Difficult Decisions

If you're a runDisney enthusiast, then you know that registration for the Princess half marathon opens to the public on July 15th at noon EST. If you're a runDisney enthusiast that is also an Annual Passholder and/or a Disney Vacation Club member, then you know that early registration for the Princess Half Marathon opens on Wednesday, July 9th at noon EST. I am an Annual Passholder, and up until recently I was fully planning on registering for the Princess Half Marathon again this year.

So what led to the difficult decision of deciding not to register when it opens this Wednesday? There are multiple factors.

1.) Price: As much as I LOVE runDisney, I simply cannot afford to sign up for another runDisney race right now. It is especially difficult for me not to do Princess because Princess half weekend is where I ran my very first 5K 2 and a half years ago, it is also where I decided I wanted to become a runner, and then a year after my first 5K I returned and ran the Princess half as my first half marathon. This race falls right during Spring Break for many schools, so flights to and from Florida for Princess are ridiculously expensive. Then adding hotel accommodations and other odds and ends on top of that, it's just a very expensive trip.

(Thanks Scrooge, I think I will)

2.) Training: I'm not complaining about training for a half, I do that pretty much throughout the year as it is. However, training for Princess was exceptionally difficult this past year. It was a harsh winter, and I was not a fan of running in the bone chilling temperatures. I did 90% of my Princess training on my treadmill, and that was NOT enjoyable. In all honesty, I think I was the least prepared for this half than I have been for any other race.

3.) Race-day Wake-up Call: Let's be honest, the 2:30 am wake-up call and I are not exactly best friends. This past year I did the Glass Slipper Challenge, so two 2:30 am wake-up calls were even less enjoyable. I prefer the Wine and Dine half marathon (or even the Tower of Terror 10 miler - even though it's humid) for the fact that it is a night race (oh, and the after parties!)

(Day 2 on the bus at 3 am = Not thrilled)

4.) I'm registered for the WDW Half Marathon: This is where I ask myself, what was I thinking?! My friends from college and I decided we'd like to take a trip to Disney early next year since they either hadn't been there, or hadn't been in a while. We decided on the marathon weekend, so I had the great (or not so great) idea that since we were going to be there, I might as well run the half! I'll be gone and back before 10 am (thanks to that 2:30 am wake-up call). So, I basically decided that since I was running the half in January, that running Princess in February was probably not the best idea.

5.) The Chaos: If I remember correctly, the Princess half is runDisney's largest half. As fun as the race is, any thing having to do with the race is quite chaotic with the amount of people there for the various race weekend events.

All in all, as difficult as it was to make this decision, I think it is the best one for me. Please don't take this post the wrong way, I L-O-V-E, love, LOVE runDisney, but one cannot afford to run every race (as much as I want to) on a single income. So part of my decision making this past weekend was also trying to figure out what runDisney races I'd like to do and when.

I'm still very much interested in going after the Pink Coast-to-Coast medal that is awarded to individuals who run the Princess half and the Tinkerbell half. I think this one I will try to save for and do in 2016 because it will also be an anniversary year for the Tinkerbell half. I also think in 2015 I will save and just run the Wine and Dine half marathon, as it is one of my favorites. If you haven't done the Wine and Dine half, I highly recommend it! A night race through 3 parks, Christmas lights, wine and an after party at the Food and Wine festival!!

QOTD: Are you going to register for the 2015 Princess half marathon? Have you had to make a difficult decision when it came to certain races you wanted to participate in?