12 Months of Medals: My 2015 (And Beyond!) Running Challenge

[FFigawi]

And yeah ... I'm pretty much an expert tailgater. Day drinkin' is one of my most favorite weekend things!

Rookie. Day drinking isn't just for weekends.

 

[Keels]

Rookie. Day drinking isn't just for weekends.

Well, the husband would make me get a job if I started day drinking every day. Gotta wait til past 5 so I can stay retired!

 

[LSUlakes]

Well, the husband would make me get a job if I started day drinking every day. Gotta wait til past 5 so I can stay retired!

Will the line "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" not work? Just kidding, you gotta run at some point... unless you are training for a beer mile.

 

[Keels]

You kids are going to be the death of me!

 

[Keels]

DANCE BREAK: New, Shiny Things Update!

With my training kicking in to high gear, today was the day I upgraded quite a bit of my "equipment"!

I received my new watch - I went with the Garmin Vivoactive ... and I. JUST. LOVE. IT. It's like the iWatch and a Forerunner had a baby. I love that it tracks action on my bike or when I swim. I love that it has more data from my runs (both indoors and out), and I LOVE that it tracks my steps and sleep just like my old FitBit. Even better? I GET TO SEE EVERY TEXT MESSAGE, ALERT AND EMAIL THAT COMES ACROSS MY PHONE.

This is huge people. HUGE. I was able to buy my Vivoactive via Amazon Prime for $197 with free shipping. All the data feeds in to MyFitnessPal, Apple Health and the proprietary Garmin Connect app on my phone via Bluetooth. It's just a fun little techie gadget to have and I'm already in love.

Also, today I went to upgrade my shoes.

I've been running in minimalist shoes, and the Disneyland Half was my last time out doing that. I have a lot of reasons for this - the largest part being I needed my body and muscle memory to get used to the proper gait for my uneven self before I augment and alter my natural gait with a shoe with unnatural stability.

I probably should've changed shoes prior to the Disneyland Half, but with all my travel - and the fact that I have to special order separate sizes for each foot - there just wasn't time for me to acquire the shoes AND break them in before race weekend.

I knew after the Expo (and most of the day on my feet) that my body was done with these shoes and was ready for a little more protection on my soles. And I REALLY felt it after the Half Marathon when my feet swelled like crazy for the first time all year in my running journey.

So I went down to my favorite running store (I buy EVERYTHING here - socks, supplements, you name it) today to finally get some help with new shoes. I've got three major running stores in my city, but I prefer this one - it's easily the smallest. It's family-owned, and honestly - only women work there, which has been a real help to me as a starting runner. I've never felt pressure on an up-sell for anything when I've gone in there, and I also participate in a lot of their social runs and running programs. I went to the major chain store once early on, and was aggressively approached by sales people and I made me feel so stupid and self-conscious that I just walked out. On something THIS important, I didn't want to feel this way. I wanted to be confident. I wanted to learn more. I wanted to have a discussion and I wanted to make THE BEST choice for me, instead of the choice that the salesperson wanted because of a commission.

Buying shoes is a big deal for me - because it usually entails a special order OR I have to buy two pairs of shoes that I will only use one of each size. Y'all know how much nice shoes cost - I could easily be out $250 minimum with two individual shoes that will never hit the pavement.

So, down to the store I went and met with one of the owners. I told her about my running journey, how I just finished my fourth half-marathon since January and my first two race weekend, what my upcoming races and what my ultimate Dopey goal is. How I felt during the Disneyland Half and how I was pretty sure I needed new shoes.

She took one look at my feet and said "Who in your house does CrossFit?". We had a good laugh because my husband is the CrossFitter - he's the one that got me in to these shoes - and, honestly? Even though they definitely aren't the best for running, they were THE BEST for me. I've tried this running journey multiple times with multiple brands and styles of shoes and it never has stuck because everything just hurt too much. Not in these shoes - and now I know it's because my body needed to figure out how to run without assistance.

She asked me how many toenails I've lost (for the record, none), how many black toes I've dealt with (none, unless you count my pedicures that are always done in Lincoln Park After Dark by OPI) and how many bad blisters on my toes and feet I've had (first major blister came after the DLH - on my heel, which I'm certain was caused by a combination of KT Tape on my ankle and that ankle/foot swelling).

We measured my feet, grabbed me a pair of Nike Frees and on the treadmill I went for the video session.

I was provided about eight different pairs of shoes to test on the treadmill, across multiple brands - Brooks, Nike, Asics, Saucony and Mizuno.

And ... I ended up settling on ...

A pair of Brooks! The pair of Ravenna 6's that I ran in felt like little magic foot clouds. Bad news, though, guys - they didn't have the two sizes I needed in the same color. #WompWomp

However. Brooks understands that there are people with obstacles like me when it comes to buying shoes. So, for a small (and I mean SMALL) fee over the retail cost of the shoe, they will actually send me a right and left shoe in the size I need (in my case, 5.5 on the left and 8.5 on the right).

I could've cried right there. Because of my clubfoot, shopping for shoes has never really been fun. All the nice shoes are cost-prohibitive at two pairs, so that's why I wear a lot of backless sandals and Chuck Taylors, where I can stick with one size.

So, thank you Brooks for being awesome! I can't wait for my shoes to get here next week!

 

[LSUlakes]

Awesome on the shoes!

Now I want a new watch, and there is nothing wrong with the 620 I have. Very good price for the watch as well. How was dcrainmakers review on it?

 

[roxymama]

I just copied and pasted your paragraphs about your garmin and sent them in an email titled "hint hint...cough...christmas" to my husband.

I had no idea you could get your texts on your watch...that is awesome!

 

[Keels]

Awesome on the shoes!

Now I want a new watch, and there is nothing wrong with the 620 I have. Very good price for the watch as well. How was dcrainmakers review on it?

I *feel* like DCRainmaker gave it a pretty solid review. A couple of the things he mentions from the review back in April have been remedied on my device (now, granted, I feel like 24-hours later I'm still getting software update after update, but that just makes me realize that A LOT of software upgrades and fixes have been made to the device since it was rolled out either in BETA to testers or to early adopters.

I was also considering the 220 and the 620, but this part pretty much sold me on the Vivoactive (also, because of the text/emails/phone alerts - yes, you can't answer them, but it's well worth it to me not have to pull my phone out every five seconds because I've got an incoming message).

From DC Rainmaker:

The biggest recommendation I would make though is that I wouldn’t buy either of the FR220 or FR620 these days. I just see them as dead-end watches without Connect IQ on them. Everything within the company will be focused on Connect IQ and the various extensions it supports. So while the Vivoactive might be slightly less featured than the FR220/FR620 in certain areas, I’d personally wait for Connect IQ to fill those gaps instead. But…that’s just my two cents.​

 

[SarahDisney]

Giveaway Time!

I'm sure I've said this before, but I'll say it again - you really are amazing!
I love that you're paying it forward and helping out some of your fellow runners!

SuperShuttle Experience: As soon as my flight landed, I received a text message to self check-in, so I did. This was basically moot as I still had to find the attendant at my stop and check in with him. He told me it would be about 30 minutes before my van arrived (GRRR), but luckily his time estimation was way off. I watched the convenient tracker map as my little van made the loop to my terminal. I was on my shuttle about 15 minutes after getting my bag at Baggage Claim. We hit two more terminals with no pickups on our way out of the airport and then we were on our way to Anaheim! Traffic was ... LA. It took about 1:15 to get from LAX to Anaheim, which isn't bad all things considered. It usually takes me an hour to drive from Santa Monica to Anaheim, so this wasn't an unexpected commute time.

I'm thinking of using Super Shuttle on my next trip (we've taken Disneyland Resort Express in the past, but I don't like it), so I appreciate the detailed info. I like that there's a tracker so that you know when the van is coming - that sounds really helpful. And 1:15 from LAX to Anaheim is pretty good - I think that by car it's about an hour to 1:15, so this makes a lot of sense (I've done the math/mapping a lot because at one point in time I was thinking of moving to LA).

We also all faced the pool ... which meant WE FACED DISNEYLAND! Like, standing outside my door, I could see the spires of Space Mountain, Grizzly Peak and Mickey's Wheel of Death. It ALSO meant we had a front-row seat to the Disneyland fireworks. Look, for $118/night, you pretty much CANNOT BEAT that, not at Disneyland and not at WDW. So I was a happy camper.

That is awesome! I want a room that faces Disneyland on my next trip! (Although on my first trip we could see Grizzly Peak out our window, so I guess that's somewhat similar). But I'm probably staying onsite for my next trip (it'll be my "big" 3-0 trip, so I want to splurge), so unless I want to pay way too much, no luck.

First stop! Radiator Springs. Understandably, all of the FastPasses for this day were gone. But, seeing as it was just lil ole me on this trip, I went straight for the Single Rider line. I rode two times with MAYBE a combined wait of 10 minutes. AND both times, I rode in a car that got shiny new whitewall tires! It was my first-ever passes through those rooms. I've always been in the paint shop!

I'm so jealous! I want to go on RSR with a 10 minute wait. Maybe I'll just have to brave the single rider line next trip...
I'm pretty sure I've gotten both rooms, but I'm not 100% sure.

When you enter a park for the first time on a multi-day park-hopping ticket, the CM at the turnstile will write your name on your ticket AND take your photo on their handheld device.

I think this is (relatively) new. In December 2012 (aka my last DL trip aka forever ago), you wrote your own name on the ticket and had to show ID every time you entered a park. It's probably a lot easier to not have to worry about carrying ID.

Let me say - it was all INCREDIBLY worth it. The sights and sounds of the fireworks really added to the ambience of the ride. I would do this a million times again, except I would not ride Splash Mountain before.

I'm definitely taking note of this for my next trip!
And, if you ride BTMRR after Splash it helps you dry off. So really, not the worst idea...

* - #BeersAndEars is not world-famous, nor is it popular.

Yet ...
(Also, there's a website called "Beers and Ears" that has lists of every beer they serve at WDW, and every time I saw your hashtag I thought of that site)

RunDisney does it well - downstairs for your race weekend essentials, upstairs for anything you might want to purchase (Official Merchandise, Vendor Merch) as well as your official race shirts.

I will admit, I haven't done a DL race weekend, so all I know is descriptions, but ...
It's a little different in Florida. In Florida (for the larger weekends, at least - not sure if Wine & Dine is the same) you have bib pickup and some runDisney merchandise (I think mostly pre-orders but I'm not 100% sure) in one building and t-shirt pickup and vendors in a different building (only a few yards away). And as far as I know, there's no waiting room before you can go into the merchandise area. (But I'm not sure about that because on my one rD trip I got to the expo 30 minutes before closing ... stupid JetBlue).

I received my new watch - I went with the Garmin Vivoactive ... and I. JUST. LOVE. IT. It's like the iWatch and a Forerunner had a baby. I love that it tracks action on my bike or when I swim. I love that it has more data from my runs (both indoors and out), and I LOVE that it tracks my steps and sleep just like my old FitBit. Even better? I GET TO SEE EVERY TEXT MESSAGE, ALERT AND EMAIL THAT COMES ACROSS MY PHONE.

Yay! I'm kinda in love with my Fitbit, but if anything ever happens to it, I may consider upgrading to the Vivoactive. I've started to really love Garmin Connect and the Garmin experience, so I think it will be a logical next step for me (which is crazy because until I got a Garmin I always said that if my current Fitbit dies, I'm getting a Surge). So I'm really happy to read the good review!

On something THIS important, I didn't want to feel this way. I wanted to be confident. I wanted to learn more. I wanted to have a discussion and I wanted to make THE BEST choice for me, instead of the choice that the salesperson wanted because of a commission.

I love this!
I think you know that I've been having struggle with my shoes, and while I'm okay with them now, I don't know that I made the right choice. And while I don't think the salesperson was pushing me towards one pair of shoes, I don't know that I made the best choice for me, and that still bothers me. So I'm always happy to see runners who go in there knowing that what's best for you is more important than what the salesperson things is a good shoe.

A pair of Brooks! The pair of Ravenna 6's that I ran in felt like little magic foot clouds.

I tried the Ravenna 6's and they were my second favorite shoe. In hindsight, I probably should have gotten them (my current plan is to go back in and get refitted for my next pair of shoes, but if I don't have time for that, I'm going to try the Ravenna 6 next). So I'm interested to hear how they work out for you!

However. Brooks understands that there are people with obstacles like me when it comes to buying shoes. So, for a small (and I mean SMALL) fee over the retail cost of the shoe, they will actually send me a right and left shoe in the size I need (in my case, 5.5 on the left and 8.5 on the right).

That is awesome!! I love when companies understand and work with people to get them what they need (without severely overcharging).

Phew. I'm all caught up. I really picked the worst time to be insanely busy...

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Yay, loving this TR, and realizing just how much of DL I missed in January for SW half weekend. Crowds prevented us from getting on RSR at all, so I'm really envious that you had almost no wait multiple times. Love the fast pass strategy, we did something similar when it was still the paper system at WDW.

FWIW, I've been wearing Ravennas since the 2 and I LOVE them. I have narrow heels and so up until that point of getting Brooks, I shredded the insides of my shoes (from heel going up and down) while the exteriors looked brand-new. All of my Ravenna (7 pairs now, sheesh) are fully intact and when I'm done running in them, I retire them to parks shoes. Really love them, and Brooks was a brand I never even considered until I was fitted in a running store.

 

[LSUlakes]

My Garmin watch must of heard me talking about it today and it's pissed. Finished 10 miles today and saw the notification of the 10 mile. Hit stop and save and now it has 9.8 miles but has the correct time for the full 10. This has now happened twice in two weeks! Every time I try to look at the history on the watch, it powers down and back on. I guess I'll spend some time on the phone with Garmin Friday. Their customer service is great but I've had problems for a while with this watch and I'm starting to get a bit pissed.

 

[Keels]

My Garmin watch must of heard me talking about it today and it's pissed. Finished 10 miles today and saw the notification of the 10 mile. Hit stop and save and now it has 9.8 miles but has the correct time for the full 10. This has now happened twice in two weeks! Every time I try to look at the history on the watch, it powers down and back on. I guess I'll spend some time on the phone with Garmin Friday. Their customer service is great but I've had problems for a while with this watch and I'm starting to get a bit pissed.

Don't piss off technology! When robots take the world over, you need every device you have to be your friend!!

#CrazyTalk

 

[FFigawi]

Don't piss off technology! When robots take the world over, you need every device you have to be your friend!!

#CrazyTalk

#Skynet, just sayin

 

[Slogger]

@Keels ...just catching up on your posts.

When I first saw your "giveaway" I feared the worst. Had a friend that got so frustrated with running that he had a meltdown during a marathon and started "giving" away his hat, shirt, gps watch, sport belt, and shoes!! Glad that your "giveaway" is a benevolent one. Very cool. You just shot up the charts in my book. (#RESPECT!)

From what I have read so far, sounds like you had a great time in Anaheim.
NO, it's not awkward to yell greetings to fellow runners or people that you know (or think you do).

Your food and beverage choices sound great. Just remember next time that it really is 5 o'clock somewhere.

I was worn out reading how much time you spent in the parks....before the races! You are a whiz with the FP. Impressive.
Also jealous. DW and I spent 0 time in the parks. As in nada. I knew it was a mistake when we ran through Radiator Springs on Saturday and Sunday, because I...really....wanted.....to......come back when the parks were open. Looks like we missed a lot but will regroup and take the kids next visit.


Forgot you were the resident Santa Monica expert. We went, saw amazing street performers, lost my credit card, ate street tacos, and took it all in.
What did we miss? Also did a drive by of Hollywood/Beverly Hills and you were right, just not the "wow" that we hoped it would be. Slightly depressing.

Angels stadium was really nice during the run. How would you rate the stadium baseball experience compared to other parks?

Congrats on the new shoes and gps. Brooks are my fave as well, and sounds like they actually care about their customers based on your experience.

Congrats on your weekend and looking forward to the rest of the story.

 

[Neoflynn]

Also, if you're hard on your feet - don't be afraid to treat yourself to a pedicure! And take the wife too, if she's in to that! Even a basic one will do wonders, and it's a fun little couple time. If she's like me, she'll be proud and impressed to be the wife at the spa getting a pedi with her husband!

This is honestly something I never thought of but maybe should have...my only hesitation is that I am super sensitive about other people touching my feet and I really don't want to kick the person giving me my pedicure in the face, this is also the reason my pending post marathon tattoo may have to go on my arm instead of my leg where I think I would prefer it.

* - #BeersAndEars is not world-famous, nor is it popular.

I disagree with this statement, and it may also be award winning and you just don't know it yet.....

(Also known as How I Spent Way Too Much Money in Less than 60 Minutes)

I have a feeling this will be me and the wife at marathon expo I already know for a fact there is a new Dooney in our future there....

Garmin Vivoactive

Does it have a HR monitor on it? I have been strongly thinking about getting the FR225 but if the Vivoactive has the HR then I may go with that instead especialy after reading the quote from that review you posted about the connect IQ being the future

A pair of Brooks

Brooks understands that there are people with obstacles like me when it comes to buying shoes. So, for a small (and I mean SMALL) fee over the retail cost of the shoe, they will actually send me a right and left shoe in the size I need (in my case, 5.5 on the left and 8.5 on the right).

I am currently running in my 4th pair of brooks and obviously love them, That is so awesome that the worked with your needs to get you what you needed without killing your wallet Just another reason I love them

 

[Keels]

I was worn out reading how much time you spent in the parks....before the races! You are a whiz with the FP. Impressive.
Also jealous. DW and I spent 0 time in the parks. As in nada. I knew it was a mistake when we ran through Radiator Springs on Saturday and Sunday, because I...really....wanted.....to......come back when the parks were open. Looks like we missed a lot but will regroup and take the kids next visit.

Yeah ... well, don't be TOO jealous of the park time. I definitely paid the price for that come Sunday, during the race and afterwards. In looking back, I probably should have spent more time off my feet between leaving the Expo and meeting up with the group for the Tiki Room meet-up at 4 p.m., but I'm a dummy, so ... that said, I loved this trip so much. From being able to experience it with my husband (who has never been) and some of our very best friends, I don't think I'd really change a thing.

Now, next year will be a TOTALLY different story ...

I can't take TOO much credit for my FP strategy. When I was planning my first trip last summer solo, I bought a month's subscription to RideMax and basically made about 50 different plans. I did not follow a SINGLE one of them, but it gave me the idea for the strategy.

Forgot you were the resident Santa Monica expert. We went, saw amazing street performers, lost my credit card, ate street tacos, and took it all in.
What did we miss? Also did a drive by of Hollywood/Beverly Hills and you were right, just not the "wow" that we hoped it would be. Slightly depressing.

Yeah, the area around Hollywood and Beverly Hills is slight scary, if you ask me, and the Chinese Theatre is barely worth a drive-by at this point because of all the faux characters and everything around it. Also, I think people are surprised at how you can see the Hollywood sign clearly from so many places that are easier to traverse than Hollywood itself!

I love Santa Monica pier. On days when my husband was working, I would take a towel and my iPad and just sit on the beach and read for hours. There's a little shack/bar on the concrete portion of the beer that does good food, too - tacos, sandwiches, burgers. Nice beer selection - it's called Rusty's Surf Ranch. The downtown/promenade area in SM is also really fun - shopping, bars/restaurants, bands, performers. It's a great place to walk around on a pretty day (think Downtown Disney, in essence).

The husband's office just moved from Santa Monica to Marina del Ray, so I'm looking forward to exploring a new area on my next trip!

Angels stadium was really nice during the run. How would you rate the stadium baseball experience compared to other parks?

I really enjoyed Angels Stadium. It's one of the oldest "new" parks - being that, it was one of the last parks built (back in the '60) that has a completely enclosed concourse where you can't get a view of the field of play while you're on the concourse. So, you can walk completely around the park without seeing a second of the game, which is kinda lame.

That said, of the "new to me" ballparks I've been to this season, it definitely ranks behind Cleveland and Cincinnati, but ahead of Fenway.

 

[Z-Knight]

Don't piss off technology! When robots take the world over, you need every device you have to be your friend!!

#CrazyTalk

I, for one, welcome our new Robot Overlords.

 

[roxymama]

I, for one, welcome our new Robot Overlords.

One day there will be a message board for magic bands to complain about the people that are attached to them.

 

[Keels]

Quick housekeeping bit:

@Neoflynn, @roxymama, @Dis5150 and @cavepig - can y'all email me your mailing address to diskeels@gmail.com?

I have gifties to send out your way this week!

 

[Keels]

Annnndddd ... back to the trip review!

Disneyland Half Marathon: Day 2 Continued
Meet-Up, Anniversary Party and ... The Night Before the 5k

So, when we left off last, I was properly fed and hydrated and I'd stashed my 1 million bags of goodies from the Expo in an $8/day medium-sized locker on the Esplanade. I LOVE this lockers, not just for Expo goods, but also for park touring when I'm by myself. I leave everything that doesn't fit in my LV crossbody bag and swing by the locker to grab whatever I need as I cross parks - bottle of water, iPad if I'm heading to go sit down and eat or take some chill time, face wipes/Evian spray for when it's super gross, even a change of shoes if I need it.

Compared to Wednesday, I could tell the traffic in the parks was starting to pick up slightly - likely an indicator of what would come later in the weekend (obviously).

It was about 3:50 - which meant it was time for me to head out from DCA and over to DL ... and, most importantly, to the Tiki Room!

Our esteemed Official Thread Host, and a guy I feel lucky enough to call a pal, @SgtTibbs had organized a unique meet-up - we were meeting on the patio of the Tiki Room for a Dole Whip, and then would take a trip to the tropics (and a seat in the A/C) for a show in the Enchanted Tiki Room.

It was so great to put names to faces (and, honestly, to have my fourth? Fifth? Dole Whip of the trip). After the Tiki Room show, Tibbs, myself and @mbwhitti and her husband decided to go catch a few more rides and take a quick tour! #TeamRunWhitti had never been to Disneyland before, so we wanted to make sure we took them to a couple rides that were exclusive to Disneyland - and that meant starting with ... the Matterhorn! (or, as I like to call it, ouch ... where's the chiropractor). The new Yeti effects are freakin' AWESOME. They had to pull our sled off the main track at the exit pad, so that means we got to ride a second time with a minimal wait! After that, it was off to Snow White - which was one of my favorite dark rides at WDW. It makes me so happy and I have so many wonderful memories when I just see it - let alone ride it - at Disneyland.

After that, I had to bid adios to my fellow W.I.S.H.ers as I had another meet-up to make.

I'm sure I've mentioned it a million times, but my very first job growing up was at Magic Kingdom working in entertainment. I started early - like 13 years old early, dancing in the Christmas and Easter parades for filming. But as soon as I turned 16, it because a part-time job where I did performed in all the parades at Magic Kingdom. At the risk of waxing poetic, it was one of the best times of my life. I learned so much about life, and even more about who I was. Before this job, I was kind of a nerdy, shy girl. But the people I met in that job empowered me to believe that I could be whatever I wanted, to be strong and pursue whatever made me happy. Frankly, it made me strong and sure - something I'm not really sure I would've figured out how to do otherwise. I have a core group of about 10-12 friends from those days that I still speak with - if not daily, definitely weekly, and a few that I'm lucky enough to see every year.

This meet-up I had to make was one of those people. He was probably my closest friend during my Disney time - and, in true Walt form ... he worked hard, followed his dreams and he's now a ... FREAKING IMAGINEER! YES. My friend is like THE MAN at Disneyland. He was behind the Hatbox Ghost and the new Yeti, and before that, he was heavily involved in CarsLand (he's working on the re-imagining of Luigi right now).

We had plans to have dinner when my husband got to town, but any opportunity I get to see him - I do. So, it was back to DCA for another stop at the Carthay Lounge for a cocktail and some catch-up time.

After that, I had a couple of hours until the Anniversary Party (which I had a ticket for) started in earnest. So, I called an audible. I decided to grab all of my crap from the locker, haul it back to my hotel and take an ice bath (and then a shower) and change clothes before heading back out for the party and a private showing of Paint the Night. After being on-the-go since early this morning, I felt some time off my feet and shoe change was a good idea.

This ended up being probably the best decision I made, because after the Anniversary Party, I'm pretty sure I would've been grumpy having to drag all that crap back to the hotel at midnight on tired feet.

So, back to the hotel. I also spent this time laying out my outfit for the 5k!

(Picture to come as soon as I can get my photos off my iCloud!)

And then - I was off!

I made it back to Disneyland, and with about 5 minutes to spare!, before a Space Mountain FP I'd acquired with the group earlier had expired.

Space Mountain at DLR is so incredible. I don't know if it's the soundtrack, or the way the cars are set up ... or if it's just more ... "aggressive" than the WDW version, but it's pretty hardcore. I love it!

The 8:45 p.m. fireworks were delayed on this night - before they were eventually canceled. I feel like the poor CMs had quite a difficult time clearing the park out. Our wristbands for the party were darkish royal blue, so it made them hard to see in the dark. That said, I didn't run in to too many people that weren't where they were supposed to be.

The Anniversary Party was GREAT. They had bands out and a DJ out on a raft in the Rivers of America. Each area had special, unique character meets - most included a villain! The best was easily the Bride of HM and the tightrope walker at Haunted Mansion.

Rides open (almost ALL with no wait) were Indiana Jones, Splash, Big Thunder, Pirates and Jungle Cruise. French Quarter Market, Harbor Galley, Riverboat Terrace and assorted carts were open for food and drink.

Around 11:15 p.m. or so, Main Street had finally be cleared enough, so the let us go down to stake out spots for Paint the Night.

I won't rub it in for those of you who had to fight crowds to see PTN ... but, there were maybe 50 people where I watched the parade at step-off. This parade is so amazing. It, alone, was worth every penny. All the feels. All the awesomeness.

And with that - it was time to head home!

I stopped by City Hall to grab a couple of buttons for my traveling party for the weekend (First Visit buttons for M, J and B - as well as for my husband and Mom - so they'd have them when they arrived at the hotel, and then Celebrating! buttons that I had "1st Half Marathon", "2nd Half Marathon" and "4th Half Marathon" written on them. These would be held by my Mom and given the each of us after the race!"), and then I was on my way.

A brisk 15-minute walk and I was back at my hotel. I'd get in bed, but it took me a while until I fell asleep because ... the alarm would ring super early for ...

5K DAY!!!!

To Be Continued