Princess Half Marathon 2013

As many of you other Momma's know, trying to get anything done with a baby/toddler is not easy. I learned this to be especially true if you are trying to make a training schedule to run a half marathon.

The last time I ran this race (three years ago, pre-baby) I was able to make a strict running schedule and stick to it. I ran every single day, ate right, and felt great during and after each run. This time around, I had to work around Sadie's schedule and was certainly not able to run every single day like I planned. I also had to make my long runs on days that she was in the mood for a long stroller ride instead of the days that fit nicely into my schedule. And then there was that week (only a couple of weeks before the race) that Sadie got her first real sickness and didn't sleep (day or night) or eat and couldn't go for a run in the stroller.

Even with it's challenges, training with Sadie was so much fun. We would listen to music and she would sing to me or point out the squirrels and the trees. She would reach up for me to hold her hand or give her a high five (which I was never able to resist, no matter how exhausted I was). So although I wasn't quite as confident going in as I would have liked to be, I wouldn't have changed the process one bit. Now let's get on to the good stuff, race weekend! Be prepared for photo overload!

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Since my husband is awesome, he wanted to make things easier on all of us and make the weekend special so he booked us a hotel room at Disney's All-Star Resort. My in-laws came up for the weekend and stayed at the same hotel. I know I have said it before, but I love my in-laws! It was so sweet of them to come up for the race and clearly Sadie was thrilled to have them there :)

After checking into the hotel, we went to the Expo to pick up our race packets. We ended up getting there later than expected, which meant no lines, no waiting, and the chance to meet a princess!

Sadie was mesmerized by Ariel. She told me she was going to hug her but she decided to just stare instead ;)

She wouldn't take her eyes off of her and Ariel was very sweet with Sadie.

After the expo we had dinner at the hotel and Kev couldn't resist buying Sadie a bathing suit (which he got a little too small) so she could play in the kiddie pool. It was well worth the overpriced tag because she absolutely loved it! The pool was just the right depth for her and it wore her out so much that she slept through the night for the very first time that night! I told Kev we could move in there if he wanted to.

The next morning (very early next morning) my running buddy, Jamie, met me at the hotel so we could take the bus over to Epcot at 3:30am. When we got there we had time for one more princess encounter before our race began. The sparkly tutu and big red bow was my attempt to look like Miss Snow White while still being able to run all 13.1 miles. We're totally twins right?

And here we go!

I finished my 13.1 miles after running for 2 hours and 38 minutes, just barely beating my 2 hour 45 minute time from three years ago. It was certainly hotter than the last time I ran it which was horrible but could have been worse. And I didn't feel nearly as good afterward. Don't let the smile fool you, I was fighting back some serious nausea and ignoring many cramped limbs for this photo.

I was so happy to see my Prince and little Princess after the race. My sweet father-in-law had a mickey rose for me and they all had such supportive words and hugs. 

Even though, two days later, I still feel a bit like death it was totally worth it. I see more races in my future. Perhaps I am even crazy enough for a full marathon? We will see ;)

Our week in photos

Sadie and I drove out to see my brothers track meet at the beginning of the week. Even looking at this picture it is hard to believe how grown up my little brother is. I am so proud of the person he is and is becoming.

Wednesday night Kev and I had a spontaneous date night to see Wicked!

I had been wanting to see it for years so when Kev saw a good deal on tickets he immediately asked if I could find someone to watch Sadie. Luckily my mom was willing to make it a late night and hang out with Sadie while we went. I absolutely loved it!

Sadie discovered her love of stickers. I was a little obsessed with them as a kid too so I totally get it! 

Saturday we started the events for the Princess Half Marathon and very early Sunday morning I ran 13.1 miles! But more on that later.

After the half marathon I went to celebrate my best friend and her baby girl Bailey. Her baby shower was beautiful and I cannot wait to meet baby Bailey.

I made Bailey a couple of dresses as part of my shower gift. Jessica is a huge Gator fan (hence the orange and blue dress). 

After the extremely exhausting weekend I had, I am ready for a nice quiet week! Hopefully Sadie wants the same :)

Sadie Turns ONE!

You are all lucky that I was not blogging at the time of Sadie's first birthday. Otherwise you would have been subjected to the emotional ramblings from a proud Momma who cannot believe how fast time is flying by. But let's not let me get started down that path again. Instead let us focus on what a blast Sadie's very first birthday was. It is a good thing Sadie won't remember it because I honestly don't know how we could possibly top it.

We won't go into detail about how I think birthdays should be, at the very least, a week long celebration or how I made up and sang Sadie the "birthday week" song every day leading up to the big day. Because that is just crazy. So let's skip the part that really matters.

Our celebration started on her actual birthday with her very first trip to Disney World.

We got off to an early start that morning and after a quick pancake breakfast we headed to the park to arrive right around opening. I had a small list of things I wanted to make sure we got to do and I kept my expectations low (not an easy task for me) because with a little one you just never know what the day will bring. But the day was better than I could have imagined. 

It's a Small World was first on our list and we were able to walk right onto the ride. Sadie stared with her month wide open the entire time and her face held that expression for most of the rest of the day. Watching her big blue eyes soak in all of these incredible and mysterious things took my breath away on more than one occasion.

After her first ride we walked right into her first parade. It was a small parade with lots of characters and involved dancing so Sadie was extremely excited. She shook her little tooshy on Main Street with Chip and Dale while the hubs as I scraped our hearts off the sidewalk. Seriously, who is that big kid?

Once Sadie was satisfied that she had successfully collected all of the confetti from the parade off the ground we went to meet Minnie and Daisy. She was not a fan of Daisy... She wasn't scared but if Daisy tried to touch her, she shot her a dirty look and proceeded to remove her wing(?) from herself. Minnie on the other was allowed to kiss her and hold her hand although she didn't really give much love back other than that wide-eyed, open mouth look I told you about.

All of that excitement was enough to knock Sadie out in the stroller (much to our surprise) so the hubs and I snagged some fast passes to Dumbo and then found a nice quiet spot to sit and relax for the next couple of hours. 

When she woke up it was on to Dumbo and the Carrousel, her two favorite rides. We had lunch and walked around Tomorrowland for a little while and then set out to find Mickey. Much to our amazement the popular mouse was not hard to track down and when we did, there was absolutely no one in line to see him. After walking through the ghost line we were escorted into his "dressing room" where he was waiting for us. Sadie got to spend some time chatting with Mickey and getting lots of pictures before anyone else showed up to steal him away. 

Since the day was coming to an end we took Sadie to the gift shop to pick out her birthday present. We thought for sure she wasn't going to even look at anyone other than Mickey but she ended up picking out a stuffed Minnie instead (who is her absolute favorite toy now). 

We walked around a little more, caught another street parade and then found a nice spot to watch the lighting of Cinderella's Castle, which is just so beautiful. If you have never been to Disney World around the holidays, you really should try to go. Once the show was over we were herded out of the park for a very long and crowded journey back to the car. 

I am still amazed that Sadie made it the entire day and not once did she fuss or complain. It was such a magical day and the perfect way to spend your first birthday. 

Next week I will share with you all of the fun details from the rest of Sadie's birthday weekend, including her Winter ONEderland Party!