I did it!

"It" was Disney's Princess Half Marathon. It was amazing and emotional to fulfill this dream for which I had been preparing for so long. I burst into tears a few minutes after crossing the finish line!

This princess is still in training, though. I have a couple of 5Ks coming up (one here on the island in April, and my second Expedition Everest at Disney World (Animal Kingdom) with my sister in May. And I'm already signed up to run the Epcot Wine & Dine Half Marathon in November as well! Plus I'm considering running the Tower of Terror 10 Miler, too. (I think it's in late September.)

Yep, running is addictive. (And I'm already addicted to Disney World, so combining the two is even more addictive!) Seriously, I love it, although I definitely didn't expect to even like it! I also love the results, and not just the physical (weight loss, stronger heart, etc.) type things. It keeps me mentally and emotionally balanced to get some form of exercise most days. (I typically run 3 or 4 days a week, and do Turbo Kick and other things on the other days.)

Anyway, here are a few photos from the Half Marathon weekend.

Connor and I posed with Cinderella's coach at the Packet Pickup/Expo event.



Waiting in line to pick up my packet.



Signing for my bib.



Holy cow, it's official, I'm really going to run a half marathon!



Making a wish and being sprinkled with fairy dust. (Aka glitter.)



Posing with Miss Chiquita!



And with the sign!



My shirt! It's a bit small but luckily I hadn't planned to wear it for the race anyway.



There were family events on Saturday - a 5K (which my father ran).





And kids races - Connor came in third in his heat!





The resort had a "runner's special" dinner the night before the race - carbs and protein, good stuff.



I laid all my stuff out the night before, because I had to get up at - get this - 2:15 AM to get dressed and get over to the staging area. Buses started running at 3 AM.



Walking to the corral line up area.



Runners in corrals, waiting. There was a good bit of waiting!



This picture was taken just a few seconds before I burst into tears!



This is the official end of race photo.



We celebrated that night with dinner at Cape May Cafe. My sweet sister wrote a cute note on the paper tablecloth. In case it's hard to read, it says "Princess Kati ran 13.1 miles and is our hero!" (with an arrow pointing at me)



For dessert, we had a "kitchen sink" sundae at Beaches & Cream.



I got a caricature done as a remembrance.