You're crazy! No I'm Dopey! 2017 WDW Marathon Weekend PTR Updated 12/31

[rteetz]

Glad you got the ADRs you wanted - looks like a good list. A number of places we haven't done yet

There is a good amount on that list that I haven't done yet either. I am excited to go back to places we love and try some new ones!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

There is a good amount on that list that I haven't done yet either. I am excited to go back to places we love and try some new ones!

We have a lot of new places planned too. Always amazes me how many new things there are to try each trip

 

[buteraa]

From one cheesehead to another! Looking forward to reading your report Ryan! We are going over Christmas week and I can't wait. You picked great places to eat. We are going to try Frontera Grill at Disney Springs. The Boathouse is AWESOME! However, I have yet to find a cheese curd anywhere!

 

[rteetz]

From one cheesehead to another! Looking forward to reading your report Ryan! We are going over Christmas week and I can't wait. You picked great places to eat. We are going to try Frontera Grill at Disney Springs. The Boathouse is AWESOME! However, I have yet to find a cheese curd anywhere!

Welcome fellow Wisconsinite! I have never been in December so your trip sounds awesome. I am excited to try Boathouse. It seems Floridians haven't discovered the amazing-ness of the cheese curd yet.

 

[rteetz]

Well I am going to take this time to talk about my weekend trip to Chicago.

We had about a 1 hour 45 minute drive waging isn't bad by any means. The purpose of the trip was for my sister Jordan's basketball tournament. It was a huge tournament sponsored by Nike. It was being held the McCormick convention center and had 64 basketball courts set up. Teams of girls from ages 13-17 from all over the country and even Canada.

We arrived on Saturday 7/9, around 7PM. We were staying at The Hyatt Regency next to the Sheraton and Trump Tower. This was my first real trip to Chicago. That night we walked around a bit but didn't have a lot of time since we came so late.





We walked down Michigan Avenue a bit but things were nearing closing time as we were getting there.

Under Armour had a giant Wisconsin shirt in the entrance to the store which I though was awesome since we were in Chicago.



That pretty much wrapped up the night as we went back to our hotel and ate at the restaurant inside. It was just okay, the menu was very limited and my dad is a picky eater so he ended up ordering nothing.

The next morning we got up and got ready to go. My parents and Jordan would be heading to the basketball games. My sister Sydnee and I would be heading to explore Chicago!

We did a bit of exploring with my parents and Jordan before they left though. Water Tower Place was one of them. Sydnee got some American Girl accessories, and we looked in a few other places.

I want to know the story behind the holes in the animals.



Disney Store! I was disappointed that there wasn't anything different than I would find at my local Disney Store.



Next, a Chicago staple, Garrets Popcorn!



We were finally on our own then. First up, Millennium Park. We had to check out the bean of course.













Okay enough Bean, we had some shopping to do!

Nike! I bought a pair of Jordans here.



Back to Disney...



I have never gone to Ghiradeli at Disney Springs and I don't really know why. Sydnee and I decided we should try it out here in Chicago. We split a Treasure Island.



Back to the hotel to drop off some bags... and a quick selfie with Trump Tower...



I don't have any pictures for this but we went to Sprinkles next. I have never been to or eaten a Sprinkles cupcake so I had to see if the Disney Springs craze was worth it. The Chicago store is rather small but they do have the ATM. We went inside and got a 6 pack, 2 dark chocolate, peanut butter, lemon, vanilla, and sprinkle. Mine was the peanut butter and Sydnee wanted the lemon. I really enjoyed the cupcake but would like to try some of the other flavors as well.

Next up was Navy Pier! We walked around and then got the idea to ride the Ferris wheel. Sydnee had never been on one.









That ended our adventure as my parents and sister were back from the games. We headed back to the hotel and decided to try Giordano's deep dish pizza. It was a 2 hour wait for delivery when the shop was 3 minutes away or a 1 hour wait to pick it up. (I didn't understand that at all) We went to pick it up and ended up waiting another 15-20 minutes. The pizza was pretty good but the service for just picking up a pizza sucked.

This morning we got up and headed back down to some stores on Michigan Avenue.

My dad tried out the golf simulator at Under Armour. Looks like he needs to work on keeping his drives straight...



We headed back to the hotel and picked up the car from valet. My dad and I had to head back home while my mom and two sisters were staying since Jordan still had another game to play today and has another one tomorrow.

 

[Pluto0809]

I have family in Chicago and have been to most of the places you visited! Bummer that the Disney Store didn't have anything unusual. I remember it having a lot of unique stuff but it's been years since I visited the Michigan Ave one.

Oh and the cows and horses:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CowParade

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...go-white-horse-sculptures-20140727-story.html

 

[rteetz]

I have family in Chicago and have been to most of the places you visited! Bummer that the Disney Store didn't have anything unusual. I remember it having a lot of unique stuff but it's been years since I visited the Michigan Ave one.

Oh and the cows and horses:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CowParade

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...go-white-horse-sculptures-20140727-story.html

That's nice. Disney did have a shirt with Mickey on it that said Chicago but that was it.

Thanks for the links!

 

[SarahDisney]

Wow, you guys did a lot of shopping ... sounds like my kind of trip!

My parents were in Chicago a few weeks ago and they also went to check out the bean ... it seems to be a big deal in Chicago. It looks cool, and I love that you can see your reflections in the bean in the pictures!

So ... how was your first Ghirardelli? Did you enjoy it? Are you going to start going in Disney Springs now?

Looks like you guys had a fun time!

 

[rteetz]

Wow, you guys did a lot of shopping ... sounds like my kind of trip!

My parents were in Chicago a few weeks ago and they also went to check out the bean ... it seems to be a big deal in Chicago. It looks cool, and I love that you can see your reflections in the bean in the pictures!

So ... how was your first Ghirardelli? Did you enjoy it? Are you going to start going in Disney Springs now?

Looks like you guys had a fun time!

Yes let's just say I came home with about $10 and I won't tell you how much I brought with me...

I've always heard about the bean but had never seen it so I figured we should check it out.

Ghirardelli was really good I loved that treasure island sundae. I think I might have to stop there on of the night after a race in January.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Looks like a lot of fun in Chicago - it really is a great town ... at least in the summer

 

[rteetz]

Looks like a lot of fun in Chicago - it really is a great town ... at least in the summer

It was a lot of fun.

 

[cavepig]

Oooh I'm glad I found this, I'll have to live through your marathon weekend planning to satisfy my not going. Having the 6pm dinner after the marathon is a good idea in my opinion (not that you asked but I feel like chiming in), then you won't be rushed and if your stomach gets funny at all from running it hopefully will calm down by then. My first year 2015, we had a 2:30 Liberty Tree, felt too rushed getting to it and really wasn't hungry, I had the flu but also because of the running my stomach was off so felt like it was a wasted eating experience, a later time would have been better. Then this year, 2016, we had a Garden Grill for 2:15 I think, well I was sick and out there forever so didn't even make it to it (my brother's family went on to it still at least). I know some people can eat big meals right away but having a later time will give you plenty of time then to refresh (get some medal pics too), not be rushed, & you can snack and eat small things or whatever, I guess you did the half so at least know a little how you might feel after in regards to eating.

I thought it is strange how the dessert party for Star Wars is in launch bay now, but my sister & her kids did it in May when it was still outside and loved the food, so hope you get that.

Hope training is going well too!

 

[rteetz]

Oooh I'm glad I found this, I'll have to live through your marathon weekend planning to satisfy my not going. Having the 6pm dinner after the marathon is a good idea in my opinion (not that you asked but I feel like chiming in), then you won't be rushed and if your stomach gets funny at all from running it hopefully will calm down by then. My first year 2015, we had a 2:30 Liberty Tree, felt too rushed getting to it and really wasn't hungry, I had the flu but also because of the running my stomach was off so felt like it was a wasted eating experience, a later time would have been better. Then this year, 2016, we had a Garden Grill for 2:15 I think, well I was sick and out there forever so didn't even make it to it (my brother's family went on to it still at least). I know some people can eat big meals right away but having a later time will give you plenty of time then to refresh (get some medal pics too), not be rushed, & you can snack and eat small things or whatever, I guess you did the half so at least know a little how you might feel after in regards to eating.

I thought it is strange how the dessert party for Star Wars is in launch bay now, but my sister & her kids did it in May when it was still outside and loved the food, so hope you get that.

Hope training is going well too!

Welcome aboard! You are more than welcome to live through my marathon weekend planning. That sucks you can't go.

I figured with the 6pm dinner I could snack right after the marathon because I'm sure I'll be hungry but then wait a little but to have a larger meal.

I remember from your report that you had the flu, that really sucks the life out of the experience.

Medal pics I definitely will be getting after finishing dopey. After my half I wasn't too hungry but did make a Starbucks stop.

 

[ZellyB]

Those look like some great ADRs. I was really tempted to give Boathouse a try but we opted to wait for another trip on that one.

Love all the Chicago pictures. I love Chicago so much and in the summer there is just so much to see and do. You got some great bean pics!

 

[rteetz]

Those look like some great ADRs. I was really tempted to give Boathouse a try but we opted to wait for another trip on that one.

Love all the Chicago pictures. I love Chicago so much and in the summer there is just so much to see and do. You got some great bean pics!

I couldn't pass up a stop at the boathouse. It will only be my grandma, my sister, and I at the boathouse so it should be nice.

It was a lot of fun. I hope to go back to Chicago again soon

 

[rteetz]

Hey hey I ran a race today!

Today my sister and I were signed up for the Cream Puff 5K. This was an inaugural race and is run at our state fair grounds which is nice because that's located in the same city we live in. The Wisconsin State Fair is known for 3 things, Beer, deep fried food, and cream puffs. We have an entire building on our fair grounds dedicated just to making and selling cream puffs. And let me tell you, you've never had a cream puff like a Wisconsin state fair cream puff.

We signed up for this race probably 3 months ago or so. This was going to be my sisters first 5K, she is 10 years old.

On Monday we went and picked up our bibs and shirts. They did this at a running store in a nearby city.

That brings us to today. If you aren't currently experiencing it the Midwest and pretty much all of the central part of the United States is experiencing a major heat wave. Today was only the start for us and it's going to get worse each day until Saturday. Luckily race started at 6:30 so it was a little cooler but looking on my phone it was 86 degrees at race time. I would say there was around 2,000 people in the race and they had a limit which they reached because the race sold out.

Here is a look at the course map. We have a race track, the Milwaukee mile, within out fair grounds. That race track is one of the oldest in the country and its a shame no major race association uses it.



The start was uneventful other than a count down by someone on a mic.

We got on the track and I could already feel the sweat dripping because it was so hot. My sister was a trooper and did very well. We did have to take some walk breaks for her but she did great for being 10 and for her first 5K.

We finished in about 33 minutes according to the time on the finish clock. My Apple Watch said we did less than 3.1 miles which was weird. I would've thought we did more than 3.1 of anything. We finished and got our ribbon. Instead of a medal they did a ribbon to stick with the fair theme. This ribbon was pretty big too.



We finish right next to the cream puff building so what did we do next? We got our cream puffs!



I had mine gone in about two minutes. As you can see Sydnee is a little sweaty.

We had a great time and would definitely do it again.

 

[jhorstma]

Wisconsin huh? My FIL lives in Marshfield - we're flying out to visit him in a couple weeks - just in time for this gem of a race in Stevens Point: http://www.oldfashioned5k.com/ Your choice of a 5K or a 0.08K (with a hydration station at the 0.04K mark), with an Old-Fashioned waiting for you (if you're over 21) at the end.

 

[rteetz]

Wisconsin huh? My FIL lives in Marshfield - we're flying out to visit him in a couple weeks - just in time for this gem of a race in Stevens Point: http://www.oldfashioned5k.com/ Your choice of a 5K or a 0.08K (with a hydration station at the 0.04K mark), with an Old-Fashioned waiting for you (if you're over 21) at the end.

That's cool! I've never heard of that race. Since I'm not 21 maybe I'll wait a couple years before I do that one.

 

[Pluto0809]

We have an entire building on our fair grounds dedicated just to making and selling cream puffs.

Drooling!!

Luckily race started at 6:30 so it was a little cooler but looking on my phone it was 86 degrees at race time.

Yuck! That's a big problem for me down here in Atlanta. Walking/Running outdoors when it's almost 100 degrees is just not an option for me. I've tried to find an indoor track near me but haven't had any luck so far.

I'm planning on heading to a running store the first weekend in August to be fitted for shoes and hopefully some kind of brace for my ankle that will allow me to run at least a bit. I'm aiming to run my first 5K on October 28th. Our local Parks and Rec department is having a Monster Dash Glow Run 5K which sounds like fun and is taking place in a park right across the street from my subdivision. If all goes well, I plan to sign up for the January 2018 Disney 5K and possibly 10K. It may just be a crazy dream and I may fail miserably with my stupid ankle but I won't know till I try!

 

[rteetz]

Drooling!!



Yuck! That's a big problem for me down here in Atlanta. Walking/Running outdoors when it's almost 100 degrees is just not an option for me. I've tried to find an indoor track near me but haven't had any luck so far.

I'm planning on heading to a running store the first weekend in August to be fitted for shoes and hopefully some kind of brace for my ankle that will allow me to run at least a bit. I'm aiming to run my first 5K on October 28th. Our local Parks and Rec department is having a Monster Dash Glow Run 5K which sounds like fun and is taking place in a park right across the street from my subdivision. If all goes well, I plan to sign up for the January 2018 Disney 5K and possibly 10K. It may just be a crazy dream and I may fail miserably with my stupid ankle but I won't know till I try!

Heat is one of the worst things while running. If you can I would walk/run early in the morning or in the evening to miss some of the heat.

Yay! I hope all goes well and I hope they can help you at the running store! That 5K sounds like fun too! January race weekend is going to be a hot ticket! 25th anniversary of the full marathon, 25th for the 5K, 5th for the 10k, and 5th for the dopey! If all goes well this coming year with dopey I hope to be back for 2018 as well. I just love Marathon weekend. I hope everything goes well for you that you can experience marathon weekend.