A Disney-addicted mom runs her first 1/2 marathon - Jan 2011 *update 1/11 Results!*

[DrMomof3]

I'm right there with you. I completed my online check-in today and DBF and I both got cheap "donate" sweat clothes for the morning. I feel very disorganized as well because vie barely planned and I feel like racing day is quickly sneaking up on us. All the same, I think it's going to be so much fun. I already signed my dad and I up for the ESPN 5k in march at Hollywood studios and I'm hoping to run the half at Disneyland in sept. It's become addicting... Also, I was told that bib numbers are given based on when you sign up and have nothing to do with you corral position, have you heard that to?

I haven't really thought about bib numbers or corral position. This will be my 1st race ever so I figure I'll just go with the flow. My goal is just to finish within the time limit. I'm hoping to finish in 3 hours or less but I'll just be happy to finish! I'm already thinking about signing up again for next year (2012). Or maybe I should do the princess 1/2 in 2012? We'll see!

I am so excited for you after reading this PTR! I love running and it's great to see when others start to love it too! Good luck in the race, I'm sure you'll do great!

Thank you! I'm pretty excited about the whole thing!!!

Amanda

 

[carissanboys]

I definitely think bib numbers have to do with corral placement. I signed up last January for the half, yet I'm still one of the highest numbers at the back (since I didn't give an estimated finish time).

 

[natebenma]

Amanda- I can't believe your marathon trip is almost here! Just want to wish you good luck and have fun!

I just read through your whole PTR. Really cool about the trip to London and attending the HP premier. Loved the HP books and I have read them all to my oldest son, just starting book 1 with my 9 year old. Haven't seen the latest movie yet, though.

Look forward to hearing about your trip when you get back!

Dee

 

[dismagiclover]

Can you believe how close we are getting? You are ready! Now it's just time to obsess about weather I'll definitely keep a lookout for you when we are there. It would be so fun to see you! What parks are you considering on Friday and Sat. We'll be in MK on Fri night and Epcot on Saturday. Sunday I won't finish the race until early afternoon and then I plan on being in a delirious state of exhaustion

 

[DrMomof3]

I definitely think bib numbers have to do with corral placement. I signed up last January for the half, yet I'm still one of the highest numbers at the back (since I didn't give an estimated finish time).

I didn't give an estimated finish time either. My (conservative) goal is to finish in less than 3 hours.

Amanda- I can't believe your marathon trip is almost here! Just want to wish you good luck and have fun!

I just read through your whole PTR. Really cool about the trip to London and attending the HP premier. Loved the HP books and I have read them all to my oldest son, just starting book 1 with my 9 year old. Haven't seen the latest movie yet, though.

Look forward to hearing about your trip when you get back!

Dee

Thanks Dee. The HP premier was definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done. As a mom, especially a working mom, opportunities for spontaneous get-aways are rare. This was really a special trip! I'm a huge HP fanatic so it was even cooler!!!

Can you believe how close we are getting? You are ready! Now it's just time to obsess about weather I'll definitely keep a lookout for you when we are there. It would be so fun to see you! What parks are you considering on Friday and Sat. We'll be in MK on Fri night and Epcot on Saturday. Sunday I won't finish the race until early afternoon and then I plan on being in a delirious state of exhaustion

We'll be at Epcot on Thursday since we won't get to the park until lunchtime. Friday will be DHS. I'm worried about the buses on Saturday and Sunday because of the races so I wanted DHS on Friday. And it's the only day I'm sure we'll be able to get up and out early enough to be close to rope drop time. We didn't ride TSM in August (closed for renovation) so I promised to make it a priority for the kids (of course for the kids, right? ). Saturday, post-race, we're going to MK and then again on Sunday. Monday we'll get some more Epcot time before flying home.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Happy New Year all!

I've started my pre-trip panic attack!
I have no idea what to pack. I mean I know what "stuff" to pack (although this is a much less elaborate trip than the August one). But I'm at a loss for what clothes to bring. I'm less worried about myself than the kids. For me I'll bring light weight long pants and longer capris with t-shirts and then sweatshirts. No biggie. The kids don't really have that type of stuff. The weather *looks* like it'll be highs in the mid-70's. I think that's the hardest to pack for. Ideally you'd wear long pants and sweatshirts in the morning and evening and then shorts and t-shirts mid-day, right? So what do the kids wear to the parks? Long pants and then bring shorts? I guess we could because we'll have 2 strollers and a diaper bag still. Hmmm. Ideas?
I started packing a few things already. I packed the power strip for extra outlets. I bought some individual packets of Tide, in case I need to do laundry (I'm hoping not but if my running clothes are really yucky, I might do some laundry). I packed rain ponchos (although my very wise 6 year old has informed me that it won't rain if I bring them). I bought some travel toys and stuff for the kids (a waterproof version of Uno that gets stored on a binder clip, small but washable markers on a binder clip, cheapie coloring books - not homemade this time, etc.). I can't pack the children's carry-ons yet because they need their backpacks for school. Maybe at some point they need separate travel carry-ons???

I hope 2011 brings joy and peace and serenity and prosperity!

Amanda

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

It looks like you'll have great weather for the trip and especially for the race! Have fun and I can't wait to read all about it!

 

[pixarmom]

Amanda- I can't believe your marathon trip is almost here! Just want to wish you good luck and have fun!

I just read through your whole PTR. Really cool about the trip to London and attending the HP premier. Loved the HP books and I have read them all to my oldest son, just starting book 1 with my 9 year old. Haven't seen the latest movie yet, though.

Look forward to hearing about your trip when you get back!

Dee

Ditto to all of this!

1) Good luck! We'll be thinking of you on 1/2 marathon morning (as we travel to WDW and check in at the Poly!)

2) Our two older boys are similar in age to Dee's boys, and so we are all big Harry Potter fans. We were invited to a pre-screening and the boys got scarves, fudge flies, wands, etc. from the company that hosted the event, but London for the premier - WOW!

I'm also looking forward to your trip report, and maybe we'll see you there!

 

[pixarmom]

Amanda,

As for packing, most of our trips are between December and March, and the packing is definitely tough. I loved the packing for our July trip last summer - so easy when you know it's going to be hot all the time!

But this time of year is such a packing challenge - especially when the high temp and the low temp are something like 30 degrees apart! We do lots of layers, and since the boys have either shorts or jeans, they usually end up wearing their shorts and then I stash the jeans in the stroller basket for the evening. They wear t-shirts, sweatshirts over that, and then I also stash their fleeces in the stroller basket if the night temps will be really low. This trip and our February trip may be the last two with the stroller, so I'll need a new plan after that!

And I agree regarding the ponchos - mine are ready to go, too!

 

[natebenma]

2) Our two older boys are similar in age to Dee's boys, and so we are all big Harry Potter fans. We were invited to a pre-screening and the boys got scarves, fudge flies, wands, etc. from the company that hosted the event, but London for the premier - WOW!

OK, after hearing about friends attending the London Premier and getting really cool things at a prescreening event, watching the DVD on my couch with a pouch of Orville Reddenbacher's is going to be very anti-climatic.

Amanda,

As for packing, most of our trips are between December and March, and the packing is definitely tough. I loved the packing for our July trip last summer - so easy when you know it's going to be hot all the time!

But this time of year is such a packing challenge - especially when the high temp and the low temp are something like 30 degrees apart! We do lots of layers, and since the boys have either shorts or jeans, they usually end up wearing their shorts and then I stash the jeans in the stroller basket for the evening. They wear t-shirts, sweatshirts over that, and then I also stash their fleeces in the stroller basket if the night temps will be really low. This trip and our February trip may be the last two with the stroller, so I'll need a new plan after that!

And I agree regarding the ponchos - mine are ready to go, too!

Do either of you have zipoff pants? We usually get a pair or two to wear on the plane when we are headed somewhere tropical in the winter. We zipoff the bottom and VOILA! Shorts for our arrival. Something like that may come in handy for the temperature changes. You can carry around the zipped off portions and when it gets cooler, reattach them.

Again, have a great race, Amanda!

 

[DrMomof3]

It looks like you'll have great weather for the trip and especially for the race! Have fun and I can't wait to read all about it!

The weather does look good! Thank you!!!

Ditto to all of this!

1) Good luck! We'll be thinking of you on 1/2 marathon morning (as we travel to WDW and check in at the Poly!)

Thank you! Are you staying CL at Poly?

2) Our two older boys are similar in age to Dee's boys, and so we are all big Harry Potter fans. We were invited to a pre-screening and the boys got scarves, fudge flies, wands, etc. from the company that hosted the event, but London for the premier - WOW!

I didn't get any "stuff" but I did get to walk the red carpet. Awesome!

I'm also looking forward to your trip report, and maybe we'll see you there!

I hope we get to see you!

Amanda,

As for packing, most of our trips are between December and March, and the packing is definitely tough. I loved the packing for our July trip last summer - so easy when you know it's going to be hot all the time!

But this time of year is such a packing challenge - especially when the high temp and the low temp are something like 30 degrees apart! We do lots of layers, and since the boys have either shorts or jeans, they usually end up wearing their shorts and then I stash the jeans in the stroller basket for the evening. They wear t-shirts, sweatshirts over that, and then I also stash their fleeces in the stroller basket if the night temps will be really low. This trip and our February trip may be the last two with the stroller, so I'll need a new plan after that!

And I agree regarding the ponchos - mine are ready to go, too!

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking I'll throw some blankets in the stroller for when it gets cooler. Thankfully we're not late-night people and I plan to watch the fireworks from the lounge at the Poly.

OK, after hearing about friends attending the London Premier and getting really cool things at a prescreening event, watching the DVD on my couch with a pouch of Orville Reddenbacher's is going to be very anti-climatic.

Poor Dee!

Do either of you have zipoff pants? We usually get a pair or two to wear on the plane when we are headed somewhere tropical in the winter. We zipoff the bottom and VOILA! Shorts for our arrival. Something like that may come in handy for the temperature changes. You can carry around the zipped off portions and when it gets cooler, reattach them.

Again, have a great race, Amanda!

Zipoff pants is a great idea. Sadly we don't have any. I'll check Amazon quickly to see if they sell any for a decent price (I'm a Prime member so the shipping is free). Otherwise we'll check the daily weather and pick shorts or pants. I'll be fine in lightweight pants or capris. I don't think it'll be so hot that we'll have a problem. Most reports are upper 60's to mid 70's as the highs. And for better or for worse, most of the water rides will be down for rehab (Splash Mtn and Kali) so we don't have to worry about getting wet. Except if it rains....

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

I actually did an outdoor run today in full race gear. Most of my runs have been on a treadmill. I did ok but I ran way to fast. I went 2.8 miles in 34 min which is about 12 min miles. On the treadmill I've been doing 13.5 to 14 min miles. I felt the difference a lot! It does make me feel good about the race though. Just a few more days...

Amanda

 

[lexmas]

Yikes, I've been slacking and here you leave SO soon!

I totally know what you mean about packing. We leave at the end of the month and I haven't even thought about it. Last trip, when I was this far out, I had already made packing lists upon packing lists, carry on lists, started packing, had a disney box ready...this time, nothing. It's overwhelming, not knowing what the weather will be. Plus, I am comitted to not over-pack, because last time I completely did. I am doing laundry this time. The price will be outrageous, but I just don't care. I will consider it my souvineer!

Anyway, good luck on your trip! I can't wait to hear about how you did and how the trip went! I'm sure you will have a fabulous time!

 

[DrMomof3]

Yikes, I've been slacking and here you leave SO soon!

I totally know what you mean about packing. We leave at the end of the month and I haven't even thought about it. Last trip, when I was this far out, I had already made packing lists upon packing lists, carry on lists, started packing, had a disney box ready...this time, nothing. It's overwhelming, not knowing what the weather will be. Plus, I am comitted to not over-pack, because last time I completely did. I am doing laundry this time. The price will be outrageous, but I just don't care. I will consider it my souvineer!

Anyway, good luck on your trip! I can't wait to hear about how you did and how the trip went! I'm sure you will have a fabulous time!

Thank you!!!
I've totally overpacked and I'm ok with it! My mom (who is joining us on the trip) thinks that I should just forget about shorts and bring long pants for everyone. I know my kids will *want* to wear shorts if it's possible. So I basically have 3 outfits for each child on each day - shorts outfit, pants outfit, dinner outfit. And we're flying Delta so it's $25 per bag. I think we'll have 4 bags for the 5 of us. $100 each way but our airfare was very cheap so that's cool.
We're taking a car service from the airport instead of DME. My DH still wants to use the DME tags and take our chances. I explained the whole deal to him (as explained on the DIS!) and his response, "I'm sure the baggage guys have no idea if we're on the bus or not. It'll be fine." So much for my online research... We're going to do a grocery stop. Since we're staying CL, I don't think we need a lot of snacks. I want to buy bottled water, gatorade, diapers, and maybe some powerbar-type stuff for pre-race breakfast.
I hoping we make it to our 12:45pm Via Napoli ADR on Thurs. We're scheduled to land at 9:45 and we're taking a car. I think even with the grocery stop we should reach the hotel by 11? Then check-in, buy park tickets for my parents, grab some snacks from the lounge, and off to Epcot. We'll walk to TTC so it should be a quick trip.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

Our flight leaves early tomorrow morning. I'll be back with a trip report!

Amanda

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

Oh my gosh!!! Have so much fun and good luck!

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

Wanted to let you know I was thinking of you this morning. While you're having fun at the race I'm at my desk putting together a report for my boss.. I hope everything is going great and I can't wait to hear about it!

 

[DrMomof3]

I will start a trip report - maybe later today - but I had a great trip! I finished in half-marathon in 2:44:15. That's an average pace of 12:31 min/mile which is much faster than my training. The whole experience was AWESOME!

Amanda

 

[carissanboys]

I will start a trip report - maybe later today - but I had a great trip! I finished in half-marathon in 2:44:15. That's an average pace of 12:31 min/mile which is much faster than my training. The whole experience was AWESOME!

Amanda

Whoa! Way to go, Amanda!! Can't wait to read your report.

 

[natebenma]

I will start a trip report - maybe later today - but I had a great trip! I finished in half-marathon in 2:44:15. That's an average pace of 12:31 min/mile which is much faster than my training. The whole experience was AWESOME!

Amanda

Woo-hoo!!! Congratulations! You should be very proud of yourself because you worked really hard preparing to make this happen!

Can't wait to hear about your tip. Glad to hear you had a great time.

Dee