again, I thought the excitement would stop there....but noooooooo!

The Team#Run Disney facebook page was blowing up with rumors about Disney adding a 10k and another special challenge to Tinkerbell weekend!!!! Meaning 3 more medals!!!

A total of 7 medals!!!!!!!!!! I can hardly contain myself!!

I am more excited about these races than I think I have ever been! I cannot wait until registration opens up in June, and I know I will be on pins and needles until I am safely registered for both of these races!!

Until then, I will continue to put my miles in and dream of Disney!!

Are you excited about these new Run Disney changes?!?!