What's a Princess to Wear?!

Picking out an outfit in the morning is hard enough. Partly because there's a small child usually asleep in my bed and I'm trying to get dressed without waking them up AND be sure my outfit is somewhat coordinated while still using the least amount possible. Getting dressed by flashlight AND you're not camping? Mini-adventure! Now...getting dressed for a race - somewhat easier. I typically go by the day's weather and try to somewhat coordinate my outfit but mostly go by comfort. Deciding you're not just getting dressed for a race but going in costume??? That presents a whole new series of challenges. Not to mention where there are TWO races and you want need costumes for both.

Prior to registering for the Glass Slipper Challenge, I had never wanted to nor felt comfortable wearing a costume during a race. Not to say I haven't seen my fair share of costumed runners: a turkey and pilgrim, the Super Mario Brothers and a personal favorite: Buddy the Elf, to name a few. In my "research" leading up to the event, I came across several blogs and Pinterest pins of costumes for various RunDisney races and knew I could NOT run Disney in my old capris and pull-over.  I had to dress up! But as who???  With so many characters and favorites to choose from, how could we narrow it down? I debated over Cinderella (my first princess), Vanellope Von Schweetz, Dory and countless others... I even looked at several of the Villians: Ursula, Cruella and Maleficent (who, coincidentally have teamed up on Once Upon a Time - but that's another story).  I didn't want to look like the thousands of other runners but also wanted a costume that was special to myself, my family and my running.

What Disney character could truly sum up all of this? What Disney character would I continually come back to in my Google searches and find inspiring without realizing it? Who did I often quote during the hardest moments of my long runs? That little voice that would tell me, "just keep running" in her most uplifting tune - "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming." Face palm: Dory. She would be the inspiration for the Enchanted 10K.  A little fish with a big voice.  Not to mention one of preferred movies on rotation in our household. 

Our "Flat Dory" costumes side-by-side prepped the night before the 10K.

One costume down, one to go.  For the Princess Half Marathon, the question of what to wear may have begun as a difficult decision but was answered quickly.  Given that we would be running side by side and celebrating our journey as runners, we had been reflecting upon our experiences to date including our first costumed race, the Shape Diva Dash.  Veronica and I became friends during our freshman year of college at the University of Maryland, born and raised in the land of blue crabs and Old Bay.  For the Shape Diva Dash, we crafted tutus in red, yellow, black and white - the colors of our home state.  Since the Diva Dash, our tutus had been hanging in our closets begging to be worn again.  Over several text messages and I'm fairly certain, a conversation no longer than five minutes, we knew we'd be dusting our skirts off and creating our own princess ensemble.

Our "Flat Maryland Princess"

Ideas in hand, sketching and crafting was underway - we continued working on our costumes up until the very week of the races.  With the help of my mother and her sewing machine, a colleague/friend of Veronica's who does embroidery and some of our own handiwork, I think we managed to create costumes that were meaningful and truly unique.  

Post-Enchanted 10K - We just kept swimming!

Maryland Pride - Pre-Half Marathon (3:15 AM)