Princess Plans

So, its only a few days away. I must admit that I'm a little nervous to run. I haven't run since last Sunday. 2 days ago, I was still feeling some discomfort in my foot, so I vowed to play it safe. I will run 6 miles tomorrow night, if all goes well. So really, I'm getting an amazing taper here, right?! Actually, I'm really glad that I didn't run this weekend...I just think my foot wasn't 100%....but I think it will be by tomorrow night!

Friday, we plan on driving straight from work to the resort and chilling. Not much else planned. This year, the kids races do not start until 11am Saturday, so we won't be stressed for time. Last time we attended one, the kids races started at 10am, and the expo didn't open until 9! We simply couldn't count on that mere 1 hour to get everything done, so we had to go Friday night. It wasn't all bad, but I could hardly talk my husband into going near the expo 2 days in a row. One visit to that madhouse was more than enough for him.

So, Saturday morning, I hope to be parked and ready to at the expo the moment it opens. The expo is close to the kids races..both at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. Parking will require a long walk, but at least the parking is free. We will be parked before 9am...maybe more than 8:30...then walk around until they let us into the expo. It really isn't that far of a walk...buy my son walks SLOWLY. I swear when he runs even for 20 feet, it still surprises me that he can do that. But, when I want him to walk, no way no how.

When arriving at the sports complex, there will be a good 1/4 mile walk to the main entrance. You then climb a long staircase or go up a long ramp towards the buildings. They've often had the race packet pickup in a different location than the actual expo, but it looks like it may be all in the Jostens center this time. Either way, give yourself time...when you arrive at the main front entrance to the complex, you still have a walk.

So, 9am...packet/shirt pickup and browsing cute disney/princess apparel at the expo. After that, we will get the kids on the field by 10:30 for the warm-ups to their race. Its still quite a walk from the expo to the kids races....its only about 1" away on the map, but for little feet, this will take some time. If past experience holds true, they will have a DJ and some entertainers to get the kids active and dancing and such. Their race is scheduled to start at 11am, but chances are, they will start closer to 11:10. They will do the diaper dash first, then the 2-3 year old's 100 yard dash, and when thats complete, they will do the 4-6 year old's 200 yard dash. They will do these in waves as well, maybe 50 kids at a time...and each wave is at least 2 minutes apart. Its not timed at all, but it does ensure that kids won't be stepping on each other or tripping each other with excitement. It also ensures that you have time to see each runner come through the finish line for a photo op. So, we'll collect their medals at the finish line and get some cute shots with them.

Then, oh goodness...what then? Honestly, we'll be hungry...but I'm not sure what else we will do that day. I hope some R&R! Maybe the pool will be sufficiently heated :)

We definitely plan on getting to bed early that evening...so wearing out the kids will be key. Joe will stay with the kids the next morning, and a friend and I will drive to the race location at that horrid 3am time. It is what it is, of course....so once we are parked, we will walk the 20 minutes to the staging area. Need to remember to bring trash bags and/or old towels this time!