Training for my first 1/2 marathon, Disney Princess 13.1

On the "oh shit I am turning 30 bucket list" right next to travel Paris was: Run and finish the Disney Princess 1/2 marathon. It took only two months to get to Paris but it took eight months of training to run the 1/2 marathon. It proved to be one of the hardest most rewarding things I have ever done. At the start of training I was only able to run three seconds at a time, before getting bored and out of breath. Did I mention I hate running?? Before taking on the 13.1 I did a ton of research. I came across a few books by Jeff Galloway an Olympic runner. These books helped me immensely, His run/walk/run method was exactly what I needed to train and finish the 1/2 marathon. I downloaded a free app and started run/walk/running my way to the finish line. As I got bored with the routine I would add more time to the run portion. In February 2014 I finished the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon injury free. My greatest accomplishment since graduating Nursing school. The experience taught me so much about myself as well as challenged my knowledge on nutrition and chafing. Long story short... you don't know chafing until you have run a 1/2 marathon or greater... bottom line Foxy's advice: When running any Disney race, If at all possible submit your timing to get into a good corral. Or else you will be stuck running around thousands of walkers like me, in the back. Staying at a Disney resort gives you free transportation at 4am to the race and at 6am for your family .I stayed at one of the cheaper ones off site. Training advice Follow a program that has you running every other day and building up miles slowly. I made a vision bard with the program I was following and glued inspirational pictures, words and quotes. This helped me really picture myself crossing that finish line. Non running days are Cross training days, perfect for playing sports or going to hot yoga. You are suppose to do weight training on these days but I chose to play softball, kickball and do Hot yoga. All things I regularly do anyway. Hot yoga wound up being the best cross training activity I could have done to prepare for running in the Florida heat. Most people at some point will have to do weight training to build up muscles to withstand running that distance. I started having severe lower back pain, that was alleviated by weight training of my lower back and new shoes. Speaking of shoes get evaluated by a professional at a running store. My lower back pain was largely due to wearing the wrong shoes for my gait. best $120 I ever spent. I highly recommend sports messages, Epson salt baths and a daily NSAID for soreness. At one point I had four sports messages in one week. Best supplements Being the nerdy nurse I am, I did lots of research on sports nutrition. The best 2 supplements I found are Accelerade sports drink (before and during) and Endurox muscle recovery (after). These supplements made a huge impact on my endurance and muscle soreness. I use them for all high impact sports days and sometimes after a really long strenuous shift at work. I also used Quench gum to keep my mouth moist and GU Gels and chews. Your sports bra is the best hiding place for your gels. For chafing I recommend Gold Bod spray powder, Body glide and good old fashioned Vaseline. Carbs the night before and protein the morning of. Think everyone knows that. My breakfast of choice is Greek yogurt, a hard boiled egg and a banana. The same breakfast I have every morning at work. Do not try anything new the morning of the race or during the race, or you will be sorry.