Wine and Dine Weekend- Remy's 10k

The weekend has finally arrived, and first off, I survived all 19.3 miles!  I'm feeling all 19.3 miles, but I survived.

It all started with the 10k Saturday morning, which actually ended up being a lot of fun and went a lot better than I was expecting.  I arrived early, and by early I mean before the race area was even open.  Considering I was driving myself, I just didn't want any unexpected delays, like road closures and things.  Since I was there so early I decided to go ahead and take some pictures before the race.  There were quite a few characters out, Mickey and Minnie, Remy and Emile, Goofy and Donald, and Lumiere.  I went shortest line to longest and was able to get everyone except Lumiere, but that was fine since I saw him at the expo.  The pictures actually came out really well!

 

I was in my coral staging area nice and early, which means I was practically right up against the gate. Of course, that was an hour early.  This is that magic time where you become friends with everyone around you.  I had a good time waiting, well other than the fact my body decided it needed to go to the bathroom right when the race was starting.  I was going to have to wait... They walked each corral from the staging area to the start and the front people got to hold the race tape, which was fun.  I was right behind them, and honestly I really liked my placing.

There wasn't a lot of fanfare when it came to the start.  I mean the race announcers were doing a great job, the music was going, and the atmosphere was there, but there weren't as many fire works and craziness as expected.  I assumed those were being saved for the half (and I was not disappointed!).  Luckily I was able to get around the few walkers (seriously, why do they go to the very front?) and I actually had a ton of space for the first mile or so.

The character lines were long compared to my memory of previous years and I chose to run past most.  Partially in favor of a restroom and partially because I just really wasn't interested in waiting for the character pictures.  The first few miles were all on the major roads around EPCOT so there wasn't too much entertainment, but one new thing were the massive TVs that Disney brought out and were showing clips from old Disney cartoons and current movies.  It was like watching TV on the elliptical, except I was actually moving the the screen wasn't.

Once I got into EPCOT, I was actually surprised how pretty it looked.  I'm no rookie to the parks and have seen EPCOT in all different weather and at all different times, but this was just something new for me and I just really don't know why.  There were characters in a few of the countries... ok I finally stopped for a bit for a picture with vacation Genie, but he was totally worth it!

Running around Boardwalk was a lot of fun because that is my typical vacation run.  It brought back memories of all of my family vacations, I even found the room we normally stay in!  It had rained the night before so it was a little slippery, but I think everyone was prepared for that.

We finally hit EPCOT one last time, ran past the center, by Spaceship Earth, and to the finish line, where I had excellent spacing for some great finish line pictures.

On my Nike+ app, which paused when I stopped, clocked me at 1:01.39.  Disney had me at 1:15.14.  Ya, that bathroom stop and Genie took a bit longer than expected... as well as the few other little stops.  Still, I did better than I was expecting, I felt strong, I felt good... Now I just had to prep for the half...

 

Picturing the Princess Half

I know I'm late on this again, but it's better late than never...  I really don't have anything different to say about the Princess Half that I've already said in previous posts so I decided that this time I'd just focus on some of the pictures... Luckily they did change some of the characters you were able to meet...

The Ferrari Italia... My absolute favorite car that you can drive at the Richard Petty Driving Experience.

The castle was absolutely beautiful... I actually don't think I've run through it before when it wasn't completely light outside.

King Mickey... always a pleasure to see him.  Queen Minnie was also out, but needed to break for tea time or something along those lines.

Main street and the hoards of people who came out to support the runners.

Princess Tiana and the gang.

Mulan and Mushu.  

I don't think I've ever seen an opportunity to take a picture with Mary Poppins in this costume so I just had to stop and take advantage of it!

2013 Disney World Marathon Part 2- The Finish

The first half marathon ended at Animal Kingdom and the second started as we headed off toward ESPN Zone.  This part was just like the Tower of Terror 10 Miler and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon.  It was long, there were "hills" and in all honesty probably the most boring part of the race.  There were some interesting characters on the course, like Launch Pad from Duck Tales...

At this point my knees and thighs were starting to hurt.  I stopped at my first medical tent ever for some BioFreeze and that definitely helped... What also helped was the fact that they had sponges soaking in cold water ready for runners at about mile 17.  It was right before we ran into the ESPN complex and I can tell you, those sponges were one of the best ideas ever!

Running through ESPN was interesting as usual.  Got to see a lot of the fields and track.  There were actually some track athletes running on the track which I thought was interesting considering we were all dying and yet they had these college level athletes training right there...  We did run around the baseball diamond just like Disneyland Half.  Disneyland is a tad bit better on this part because they get the boy scouts and girl scouts to fill the stadium while there were just a few people cheering from the seats at the marathon.

As we were leaving ESPN Wide World of Sports, we hit mile 20, which has a HUGE mile marker considering it was the race's 20th year.  They had Mickey, Minni, and Pluto there which was pretty cool and I won't lie, I got an awesome picture!

The course was pretty much exactly like the Wine and Dine Half, but they did make it safer.  At the half marathon there was a line of cones between the runners and cars... during the marathon there was an entire buffer lane with cops inside of it to make sure no one got hurt.  It definitely made me feel better.

Hollywood Studios was pretty normal with Wreck It Ralph as well as Mike and Sully out to take pictures.  I was actually taking pictures with Mike and Sully when I saw one of my friends pass.  After that I saw my Mom and decided to see who could make it back to the finish first.  

After DHS we ran by the Yacht and Beach Club, which have always been one of my favorite hotels.  The only thing that really annoyed me was the trio who decided to take up the entire path to walk and one of them was practically giving a tour to the other two about some of the hotels.  This was a RACE not a TOUR.  Sorry, that is one of my biggest pet peeves and I might not have been the kindest when I passed... blame it on my open water swimming past.

We were ushered backstage behind EPCOT only to emerge in the UK.  From there we ran through the World Showcase and I ran through most of it so I was pretty proud.  I did take a picture with Bell (who really needed to work on her makeup) as well as Mulan and Mushu.  Eventually I made it to the front of the park, around the corner, and hit the Mile 26 marker!

.2 miles left and I was able to finish!

I was alive, I was still moving, and I didn't throw up.  Overall, that was a huge accomplishment.  I started and finished without getting swept.  That medal around my neck has never felt better!  The marathon took me 6 hours and 4 minutes and I was more than proud of that.

My friend and I with our medals... Finished 2 minutes apart!

Will I do another one?  Probably considering I still want to do the Goofy, but I need to train better.  In the days after the race my knees have been acting up quite a bit so I need to do better for them.  Still, I was happy I was able to finish a marathon since it's something I never thought I'd be able to do.  

2013 Disney World Marathon Part 1- The Start

It has been a few days now since the marathon and I am pretty much back to normal.  The race overall went really well and I finished and received my medal so I am definitely calling it a success.  I had a lot of fun and I'm just super proud of myself for pushing through to the end.

I started in Corral G, the 2nd to last corral.  I've never really been that close to the back and the sweepers were already a worry for me so I decided I was going to just run the first few miles and put some distance between myself and the sweepers.  Yes, I have heard the sweepers aren't too strict at the runDisney races, but I didn't care to find out about that.  So I skipped some of the first few character stops.  That meant I missed my favorite, the Pirates, as well as Jack Skellington, who I really could care less about getting a picture of.   They also had this huge poster up which was really cool.

I took my first break (and only restroom break) at mile 4.  I was able to catch my breath and do a mental check over how I was feeling.  Overall, pretty well, definitely better than what I was expecting considering I really wasn't prepared for the race and hadn't been feeling well the days before the race.  

The race then headed to the Magic Kingdom when we came up to one of my favorite views of any of the runDisney races... running down Main Street.  The castle is just so pretty in the early morning, isn't it?  This was the first place I got to see my support crew, aka my Mom.  I still wasn't really stopping for character pictures, especially considering the princesses and royal Mickey and Minnie both had super long lines.  Luckily, I've already taken a few pictures with royal Mickey and Minnie and I'm not a huge fan of the princesses.  I did finally stop for a picture just outside of the Magic Kingdom with Mary Poppins and started stopping for more pictures.  Here are a few from the rest of the first half:

 One cool thing, was the Disney World Speedway, which hosts the Richard Petty Driving Experience.  For the race, the race track hosted close to a mile of the race as well as a car show.  Of course Tow Mater, Lightening McQueen, and Finn McMissile were all a part of it.  There were some super nice cars there ranging from the classics to the newest sports car.  It was definitely cool to see all of the cars out there.

The race then went to Disney's Animal Kingdom where they actually had some of the smaller petting zoo animals out.  Everything from a hawk and owl to a snake to sheep and goats.  I did spy one of our elephants in their night barn still even!  Of course they had some iconic characters out there... I bet you might recognize a few:

 

There was also another cool thing that I got to do before exiting Animal Kingdom... I got to ride Expedition Everest!  That's right, I totally rode a roller coaster in the middle of the marathon.  They had just opened the attraction as I was going by so I jumped on it and got a front car seat.  Only at the Disney World Marathon could you ride a roller coaster during the race!

After exiting Animal Kingdom, we headed towards the half way marker, as well as the ESPN Wide World of Sports facility... stay tuned for what happened in the second half of the race!

Hello Brick Wall- Wine and Dine Review

I want to start of by saying, yes running 7 miles before the half marathon probably wasn't one of my best ideas... actually it's probably somewhere around one of my worst ideas.

I had a lot of time to wait between when I parked my car and when the race started.  It was almost 3 hours in total, but luckily I had met up with some friends so we sat around and talked and stretched together.  I'm not going to lie, I was slightly jealous of the person who was able to fall asleep a few feet away from us...

The start was pretty typical of runDisney starts.  There was the nice archway you ran under and plenty of fireworks.  Actually, they had more fireworks than normal.  I was in Corral C and we had fireworks going off next to us for the first corral!  They also had high fireworks as well as the low ones around the start.  It was a pretty cool start from the fireworks perspective.

I was impressed that there was a character just after the first mile of the race.  When I got there, it was Goofy, but he soon left and was replaced by Chip and Dale.  Totally didn't mind, especially since I saw Goofy on my way back.

The run through Animal Kingdom (miles 3.5-6ish) was really cool.  They had a lot of animal based characters (Rafiki and Turk, Pluto, Fantasia Ostrich and Hippo...), but the coolest thing for me was seeing the Tree of Life lit up at night.  Tried to get a picture in front of it, but it didn't work out too well.

Between Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, I really started getting tired and sore.  My calves started burning and my energy levels just plummeted.  I should have had gu or something like that, but alas, I didn't.  I've learned my lesson, trust me.

The course around and through Hollywood Studios was interesting conceptually.  Realistically, it was a little boring.  I knew what was coming up again (The Osbourne Lights) and that's what kept me going. You actually ran around the outside of the park on the main road leading to Magic Kingdom with cars speeding by.  I saw a few runners get close to the car lane and got a bit nervouse, but luckily nothing happened (at least when I was there).  You ran a lot backstage, but they did have Wreck-It-Ralph there to get pictures with!  It's nice they brought out a new character!

The Osbourne Spectacle of Dancing Lights is always on of my favorite holiday traditions.  I actually went on Thursday with my roommate to see them get turned on on the first night.  My suggestion, if you can get there at dusk and see them get turned on... that's where the magic is.  The lights and the magic and memories connected with them helped push me through the rest of the studios.

To get from the studios to Epcot, you actually ran past the Boardwalk and Yacht and Beach Club resorts, which, funny enough, is actually my vacation run.  If it weren't for all the people crowding the sidewalk around me, I probably could have run it with my eyes closed.

The run in Epcot was pretty much a straight shot right to the finish.  You came into the park near Journey into Your Imagination and then headed straight out where they have most of the finishes.  I wish they had brought Figment out, but it was late and that area was crowded so I guess I understand...

It was great have the mass of spectators in the park though.  The cheering and peer pressure (don't want to stop that close to the finish in front of everyone) helped me get to the end.  Just after the 13 mile marker there was a laser show kind of making a roof for you to run through right before your turn into the finish line.  It was really cool...

Chef Mickey and Minnie were at the finish cheering us on and giving high fives.  I always wish I could take a picture with them, but I'm not selfish enough to steal them even for a second from the other runners who are finishing as well.  Plus they were at the pre-race area and I just passed it up because it looked like a hour or more wait.

Overall, the run went well.  The wall I hit at mile 6 and then again at mile 8 (which lasted me the rest of the run) was a pain, physically and emotionally.  I tried to alternate between walking and running, but it really was a compromise between my calves and legs hurting or feeling like I was going to throw up... I deal with physical pain better than getting sick so that also helped me run for a while.  That was my athlete's determination really coming into play... there was NO way I was going to pull out of the race and that's the mentality I kept.

What did I learn?  Not to run 7 miles before a half, although I do have that marathon coming up which will be 2 halves pushed together.  Also, bring food!  Whether its a banana, cliff bar, gu, or whatever... this was the first time I really realized how important that extra nutrition and electrolytes really are.

Now it's 2 months and 2 days till the full... what have I gotten myself into????

Donald's Causing Trouble Again...

The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend is celebrating it's 20th anniversary in 2013.  We've already seen the updated race course, which you can get a refresher here.  They had the new medal design ready for its big reveal, but it's been stolen.  Here's the news release from runDisney's facebook page:

So as you can see, Donald's yet again causing quite a bit of trouble.  Of course runDisney has asked it's facebook fans to help find donald in all the different places he's trying to run off to.  Here's a picture from one of my favorite place's he's been spotted at so far:

If you want to see the medal soon, check out runDisney's facebook page and follow the instructions on how you can help them catch Donald and get the plans back.

Of course next year they should probably tell Donald that they've designed his medal before he gets into more trouble.  Or maybe Goofy will play with the medal plans next year?

Race Recap

So it's been two days now since the Disneyland Half and it's about time I start looking ahead to the 2012 Princess Half Marathon.  So, to put the race behind me it's time to recap all that happened.

The first mile was spent trying to get around people.  The first few miles of the Disneyland Half is spent weaving through the parks so it bottlenecks a lot and you tend to get stuck behind walkers and slower people.  Which brings up my first issue... those people who somehow get into the higher corrals and are walking within the first .5 mile!  The starting line was still visible and I was passing walkers.

For those of you who believe that moving up corrals doesn't hurt anyone... it really is annoying and it can be dangerous if runners can't get by or aren't expecting you to stop.  So, if you are in a higher corral and are planning to walk early, go to the back of the corral so those who are serious about the running part can get by.

Once we were in the parks I took pictures with Phineas and Ferb, Dug and Russel from UP, Rapunzel and Snow White, and then Belle and Cinderella.  There were other characters out, like Darth Vader who had the longest line, Tigger, and Sleeping Beauty and the fairies.  Sleeping Beauty was actually on the Carousel which was pretty neat.  They also had some floats out from the parade, but without any character so that was kind of iffy.  If you're going to bring a float out, at least have the character with it...  They had the trains out again which was a cool and that was my last picture before hitting Anaheim.

The course looped through more of Disneyland than it did last year considering California Adventure (DCA) is still under construction.  I liked the fact you saw a lot more of the park, but again, there's a lot of bottlenecking through the parks.  Maybe next year when DCA is open again they can have more of the race inside the parks?  What do you think runDisney?

 Between miles 4 and 8, it was pretty boring.  Let's face it Anaheim isn't the prettiest of cities.  There was a bit of snaking up and down streets to get the miles up before heading to Angel's Stadium.  I hit my first and biggest wall just before mile 5.  I didn't feel good and fatigue was just tearing apart my legs.  I walked a bit to get over the nerves making me feel like I was going throw up, but then once I calmed down and got some water and powerade I was feeling better.  I was still feeling a bit sluggish though.

Around mile 7 the soundtrack from Illuminations, the nightly EPCOT show, came on.  That music helped push me through the next mile and and once I hit mile 8 I was feeling a lot better.  It also helped that mile 8 is like the turning back to home point for me.  I know it's over half way, but there's so much more after that marker and it just pushes you that much harder.

First was the Honda center, although they didn't any hockey players of the Duck from the Anaheim Ducks out.  After that we ran on the Santa Ana trail.  That's a pretty narrow area so again, it's important to make sure you're out of the way when walking and just make sure there's no one who can run into you or for you to run into.  There was a nasty little hill coming up from the trail, which I did walk, but after that it wasn't too bad.

Almost immediately after the trail we were at Angel's stadium.  The Boy Scouts were out again cheering everyone on and trying to get high fives from the runners.  I was more than happy to run on the side and slap there hands... Then we turned into the tunnel, and ran onto the field, just like the teams.  They were getting the field ready for a game, but we were still able to run around home base (see picture below).  They had the jumbo-tron on again and it's always fun to see yourself on a massive tv.

After Angel stadium it was almost a straight shot back to the parks.  You hit Mile 10 in the stadium's parking lot, and then Mile 11 out on the streets.  Mile 12 was right when you hit the parks.  Now, but this time my ankles were on fire, my calves were tired, but still my quads were good.  The last mile weaved through the service roads behind DCA and then through the hotels.  

Finally, between Downtown Disney and Disneyland Hotel, the finish loomed over everyone.  Mickey and the rest of the Fab 5 were at either side of the finish cheering everyone on.  It felt amazing to finish... I had finished another half.

Getting the Disneyland and Coast to Coast medals was the best feeling ever.  As soon as I have a picture with all of my medals on, I will be posting it!  I wore them around most of the day, even though they were smacking each other the whole time and being annoying.  They were heavy, but I was proud to bear that weight of those medals to show off what I had done.

If you've been reading this blog then you know how bad my training has been since my move.  The fact that I survived and my quads didn't hurt nearly as much as either of the last halves is a testament to how important strength training is to a training plan.  However, I was running about a 11 minute mile so the endurance training would have helped to get that time down.  

I know the things I need to work on before the next half and the things I need to just keep doing.  I need to get my endurance up again and my strength training needs to stay strong.  Other than that... less than 6 months to Princess!

Some tips for those who might be running the 2012 Disneyland Half or even the 2012 Tinkerbell (if it's the same or a similar course).

• Get to your corral early because there are a lot of a people, not a lot of room, and you'll just get a better position.  Then again, please be mindful of your speed (walking vs running) when you decide where to go in the corral.
• Enjoy running through the parks.  Take pictures with the characters you want.  They are only in the first part of the race since the rest is in Anaheim.
• Spread out and focus on your own pace while running through the city.  You have pretty much the whole street, so use it!
• Enjoy everyone cheering you on.  There are a lot of bands, cheerleaders, and dance groups out there for YOUR entertainment.
• And most of all... HAVE FUN!

So there it is, my recap.  For those who haven't thought about doing a Disney race, I would HIGHLY suggest it.  Personally, I plan on looking forward to Princess next year, then maybe Disneyland again and Food and Wine?  I might possibly be looking to do all runDisney events in the next 5 years or so...