Seven Reasons Why I Will Always Be a #runDisney Princess!

Inaugural Princess Half Marathon Finishers!
Me, My Mom and My Sister.

     What started over six years ago as a trip to Walt Disney World to run the Inaugural Disney Princess Half Marathon  has now become a yearly tradition for me, my mom, my sister and some our best girlfriends. I'm proud to say that four of us have ran every Princess Half Marathon since 2009! We are Perfect Princesses!
     Last year, we added the Glass Slipper Challenge (Enchanted 10K--6.2 miles on Saturday and Princess Half Marathon--13.1 miles on Sunday) to the weekend runnning agenda and that was fun too! So much fun that I will be registering again this year for the 2015 Glass Slipper Challenge.

     Since 2009, our group of Princesses keeps getting larger and larger. I cannot tell you how much fun I've had hanging out with my best girlfriends and meeting new friends along the way (online and in real life). I've also been motivated to stay in shape and become a better runner knowing that I will always be a Perfect Princess! Thanks runDisney!

2009. My sister and I ran the Inaugural Princess Half Marathon...Just the two of us! 
We had so much fun that we came home and told our other Princess friends all about it.....

2010. Meeting some of the Pixie Hollow Fairies with my Princesses!

2011. Running with my Princesses through Fantasyland!

2012. Stopped with some of Princesses in front of Cinderella Castle!

2013. Pre-race meetup with my Princesses!

2014. Our group has gotten Huge!
Love every single one of these Princesses!

We even met new Princess friends in the airport!
Princesses Unite!
Hope to see them all again in 2015!

     I can hardly believe that I'm about to register for my 7th Disney's Princess Half Marathon! In honor of that, I've come up with 7 lovely reasons why you should register too! 

1. Become a Princess---from the moment we enter the Health and Fitness Expo to the moment we cross that finish line, we are emersed in glitter, tiaras and shiny bling! Let's face it, "Mom Life" isn't always glamorous...during Princess Weekend, WE ARE PRINCESSES!

Expo fun with Princess Minnie!

Shopping, shopping and more shopping at the Expo!
The Health and Fitness Expo is truly fit for my group of Princesses!

2. Running is more fun with Princesses---Maybe I should move this to Reason number one. Really, I cannot say it enough. There is nothing more fun than running with all of my girlfriends. It's not just about the running either....we hang out at the parks, eat lots of yummy food and have quality "girl time" during Princess Weekend. These are some of my most precious memories.

We just "dropped" into one of our favorite hotels for a visit! 
Disney's Hollywood Tower of Terror!

Our tradition. We have dinner at O'hana after every Princess Half Marathon!
One day we are going to take up the entire restaurant!

Fun Times with my Princesses!

3. Disney---Whether you are running at Walt Disney World, Disneyland and now the newly added 5k on Castaway Cay on Disney Cruise Line, there is no place more magical to get your run on! Every mile IS magic!

Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend.....No laundry, no cooking, no cleaning!!!
Yippppppppppeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

4. All-inclusive---this is HUGE people! Everything from Event Transportation, Dining, Resorts, Packet Pickup, Running Seminars, Training Plans and an interactive staff that truly cares about their guests are available to you. I've ran a lot of races and these are definitely some of the main reasons #WhyIRunDisney. :)

My Group Selfie Just Got Happier!
So fun running the Royal Family 5K with Leanne and Aubrey...two of Disney's Social Media's Rockstars!

I ran into Steven Miller (one of my favorite Disney Parks Blog authors) before the race.
Love that he's out early supporting all of the runners!

Darrell and Raquel of runDisney and Disney Sports....Thanks for the Team Spirit! See ya at the Finish Line!!

We found Pirate Bob Hitchcock! arrrrgggg.

Big hugs from  the most Charming race announcer EVER, Rudy!!

5.  Motivation and Support---the runDisney community is the best in all the 'world'! The online support from friends and family as well as the great volunteers and chEAR squad along the course is just amazing!! There is nothing better than receiving high fives (or high fours) from volunteers wearing big Mickey Hands. That never gets old!

Even the most magical Baristas on Earth came out to chEAR on me and one of my BRF's @carrieburrows during the Princess Half Marathon.
This was one of my favorite moments of the race.

No better feeling that running to the Finish Line with thousands of chEARleaders in the grandstands!

6.  Course entertainment---Did I fail to mention that you might just spot Mickey Mouse on the course?!? That's all I ever need! I stop for every single character photo opp. Always have. Always will. After all, it all started with a mouse. :)

The only thing better than finding Mickey in New Fantasyland is....
finding Mickey AND Minnie New Fantasyland!

Elsa on the course during the Enchanted 10K! She made it snow at Walt Disney World! I guess she just couldn't hold it back anymore. (Sorry, I had to.) lol

7. The Finish Line and the Bling!!!! runDisney medals are beautiful! In true Disney fashion, there is so much attention to detail and they are always changing from race to race. I have bit of an obsession when it comes to collecting these. And I'm OK with it. ;)

Where else can you cross the finish line and have the Fairy Godmother waiting to congratulate you?!?
THIS was my Princess fairytale moment.

My six year Perfect Princess Medal Collection. :)

I love the 5K Rubber Medallion medals too!
Fun for the whole family!

Okay okay, so sometimes being a Princess does require getting a little sweaty....
Some of us need to work on our best Princess-ness. Don't let my tiara fool you, I'm a sporty girl!
 Good thing for us, there's always next year. #PrincessesInProgress

Photo Shoot after the race with our race medals at my resort, Pop Century!
Real Mom Princesses on a Budget.
That's how we roll. :)

What do you do after you run the Enchanted 10K?
Go to Magic Kingdom with your running buddy, of course!

     In 2015, I will be running Dopey Challenge and Glass Slipper Challenge with my friend Carrie Burrows, follow her blog, CarrieBurrows.com to see more of our adventures and receive great tips on how to incorporate good nutrition and diet into your training. She's a tough little cookie!

     On the West Coast, I highly recommend following my friend Jindy over at FlowersCroon.com. She is a true lover of Disneyland and I love her insight on running the West Coast races and all things California!

     As for making travel arrangements, my girls Brittney and Susie over at Main Street Memories are just the best. They work really well with large groups and keep me up to date with promotions, discounts and the latest runDisney news.

     For more information on registering for Disney's Princess Half Marathon and other runDisney events, please visit runDisney.com.

Happy Running and See you at the Castle!