2017 Disney World Marathon Weekend Expo

Well the weekend is finally here and my (hopefully) first marathon for 2017 is just about 12 hours away.  I managed to make it to the expo yesterday with my roommate in tow.  I was impressed with how big it is, but also how it is getting more and more organized.  I'm curious to see if Disneyland has also gotten better since WDW has the room to move things around and DLand is a bit more restricts.

Regardless, the expo was a lot of fun.  I didn't spend too long there, mainly wanted to avoid temptation.  If I stare at raw threads too long then I end up buying far too much.  It also helped that a lot of people went the first day so it wasn't insanely crowded.  It was crowded, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting.  Picking up my race bib, surprise gift (a little luggage tag), and then my shirt went rather quickly and painlessly.  I was able to avoid buying anything from the runDisney store, but I did pick up two new shirts from Raw Threads.

I think the best part of the expo is the emotions and the excitement that is in the air.  Having that many runners in one area with the same feelings is addictive and regardless of how you feel, it makes you at least a little bit excited.  I can honestly say that going to the expos is one of my favorite parts of running these races.

Now I did see the traffic going into the expo the first day, when Dopey and 5k runners had to check in and it was insane.  That's going to be hectic next year, but I'm still excited!  One year... one year and I'll be there in that chaos getting everything for my Dopey Challenge.

Wine and Dine Expo

The race is finally here... my first race in a few years.  Whether or not I think I'm ready, I am going to have to be.  Today was the first day of the expo and I was able to make it over in the early afternoon.  I was expecting it to be insane at packet pick up and the expo.  The expo was busy, but I had definitely missed those early bird crowds and everything else was pretty calm.

I quickly found my packet, got all my race shirts, and was even able to grab a picture with Lumiere and my friend before heading over to the expo.  I did have to make a quick stop at the pre-purchase room to pick up some pins.  They also had a runDisney merchandise booth so of course I had to check that area out.

Earlier runDisney had posted pictures of some of the merchandise and I had already fallen in love with one of the tank tops... the one that wasn't at the booth.  I found two other tank tops and a jacket so I wasn't completely broken hearted.  Once my loot was gathered and payed for (the painful part), we headed over to the expo.

There were a lot of great booths, but more importantly there was a bigger runDisney booth that still had a few of the shirts I had really wanted.  That was quickly added to my collection.  Of course my friend and I walked around for a bit, only really stopping at raw threads to check out their shirts.  My friend had to buy their Beer Run shirt for the race and I added a Brave tank top to my collection.

Overall, I spent more money than I wanted, but not as much as I normally do.  I'm going back tomorrow with another friend just to look around.  I figured it would be a good excuse to get my legs loose and moving for the day.  One day of rest (I think... I have nervous energy that wants another small run...), then the 10k, then the half, then party!

  

Fit For A Princess Expo

Now, I love expos, but this morning's was a tad bit crazy.  I think everyone and their family decided to be at the opening of the expo.  The funny thing was, even though there was a long line, the crowd didn't seem too bad when I actually got inside.  Part of it was probably because the expo and registration pick up were in the same room.  The room was split, but you could easily go between the two.

A lot of people were going straight to the expo and what appeared to be the race merchandise area.  As much as I love all my t-shirts, jackets, cups, pins, and everything else I acquire from the race merchandise area, I decided to avoid it.

That's definitely not saying that I left the area empty handed.  It wouldn't be a running expo if I left empty handed!

Of course Disney makes sure you leave with something just for registering and showing up. In their goody bag was the race shirt (purple this year which was a welcomed change), a pink bag, button, Luna bar, and I got a pin that I purchased with my registration.

As for my mini shopping spree... I bought a pair of Nike capris and 2 more princess shirts. I guess I really am slowly turning into a princess...

...Front...

...Back...

The Week Has Come...

The marathon is only 3 days out.  It's kind of hard to believe it's that close finally.   I won't say I'm ready, because I definitely could have trained better and be feeling better.  I have been getting a sore throat from the weather constantly changing out here and I haven't been feeling my best otherwise, but I think that comes from stress from work and the run.

Still, I'm going to get through this run.

Plus, I did go to the expo today and I bought a lot of stuff... and I mean A LOT.  Check out my haul:

So of course to wear this stuff and show it off proudly, I have to finish!  I also need to add a medal to the picture, but that's coming...  In the race bag I got- The race tech shirt, a 20th anniversary button, shoe laces, cliff bar, pre-bought pin, temporary tattoo and the race info.  Not much, but again, I'm happy not to have all the papers and random stuff that I never use.

At the expo, I obviously bought a few things.  For race merchandise, I bought the white champion's jacket, 20th anniversary mickey ears, limited edition pin at the event, a nice box collection pin, a Dooney and Burke 20th anniversary purse, and a smaller version of the poster.  The artist for the poster was at the event this morning and was signing them as she gave them out.

I also got the Captain Hook shirt I've been wanting since the Tower of Terror run.  It's supposed to glow in the dark, but I just wanted it because it's Captain Hook and awesome.  I don't think I'm going to run it though.  I think I'm going to wear the "I Thought They Said Rum?" shirt I've worn for most of the half marathons.

It was crazy seeing all the set up these last few days.  On Wednesday they were already setting up medical tents and water stops.  Then today there were DJ booths and other areas getting set up.  Traffic signs were up and warning drivers... it was nerve wrecking at the same time as exciting!

O yes, and before I left the race area I signed up for running alerts to be sent to my parents as well as to be posted on my Facebook.  In the same area you could get a race photo for free from HP.  They gave you a hard copy there and sent you an electronic copy, which is great for me to post here!

One more day of work and then it's race time!

The Day Has Come

The Wine and Dine Half Marathon has finally arrived... or well will arrive at 10:00 tonight.  I personally star the race sometime around 10:10 as I'm in Corral C (as usual).

I was able to get to the expo yesterday between work and the Osbourne Spectacle of Dancing Lights.  They went back to the packet pick up in one building and the expo in the normal Jostens building.  It did help cut down on the clutter and mob that's typically at the packet pick up and expo.  They also create two official race merchandise areas so I was actually able to go in and get a shirt as well as one of the other pins.

At the expo itself, I was given my goodie bag which had my shirt in it and some of the other info pages.  I really do appreciate that runDisney has gone to a virtual goody bag and aren't giving you a ton of ads that you're just going to throw away.  So I guess in the past, they've given the party goers tickets for one or two food/drink samples, but this year they've given us a $10 gift card instead.  Whether or not we use it at the party... that's up to us.

As usual, the expo took quite a bit of my money, but they were really good buys.  1 "want" item and 2 "need" items.  I already have a "I Thought They Said Rum" shirt from One More Mile, but it was short sleeved and I wanted to wear it tonight... So I got the long sleeved version (The "want" item).  I also go a bright yellow reflective shirt and vest for running at night (The"need" items).  I've been running a lot at twilight times and I've run at night in the past.  I knew I needed some reflective gear, but had yet to find any... until yesterday of course.

I also got some of those energy gel blocks for training and a commemorative poster from the company that does the medal frames.  I've realized I'm probably going to stock up on all these posters if they keep doing it!

I was good and passed up a $46 dollar shirt that was awesome, but not $46 of awesomeness.  It was one of the glow in the dark villain shirts and the one I needed was the Captain Hook (one of my all time favorites... especially now that they've, um, modernized him in Once Upon A Time.

Now that race day has come, I'm ready... or at least I hope I am.  I got up and ran 7 miles this morning and it felt really, really good.  I'm not too sore and I feel like I can get this 13.1 miles in.  So that way I get my medal, pictures, and party and get my training caught up for the marathon since this week was supposed to be 20 miles.

Less than 8 hours now... check back tomorrow for updates.

Expos... Very Dangerous... For My Wallet

In just about 27(ish) hours, I'll be starting the Tower of Terror 10 Mile race.  Well, the race starts tomorrow, but the event as a whole has started.  Today was the kickoff of the race weekend.  The expo and race registration pick up started at noon and I was there, in line, and making friends just before 12.

The expo itself was about as big as the half marathon, but the whole thing is quite a bit smaller.  This year at Princess they had registration and race merchandise in one tent and then the expo in another.  The Tower of Terror (TOT) event had everything in one tent.  It made it super crowded and I didn't even dare try to get into any of the race merchandise.  They did talk about bringing extra spending cash to the race so maybe they'll have some stuff there tomorrow...

Goodie Bag

However, I did get my goodie bag and did do a bit of shopping.  Seriously, I need to be better about putting myself on a budget during expos...  In all honesty I didn't do too bad with my spending and I have plenty of money to cover what I did buy.  I just could see myself spending a lot more than I did if given the opportunity.  I am still very happy that runDisney has gone to the electronic goodie bag so you're not getting useless papers and flyers that you're never going to use.  Less paper in the trash and more trees standing tall...

My shopping spree...

One great thing they always have and I always have to check out is the medal table.  Most of the medals have already been given out (they don't have the new Princess yet... it WILL be changing for the 5th anniversary though!!), but they did have the medal I'll be earning tomorrow and I can tell you it is AWESOME.  They also have the marathon medal, which made me that much more excited to earn it in January!  Check it out...

2012 Princess Half Marathon Review

I know it's been a week since the race, but I haven't had internet in that week so blogging was put on hold.  Luckily, internet is back and thus, I can finally write my review of the race!

Let's take a look at the expo first, shall we?

I personally liked the expo a lot more this year.  Registration and packet pick up were set up in a tent on one of the fields.  This provided everyone (runners, volunteers, and vendors) with a lot more space.  Official merchandise was in the packet pick up area, but I just browsed through it in favor of getting something at the vendors tent.

At packet pick up I got my bib, my commemorative bib (yes 2 bibs), my race pin (was extra on registration), and the race necklace (also extra at registration).  My running buddy, Carrie, and I checked our bibs to make sure they were working and then headed over to the expo tent where we picked up our packets, I picked up some new headphones, and we looked around.  At that time we didn't have enough time to buy anything so we looked and left, but came back a few hours later to get what we wanted.  I ended up with a new race belt (I left mine back in Cali), a race shirt (Royalty Rules the Road), a coffee cup, and the second pin.  I liked that our actual goody bag only had a handful of things in it (like our race shirt) and the flyers you normally get were left online... it was just so green!

Overall, I did like the expo. The flow was a lot better since they spaced it out and I hope they do the same thing next year.  They were also doing a better job at crowd control when it came to packet pick up so that really helped.  As you can see above, they still had the footmen and this year they added the carriage.  Only, the carriage never made it to the race course, unlike last year.

The only thing I didn't like was more on merchandise's side.  I wish they would have a small tiara that you could pin around a pony tail, not the big light up one they were selling.  I also think that the necklace and original pin should have been kept for those who ordered them online.  The online sales did say they were sold out, but they magically happened to be at the expo...

On to the race...

Originally, Carrie and I were going to walk to the corrals, but decided against it once we saw how laid out Port Orleans really was.  We would have been waking up at the same time either way... so we took the bus to Epcot and walked with everyone else to the front (notice the grammar mistake in the sign above?).  It was early... like really early, but we eventually made it to the start.

Fairy Godmother set off the runners this year, just as she did last year.  There were fireworks for each corral and while I appreciated that I got some for my corral, I realized the fireworks had another benefit.  I could hear when the next set of runners had started thanks to the fireworks!  Don't know if that was part of the plan, but strategically it was smart.

There didn't seem to be as many characters stops out this year, but they did have my favorites...

All of the villains... even though Cruella is hiding...

Buzz!

Pirates (My favorite)

And of course... Fairy Godmother

King Mickey!

Physically, the race went well for me.  I was running Carrie's speed as it was her first (and she did awesome).  I ran the hills I walked last year, which was my personal accomplishment of the race.  We finished just around 3 hours, which was Carrie's goal, so overall a great race.  I think I actually ran more than I did last year and I know I definitely didn't stop so much.

After the race my quads tightened up a bit, but weren't too bad.  They were sore for a few days, but never so much that I couldn't work or anything.  My ankles got super tight and they tried to get me to stop walking after the race, which of course we spent at Epcot.  My ankles have me worried for future races when I might be going faster and harder, but I guess that's something I'm going to have to tackle when I get there.

On a personal level, I was so excited when some of my former coworkers came out and cheered for me!  It gave me the push I needed for the end of the race!

RunDisney really does provide runners with some magical experiences.  Carrie didn't believe me when I told her how awesome it is to run down Main Street to the castle with crowds cheering you on... I can assure you now that she does though!

Checked In and Ready To Go

Check in finally got here, which means the race is tomorrow!  There's no backing out now and it's just time to get ready to run.

Check in was busy, but went smoothly enough.  I printed my waiver at the event and signed in for the race.  Pretty much it was sign here, sign here, initial here, initial here, great!  Here's your bib, pin (I bought one when I registered), and some other papers.  After I was signed in I got a green wrist band which distinguished me as a coast-to-coast candidate.

I then went over to the expo and picked up my goodie bag.  It was decent, no disposable camera which I appreciated since I still haven't used the one from last year.  This year's tech shirt is black, which means I can wear it with my blue shorts.  There were a lot of ads for other races, a discount card for sports authority, Blocks, and some other little things.

I did do some shopping at the expo.  I got some asics to replace my old running shoes, a new headband (we'll see if it slips or not), and new earbuds.  I also got 2 shirts and a second pin at the expo.  I got the women's "I Did It!" shirt (yes, they had male and female versions this year), and a coast to coast shirt as well.  Pictures of those will come later as I'm not wearing them until I've completed the race.

And the surprise of the expo?  I got to meet Drew Carey and Megyn Price (the woman from Rules of Engagement).  They are both running the race, and were taking pictures and signing autographs for a bit.  I found out that Megyn was a swimmer until college, where she ended up lifeguarding since she didn't get onto the Stanford swim team.  It was awesome seeing that we had something in common.  Drew Carey's lost a ton of weight.  I mean, it's obvious when you see him on TV, but in person it just smacks you in the face just how much weight he's lost.  He looks good though.

In just a few hours, I'll be getting up for the run.  I'll admit I'm pretty nervous, but I'm also excited.  It'll be interesting to see how I do, but either way, I'm finishing, getting the Disneyland 1/2 medal and the Coast to Coast medal.

I'll have an initial summary/reaction tomorrow once I get back to my room so check back tomorrow morning for race updates!