There's a Great Big MARATHON Tomorrow: Goofy Challenge/Marathon Weekend '15 FINALLY COMPLETE!

[emilyindisney]

Hello, and welcome!


100_7620 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr



As Walt Would say:

“Around here we don’t look backwards for every long. We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we’re curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Marathon Weekend 2015 has officially come and gone and not only did we keep moving forward through 39.3 miles to complete the Goofy Challenge but we tried as many new attractions, experiences, and drinks as we could! What a ride! Join disneyhorselover and I for the encore as we recount 7 days, 4 parks, 2 races and 39.3 magical miles!

For anyone joining us for the first time we’ll give you some introductions!

Meet Emily:


IMG_3295 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Been to Disney: Six times
Favorite Park: Epcot
Favorite Ride: Tower of Terror
Favorite Food: Tonga Toast
Favorite Princess: Ariel
Favorite Disney memory: Sitting outside the MK train station and having the most perfect view of Wishes!

Meet Caitlin:


IMG_3383 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Been to Disney: Eight times
Favorite Park: DHS (Even though I seriously struggle to pick a favorite!)
Favorite Ride: Star Tours
Favorite Food: Tonga Toast
Favorite Restaurant: Garden Grill and Kona
Favorite Character: Flynn Ryder! (ok and Rapunzel)
Favorite Memory: Being the rebel spy-twice!

Meet Tuukka:


IMG_2996 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Okay- Obviously we didn’t bring a dog to Disney, haha! He’s Caitlin’s Welsh Corgi, he loves Disney, and he’s adorable so he gets a guest appearance!


IMG_1107 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Once again we’ll be writing together so my (Emily’s) writing will look like this, and Caitlin’s will look like this!​

 

[emilyindisney]

Table of Contents

​

Wednesday, January 7th, 2015
A little background, some arrival highlights and the race expo
All Star Movies Arrival

Thursday, January 8th, 2015
Who let Elsa do the weather today?!
Single Rider Dating Service
"I've got Bieber fever!!!...In my armpits!!!"
Mangia with Mama! (Mama Melrose dinner review)
Standing Room Only? Say it ain't so! (Really, it's not so.)

Friday, January 9th, 2015
Our Private Dining Experience (The Wave Breakfast Review)
Good Morning! Good Mooorrnning!!
A little sisterly competition
I just really love popcorn, okay?!
Putting the (quick) service to the test
Away we go! It's a Festival of Fantasy!
Holiday appreciation pictures

Saturday, January 10th, 2015
Walt Disney World Half Marathon Part One (Miles 1-5)
Walt Disney World Half Marathon Part Two (MK Miles 5-7)
Conquering Runger (Yak and Yeti Review)
An Expedition Everest Preview

Sunday, January 11th, 2015
Walt Disney World Marathon Part One (Miles 1-5)
Walt Disney World Marathon Part Two (Miles 6-10)
Walt Disney World Marathon Part Three (Miles 11-15)
Walt Disney World Marathon Part Four (Miles 16-22)
Walt Disney World Marathon Part Five (Miles 23-26.2)
Checking a Disney classic off the bucket list!! (Chef Mickey’s Dinner Review)
TR INTERMISSION: I DRANK THE DISNEYLAND KOOLAID!
There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow!

Monday, January 12th, 2015
That time we had an Epcot photo shoot
Vikings and Sombreros (Norway and Mexico)
More Foo for you, and you, and you!
American Adventure Fully Appreciated
Rain, Rain Go Away
The Final Stretch of Marathon #2

Tuesday, January 13th, 2015
A Net Full of Jello?
Taking the Last Few Hours In
Wrap-Up Thoughts​

 

[emilyindisney]

A little background, some arrival highlights and the race expo

So- a little background on us and our trip. We are late-in-life Disney lovers (if you call 21 and 27 late, hahaha!) We didn’t grow up as a Disney family, per say, but have come to love Disney World as something we can share as sisters. We also share a love for distance running so runDisney is the perfect place for us to do our two favorite things together!

This was our third runDisney weekend. We started with Princess weekend last year, and followed that by Tower of Terror weekend this fall. Goofy had been a little bit of a crazy pipe dream since we first heard of it two years ago. When we heard that this year was the 10th anniversary of the challenge and promised a gorgeous medal to it’s finishers, we really wanted to go. After going back and forth whether this trip was within our reach we finally took the plunge and signed up for Goofy back in June. Remember how long it took Goofy to sell out? We took that as a sign that it was waiting for us! We both started training in September- 5 months before Marathon Weekend- and stuck with it all the way through the new year!

On Wednesday, January 7th the day had finally arrived to begin our adventure! I won’t outline our whole travel plans (because frankly, it’s not very interesting) but I will give you a few highlights.

Highlight 1- My backpack got flagged going through security so I had to wait for like five minutes while the TSA guy was digging through my stuff insisting I had a serrated knife in the bag. I kept telling him I literally had no clue what he was talking about until low and behold- he whipped a butter knife out of the front pocket. Not only did I accidently try to smuggle a butter knife through security, but it was also dirty because I evidently used it for lunch at school/work one day and had never taken it back out to wash it. Whoops- awkward!

Highlight 2- We were fleeing some seriously cold temperatures in CT and apparently so were the snowbirds. There was a massive flock of them on our flight which unfortunately added to the boarding time significantly (by no one’s fault, of course!)

Highlight 3- I already don’t like Southwest because I prefer assigned seats so I was definitely a little grumbly when we checked in our bags and found out our flight was delayed by 20 minutes. The flight was definitely more delayed coming in than they clearly estimated for, the boarding process was very lengthy, and then we had to taxi to the far corner of the airfield to be de-iced. By the time we took off we were over an hour late

Being that we were running late already and were trying to get on a race expo bus before they stopped running at 7PM we booked it to Magical Express. Consider this the first race of the trip because we were off the plane, took a bathroom break, rode the fake-o-rail, and were at the ME counter in 14 minutes.

Side note...fake-o-rail selfie!


IMG_3174 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

I mean- did you really ride the fake-o-rail if you didn’t take a picture to prove it?

Our ME bus took off as soon as we got on but there was some serious traffic on the highway and the bus driver was crawling along (or maybe it just felt like it because we were in a hurry!) All Star Movies was out destination, but it was the last of four stops so we decided to get off at CSR and catch the expo bus there so we had time to get our packets and pick up some merch without rushing.

The expo was fairly crowded (there were a lot of Dopey runners who needed to grab their stuff before the expo closed) so we didn’t take a ton of pictures while we were there but we snapped a few.


IMG_3175 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_3176 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_3177 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

I enjoyed the expo a lot. I didn’t take any time to walk through the PHM expo, and I wasn’t all that impressed with the ToT expo-it was pretty small. This expo had a good variety of vendors, demos, and free samples-all good things!

Now here’s the good part- the merch! The race shirts came all rolled up together in bags labeled by size which was convenient.


IMG_3185 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_3187 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_3186 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

We both grabbed a Goofy pin, and car magnet. Caitlin also picked up a pink 26.2 magnet (to match the 13.1 that's already on my car.)


IMG_3189 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_3188 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

The little blue thing is a card holder we got with our race shirts. Apparently you stick it to the back of your phone case to hold your ID/cards while you run!

Finally, I grabbed a marathon zip-up.


IMG_3190 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

I originally wanted the grey Goofy sweatshirt but by the time we got there they only had larges and extra larges left. I love this one though so it all works out!

We really wanted Marathon/Goofy merch, but I am really superstitious about buying things like that before completing the actual distance. We ended up buying the stuff, then stuffing it in the bottom of a bag and hiding it in a corner of the room until after the race was over! I know we can’t be the only superstitious runners out there…​

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

So excited to follow you girls along! I was glued to the live feed and facebook over the weekend and decided I'm going to run the marathon! I won't be doing it until 2018, so I have plenty of time to build myself up. Gearing up for my 2nd half with the GSC next month! I can't wait to read more!

 

[Vernie822]

I enjoy reading your trip reports! Can't wait to hear how the race went. I've done 3 halfs (none at Disney.. yet), but I seriously admire your dedication to 39 miles.. OMG. Congrats!!

 

[jdd]

Yay! So glad to see you're doing a trip report on the marathon. I followed your PHM report last year and really enjoyed it

I'm running the PHM next month, and can use the motivation right now. It's a cold, blustery day and I was scheduled to run 10.5 today, but my running buddy came down with a stomach bug....ick...so we're putting it off for now. I'm also struggling with some IT band issues, so thinking it's not a bad idea to wait another week for a long run.

I'm so impressed you guys did the full marathon, and not only that but a half too Fantastic!! Looking forward to reading more

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

All checked in Emily and Caitlin. That opening photo is PERFECTION!!

I know I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER do this, so I am so looking forward to hearing about this trip and enjoying it vicariously though all your efforts.

 

[disneyhorselover]

All checked in Emily and Caitlin. That opening photo is PERFECTION!! I know I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER do this, so I am so looking forward to hearing about this trip and enjoying it vicariously though all your efforts.

The best part about that picture? The idea for it came from the mouse himself! Haha

Also, never say never!!! 2 years ago this week, I decided to start running so I could do the PHM....but I would NEVER run a full, and I would NEVER EVER do goofy....that would just be crazy!!

 

[courtneybelle]

Here!!! LOVE the Mickey picture, and I'm so excited to hear all about the races!! I'm glad the expo was better than the ToT one. I love all the merch you guys got!!! That Mickey shirt is awesome!

Also I legitimately laughed out loud at the butter knife story. Good job trying to take a weapon on a plane!!!

 

[courtneybelle]

Double post, oops. That's what I get for phone-DISing!

 

[rteetz]

Joining in can't wait to hear about your trip!

 

[emilyindisney]

So excited to follow you girls along! I was glued to the live feed and facebook over the weekend and decided I'm going to run the marathon! I won't be doing it until 2018, so I have plenty of time to build myself up. Gearing up for my 2nd half with the GSC next month! I can't wait to read more!

Do it- it was so much fun! I'm following you on instagram and all our GSC/PHM posts make me a little sad I won't be there this year! I'll definitely be following your journey!!

I enjoy reading your trip reports! Can't wait to hear how the race went. I've done 3 halfs (none at Disney.. yet), but I seriously admire your dedication to 39 miles.. OMG. Congrats!!

Welcome!! Yet is the key word- I'll bet you can only resist for so long hahaha!

Yay! So glad to see you're doing a trip report on the marathon. I followed your PHM report last year and really enjoyed it

I'm running the PHM next month, and can use the motivation right now. It's a cold, blustery day and I was scheduled to run 10.5 today, but my running buddy came down with a stomach bug....ick...so we're putting it off for now. I'm also struggling with some IT band issues, so thinking it's not a bad idea to wait another week for a long run.

I'm so impressed you guys did the full marathon, and not only that but a half too Fantastic!! Looking forward to reading more

Thanks for joining us! So glad you enjoyed our PHM report and are back for another one!

Sounds like it was a good reason to take a little rest. It's always worth it when you're feeling %100 to get out there the next week!

All checked in Emily and Caitlin. That opening photo is PERFECTION!!

I know I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER do this, so I am so looking forward to hearing about this trip and enjoying it vicariously though all your efforts.

Welcome Rob!!! Glad you're tuning in!

Here!!! LOVE the Mickey picture, and I'm so excited to hear all about the races!! I'm glad the expo was better than the ToT one. I love all the merch you guys got!!! That Mickey shirt is awesome!

Also I legitimately laughed out loud at the butter knife story. Good job trying to take a weapon on a plane!!!

The Mickey shirt is my favorite. The colors are the perfect contrast on the black shirt!

Hahaha, thank goodness the TSA guy laughed once he found it too!

Joining in can't wait to hear about your trip!

Welcome!!

 

[Chiomaca]

Originally Posted by courtneybelle
Here!!! LOVE the Mickey picture, and I'm so excited to hear all about the races!! I'm glad the expo was better than the ToT one. I love all the merch you guys got!!! That Mickey shirt is awesome!

Also I legitimately laughed out loud at the butter knife story. Good job trying to take a weapon on a plane!!!

Love the knife story! My bag was flagged by TSA on the way down as well - all the Cliff Shot Bloks were suspicious to someone. It was harder than I thought to explain to a normal person that I was going to run a half marathon and then a full the next day, so I needed all of them.

 

[emilyindisney]

Love the knife story! My bag was flagged by TSA on the way down as well - all the Cliff Shot Bloks were suspicious to someone. It was harder than I thought to explain to a normal person that I was going to run a half marathon and then a full the next day, so I needed all of them.

Running stuff must look awful suscpious to airport security! We had these weird orange stickers on our tags that made me wonder if our bags got searched on the way down. The bag with our leftover GUs, running belts, Epsom salt, etc definitely got searched on the way back, lol! Oh well!

 

[ursalita]

Hi! Joining in to hear about your trip and your runs. This year I ran the 5k Color Run and I thought that was an accomplishment. Maybe your reports will give me the motivation to try another race.

That's a funny story about the knife in the bag. The last time I flew the underwire in my bra set of the detectors and I had to get the full body search. Talk about awkward. Next time I'll wear a sports bra.

 

[disneyhorselover]

So excited to follow you girls along! I was glued to the live feed and facebook over the weekend and decided I'm going to run the marathon! I won't be doing it until 2018, so I have plenty of time to build myself up. Gearing up for my 2nd half with the GSC next month! I can't wait to read more!

I loved your PHM TR last year, so I can't wait to read this years! Have fun at GSC! I think you'll love the 10k-it is my second favorite of all the disney races I've done (favorite being the marathon).
We are also considering returning to marathon weekend in 2018....25th anniversary of the marathon, and 5th anniversary of Dopey, how can I resist?? (The anniversary medal for Goofy, with the spinner, was worth every single penny and second of pain-I love that thing!)

Yay! So glad to see you're doing a trip report on the marathon. I followed your PHM report last year and really enjoyed it

I'm running the PHM next month, and can use the motivation right now. It's a cold, blustery day and I was scheduled to run 10.5 today, but my running buddy came down with a stomach bug....ick...so we're putting it off for now. I'm also struggling with some IT band issues, so thinking it's not a bad idea to wait another week for a long run.

I'm so impressed you guys did the full marathon, and not only that but a half too Fantastic!! Looking forward to reading more

Thanks for following! Good luck and have fun at PHM next month-I remember this being the hardest and coldest part of training for sure. I'll discuss a little later in the TR, but I can now vouch firsthand for the advice that it is better to show up undertrained and healthy than injured, so a rest day is definitely a good thing!

 

[jrmint427]

Congrats on finishing! I can't wait to read about the races and your trip! I also really love the marathon shirts from this year

 

[dizzyr]

Following along for some much needed motivation. Can't wait to hear all about it.

 

[emilyindisney]

Hi! Joining in to hear about your trip and your runs. This year I ran the 5k Color Run and I thought that was an accomplishment. Maybe your reports will give me the motivation to try another race.

That's a funny story about the knife in the bag. The last time I flew the underwire in my bra set of the detectors and I had to get the full body search. Talk about awkward. Next time I'll wear a sports bra.

The 5k Color Run is an accomplishment! That was my first 5k too!

Omigosh- how awkward! You would think they'd be able to tell or set the detectors not to recognize that or something!

Congrats on finishing! I can't wait to read about the races and your trip! I also really love the marathon shirts from this year

I'm go glad you joined us- I LOVED reading your Goofy experience right before we started our own!

Following along for some much needed motivation. Can't wait to hear all about it.

Welcome!

 

[emilyindisney]

All Star Movies Arrival

Bogged down like pack mules we made our way to the expo buses and headed to our home for the week, All-Star Movies. The Christmas decorations were still up!


IMG_3180 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_3181 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_3178 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Check-in was a little backed up but we got everything settled quick and I was happy to hear we were in the Toy Story section as I requested! We walked right through Andy’s room and into building number 9- the Woody building! Our room was preferred so it was relatively close to the elevators, on the second floor, and facing shrubbery which made it very quiet.

This ended up being a great room location-close enough to the main building to run over and refill our mugs or grab a snack, but at the same time, very very quiet! We heard a toilet flush next to us a few times, but other than that, we never saw or heard a soul...it was great!

The grand tour:


IMG_3182 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_3183 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

I was on the phone calling to check on our luggage which took about 4 hours to arrive!

This boarder is too cute!


100_7482 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_3184 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

Again- so cute! This was to the left of the bathroom area.


100_7484 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

And this was on the wall to the right of the bathroom area.


100_7483 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

This room was great- it was clean, in good shape, and had a nice location. It served it’s purpose well and overall I was very, very happy!

Once we dropped off our back packs and decided to head down to the food court for some late dinner. I got some of my beloved chicken nuggets, and Caitlin got a chicken quesadilla. This quesadilla ended up being my favorite thing at the food court...it may not look like much but it was hot, crispy, and loaded with chicken and cheese. I ended up ordering a second one later in the week.


IMG_1263 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_1264 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

We also got our mugs


IMG_1265 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

We found a quiet corner table and were able to relax for a little bit and check out the cool movie posters hanging over head!


IMG_1267 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr


IMG_1268 by secondaryhoney, on Flickr

We went back to the room, unpacked and decided to get to bed early so we could hit the parks early tomorrow!​