This was my first ever half marathon. I set my sights on this race late 2016. I hadn't run a race in years and was really nervous. The great thing about Disney races is how nice everyone is.

We are arrived for the Expo on Thursday. The expo was great. There were all kinds of brands represented, and tons of things to look at. The only negative was the line for the race specific merchandise was really long. I never ended up getting anything because I couldn't get in.

On the morning of the race, I got up at 4:30 am, had my oatmeal and walked to the race check in area. After peeing like 100 times (I was so nervous!) I made my way to the last corral. I had no qualifying time, and my many bathroom breaks put me at the absolute end of the corral. The first two miles were very slow, with lots of bottlenecking. There were very narrow areas on the course and it would be so full everyone would be walking very slow. The first couple of miles are mostly in the parks which I really enjoyed. Then you hit your middle miles and go into a more residential area, but it's cool because people will show up in costume to cheer you on. Even a band played as we ran. I felt like I was dying by the 11th mile. I wanted to stop, but kept going. It's a good feeling when you are looping back around toward the front and know you're almost there. When I finally crossed the finish line, my whole body hurt, but I was so happy. Some nurses taped me up with ice, and I got my medal. It was a great experience and really got me hooked on racing.

Disney does a great job with races. They have the best swag!