I See a Line, I Wait In It ~ A January 2016 TR - Completed 12/29

[FantasiaMagic]

Sorry for the delay, but hopefully the updates will be worth it!

I totally get it! Looking forward to your update when you come around to it!

 

[natebenma]

Non-Update Update
​

Hey guys! I know that you're all excited for the 10K recap.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure how soon it will be out.
Beth and I are each writing our own recaps, but I want to post them together. Mine is mostly done, but Beth has been busy with school, so hers might not get done until after her next test.
We'll see if we can get it up sooner, but don't be surprised if you don't see the update until the second week of April.

Sorry for the delay, but hopefully the updates will be worth it!

No worries!!! I have been a month (or more) between updates, more than once.

I look forward to reading when you (and Beth) have time to post.

:

 

[Saphire5742]

The way I see it, Hollywood Studios can be divided into three categories of attractions/activities:

1 – “The big ones” – Toy Story, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Star Tours … the things that most people do when they come to Hollywood Studios. When people say that they can only spend (at most) half a day at DHS, it’s generally because they’re only (or mostly) interested in these attractions.
2 – Characters – aka why I love DHS so much. As you know … we hit up a decent chunk of the characters available at DHS that morning and early afternoon.
3 – Shows – these are the things that are time fillers for most people

I was thinking DHS to be a half day park as well. But I didn't realize there were quite so many characters there. Might need to rethink that.

We followed the crowds out to the buses and made our way back to Pop Century. We had another early wakeup on tap for the next day, so we tried to be fast about refilling our water bottles and making it back to the room to get ready for bed.

Of course, before we could go to bed, we had to lay out our race outfits for the 10K.

So what you're saying is that you woke up at 3:30 am for a race, then spent the rest of the day at one of the parks and stayed for the night shows as well, then returned to the hotel to get a few hours of sleep before again waking up very early for yet ANOTHER race??
All I can say is !

Cute race outfits by the way.
And best of luck to Beth on her upcoming test.

 

[SarahDisney]

I was thinking DHS to be a half day park as well. But I didn't realize there were quite so many characters there. Might need to rethink that.

The characters have been changing a lot lately, so I'd check to see who's there closer to your trip. They're really messing with DHS these days.

So what you're saying is that you woke up at 3:30 am for a race, then spent the rest of the day at one of the parks and stayed for the night shows as well, then returned to the hotel to get a few hours of sleep before again waking up very early for yet ANOTHER race??
All I can say is !

Yeah ... there was a lot of sleep that needed to be made up after those two days.

Cute race outfits by the way.
And best of luck to Beth on her upcoming test.

Thank you!

 

[SarahDisney]

Day 4, Chapter 1A: Two Hour Shower (Sarah’s 10K Recap)
Friday, January 8th, 2016​

Since we ran this race separately, we have two separate race recaps. Some parts will overlap, but some will be different. Most of the character pictures appear in one report and not the other (although character stops may be mentioned in both). I tried not to overlap pictures, but some of the pictures in my report may be Beth’s (or vice versa). Hopefully there’s enough of a difference between the two recaps that you guys won’t get bored.

3 AM … the alarm (aka Beth’s iPhone) went off. Beth and I both jumped out of bed. This was the day that I was most excited for and dreading the most. I was excited because this was the big race. The new distance. The goal that a few months earlier I hadn’t believed I could reach. I was dreading it because I knew something would go wrong (story of my life).

Beth and I both checked the weather, and that was where the bad news began. It was raining. And it was supposed to keep raining until around 7am (the race was scheduled to start at 5:30am). There was a lot of discussion as to how we were going to handle the rain vis-à-vis outfit modifications … but since we didn’t have many options, Beth kept her outfit as it was, and I took a cheap running hat that I had bought at Kohl’s, planning to take it off and put it in a donation box before the race began.

We were both complaining about the weather, but knew there wasn’t much we could do about it. So we got dressed, grabbed our supplies (I swapped out the chocolate flavored gel I had packed the night before for a mocha flavored one because I wanted the caffeine), and headed out to the buses. This morning the bus picked us up where expected – the same place it had consistently dropped us off. So there was that.

Bus Selfie:

We made it to Epcot about 20 minutes later, still dry (buses are great), and stopped for a giant golf ball selfie:

We walked towards the pre-race area and again stopped for a picture, which I am not posting here … see Beth’s recap for the picture.
We made a friend on line, and she actually ended up coming into the pre-race area and hanging out with us a bit.
On the one hand, she was really nice and friendly, and I liked her a lot.
Which made the “on the other hand” part really hard. Her participation in the event was against runDisney rules. runDisney very specifically says that you can’t transfer bibs. She was running with someone else’s bib. It was her husband’s bib and he was sick, so I understand, and it’s not like she illegally bought a bib or something like that, but I still felt a little uncomfortable, like I was encouraging rule breaking by not saying anything. I know it’s none of my business, but I don’t feel comfortable hanging out with people who break rules. Maybe that makes me a terrible person, but that’s who I am.

Anyway … the rain continued as we were in the pre-race area. Unlike the day before, there were no characters out for pictures (most likely because of the rain). The DJ was still going (his equipment was covered in plastic) and trying to keep the crowd energized, but the environment just wasn’t the same in the rain. Finally, it was time to head over to Corral D to start getting ready for the race (and, as with the day before, they played “Dynamite” and I was singing the Maccabeats version). We weaved through people to make our way towards the front of the corral (but not all the way to the front).

Corral Selfie …if you look closely, you can see the start line in the background:

Before we get too far into the race … here’s the course map:

As you can see, the race starts on the back roads before going into World Showcase. After leaving World Showcase, the course goes past the Boardwalk, Yacht Club, and Beach Club before re-entering Epcot, where the course goes into Future World. The finish line is in the parking lot.
The plan for this race was for Beth and me to separate at the start line and run the race separately. She was going to do the same 1:45 walk/1:30 run intervals that we had used for the 5K, and my plan was to do 4:00 run/1:00 walk (which is what I do on most of my runs).

A few things were mentioned by the announcers before the race started. Pay attention, because some of these may (or may not) be relevant later:

• Some people were wearing mylar blankets that they had from previous races (those are the white heat blankets – see my 5K finisher pictures for a visual demonstration). The announcers continually emphasized that if you were wearing a mylar blanket, you had to take it off before crossing the start line. Apparently they interfere with the timing chip.
• Apparently in the rain the Boardwalk/YC/BC area gets very slippery. We were being warned to slow down in that area to prevent slipping-related injuries.

Corral A was led to the start line, and once they started, I ate my gel (Clif Shot Gel + Caffeine – Mocha Flavor) and had some water to help it go down (I really like these gels before my long runs (mostly because they stop me from getting sick early in the run), but the texture is a little weird (although not as weird as some other gels I’ve tried) and they’re not always so easy to get down). I also took off my hat … and rather than toss it in the donation bin, Beth suggested that I attach it to my belt so that I can keep it for the future, which was a pretty good idea.

Once Corral C was getting ready to start, they started leading us to the start line area. Corrals were going off around 10 minutes apart (once again, each corral got fireworks at the start … even with the rain, which was nice), and according to my Garmin, I started at 6:01 AM. The weather (also according to the Garmin) was 63°, raining, with 100% humidity. So … perfect race conditions, right?

The race started out on the back roads, which was not super exciting, but wasn’t bad. There were definitely some puddles, and it was a lot more crowded than I was expecting, so I had to do a lot of weaving around, but I was able to run at a decent speed (a little slower than usual, but it’s fine) and stick to my intervals. Pretty early in the race we run under an overpass, and Anna and Elsa were up there encouraging us. I wasn’t paying much attention, but I heard them say something about roller skates. I slowed to a walk to try to get a picture, but I couldn’t get one that came out decent. Oh, well.

I kept going and didn’t see anything else that excited me until I saw this …

Mile 1! My Garmin had me at mile 1 a little bit earlier (my total distance according to Garmin was 6.74 miles … a 10K is 6.2 miles), so I have to use quick math to figure out my mile time … if we assume that I started about 31 minutes into the race, that means about a 13:30 mile 1. About 1-2 minutes slower than my usual pace, and not far from where I thought I might be at the race. So far so good … except I was a little upset to not have any character stops in the first mile.

I was almost ready to go back to running, but then I saw Beth approach the mile marker, so I took her picture and we set off together. We were almost at the turnaround point, so we walked that part together. And I say walked because that was the only option – the turnaround was so crowded that running was not an option (it was a bit uphill, though, so I wasn’t too broken up about it).

We separated pretty quickly after the turnaround because we were doing different intervals. I kept going until I saw a line (yay!). Since my pacing did matter in this race, I tried to figure out what the line was for before getting in line (I didn’t want to stop if it was a character I had met before and didn’t really love). It was for a port-a-potty. No thank you – I don’t use those things. There was also a trailer nearby which said something about “A Bug’s Life” … apparently Flik & Princess Atta had been out earlier for pictures, but they weren’t there when I got there.
It was at this point that I started to get upset. I knew they weren’t there because of the rain. This stupid weather was killing what was supposed to be my amazing runDisney experience. I didn’t want to blame runDisney too much, because I know they can’t control the weather, but I was pretty annoyed that they didn’t have anything for us in the rain.

At least I saw something exciting after a bit …

Yeah, I suck at mile marker selfies. This mile was about 14 minutes (I had to use the timestamp on the pictures for that, since I seem to have cut off the clock). This mile was definitely the low point of the race – I was angry about the rain, the crowding, and the lack of characters. I missed a character meet that I would have loved just because runDisney didn’t have a rain contingency plan. It was dark and I felt like I couldn’t see very well. I was pretty frustrated.

After taking my selfie, I went back to my regular run/walk intervals. I tried to go close to my normal pace, but there were some slower runners in front of me that I just couldn’t get around. Even with my music on, I still was able to do a lot of thinking, and I came to a realization:

I want to enjoy this experience.

Yes, it was raining. Yes, I wasn’t at my normal pace. But this was my first (and possibly my only) runDisney 10K, and I was going to do the best I could to enjoy it. I told myself that I was going to get as much out of this experience as I could, and once it was over I could worry about coming back for my 10K do-over (because I knew at this point that I would most likely need one). And that realization really turned the race around for me.

With a much improved attitude, I kept running until I hit this sign…

This mile was about 12-13 minutes – not bad. Shortly after this mile marker, we ran over a timing pad, and since I was very careful to make sure I stepped on the timing pad (I didn’t want to risk it not getting my time), that meant it was time for my 5K alert email:

I was at a decent pace (although slower than I would have thought I would be without characters) and looked like I was going to beat my unofficial goal time of 1:30.

Just past the 5K mark, it was time for one of my favorite backstage parts of the course:

As I was taking this picture, I saw a family in matching Incredibles shirts waiting for a family member who had fallen a bit behind. Everyone was commenting on their costumes and cheering when the last person caught up … it was really nice. It’s moments like this that really make me love runDisney runners.

Just past the toll booth there was an area set up that was very clearly meant to be a character photo spot. The characters were missing, but there was a CM taking pictures with the background, and I had to stop!

While I was handing my phone to the CM, I asked if there were no characters out because of the rain. She confirmed that there had been characters out earlier, but they pulled them because of the rain. I was annoyed, but whatever. I texted Beth just to give her the heads up … and then it was finally time to enter Epcot.

I started to run through World Showcase, trying to enjoy just being there. Plus, the rain was starting to lighten up a drop, so I was feeling a lot better. And then I got to China … and saw Mushu. A character. And one I’d never met before.

I stopped, got in line, and texted Beth. When she got to the line, I fell back to wait in line with her. While we were waiting, I took some pictures of the area … and here’s one that came out decent:

We took our picture with Mulan (who I had not noticed while running past) and Mushu. I thought we went right back to running, but I seem to have a picture of myself with the lagoon in the background, so maybe Beth (or someone else) took a picture of me first:

I also seem to have gotten a really nice picture of the giant golf ball across the lagoon:

Beth and I were apparently together for the mile 4 marker:

Total time for mile 4 … about 27 minutes. Longest mile so far … but lots and lots of picture stops!
There was some sort of Cigna social media hashtag for this one, but this was on Beth’s camera, so I couldn’t post it on Instagram until after the race, and by then I didn’t care anymore. I’m really not so great with the social media. I try, but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

After our mile marker picture, it was back to the running. I kept going until I hit the France pavilion and saw some rats heading towards a backstage area. I’m from NY, so rats don’t bother me much (unless they run pretty much right in front of my shoe so that I end up kicking them … that was a weird experience). But since there seemed to be a line for said rats, I stopped, and when I saw Beth, I called her over and told her about the rats.

Here is our picture with the rats:

I did mention that the rats were Remy and Emile from Ratatouille, right?
This was my favorite character meet from the trip, just because Ratatouille is such a cute movie and these are characters that I never even imagined I’d get a chance to meet. So I loved this one.

Here’s an interesting (to me at least) story about this line. Someone took a picture of Beth and me while we were waiting in line. I don’t know if it was because we were sisters or because she liked our costumes or because we were chatting with her and her group. That’s cool enough, but here’s the cooler thing … this woman’s name is Kimberly Markey. Now, that name probably means nothing to most of you, but Kimberly Markey is a bit of a runDisney celebrity. She is known for (among other things) running with groups of friends in really cool coordinated costumes. For this particular race she was with her friends Becca and Gail (also known as Perfectly Goofy Gail because she has run all of the runDisney Goofy Challenges) and they were dressed in a Lone Ranger theme. I don’t have a picture because I kinda didn’t want to be weird about it, but their outfits were cool and they were really genuinely nice people who we enjoyed talking to (we saw them on another character line later). So that was cool.

Once we had taken our rat picture, it was more running … making our way out of Epcot and over to the Boardwalk. The boardwalk itself definitely looked wet and slippery, so I understood why they had told us to slow down there. I actually slowed to a stop … when I saw a line outside EPSN. I took this opportunity to take some pictures of the view:

(Can you believe that such a beautiful picture came from my crappy phone camera?)

Beth got to the line shortly after me, and eventually we got our picture taken with Mike W. & Sulley in their Monsters U gear!

Time to run some more … but first, I had to take one more picture. Here’s something you probably didn’t know about me: if there’s nothing on TV in the morning, my default is to watch SportsCenter. I’m a big fan of ESPN (just not so much the current SportsCenter advertising campaign … I miss “This is SportsCenter”). Which is why I had to take this picture:

By the way … you may notice that it’s a little lighter in this picture than it is in some of my other pictures. At this point the rain was starting to let up a bit (and I think may have even stopped), which was quite a relief.

Once I had taken my picture, I took off … and ran at my fastest speed (or at least what felt like my fastest speed … and the pace graph from my Garmin seems to agree). Remember when they said to slow down on the Boardwalk? I sped up. Oops?

I kept going until I hit this guy (not my best picture, but I really don’t care):

So that’s about half an hour for mile 5, with two character stops (both of which had longish lines). Not too bad.

One of the cool things about this part of the course is that because it passes a few resorts (Boardwalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club), there were a number of spectators who braved the weather to come out and cheer for their runners (and everyone else). I was looking at the groups of spectators, and suddenly I saw a familiar face and a DIS t-shirt … it was Ryan (@rteetz)! I was very excited to see him, so I went over to chat for a little bit. It was nice to have a short break from the running, and really awesome that I got a chance to meet Ryan! So that DIS-meet #3, which was very cool. That was definitely a positive point in favor of the experience.

I went back to my running, and kept going with my intervals until right before we were set to re-enter Epcot. Why did I stop? A character stop of course. To be specific … Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. I think this was our first time meeting them, so awesome! Then it was back into Epcot and through Future World. I saw what was probably going to be the last character stop, so I stopped. I saw Beth and called her over, but also told her that she didn’t have to stop if she didn’t want to because she wasn’t too excited about the characters. Who was it?

Phineas and Ferb! I’m not gonna lie … I honestly don’t care about Phineas and Ferb. I don’t even know which one is which (and I have looked it up several times since the race … it doesn’t stick). But by this point in time I knew I wasn’t getting swept and I wasn’t going to have a very good finish time, so I might as well stop for any characters, even if I don’t care that much about them. So I stopped.

Once we had gotten our picture with these random characters, it was time to run again. We finished the Epcot portion of the race and went back out into backstage areas, where I saw this sign:

Sorcerer Mickey was the perfect character to tell me that I only had 0.2 miles to go until the finish line! Time for mile 6 was about 21 minutes, making it the shortest mile with characters. I went back to my running, and sure it enough, it wasn’t long before I saw the finish line.

When I ran my 5K at Princess Weekend last year, I was a little disappointed that the photographers did not get a picture of me crossing the finish line. So this year, when I saw a big group about to cross the finish line right in front of me … I slowed down a little so that I had a clear field when I was ready to cross. It may have affected my final time a drop, but I got the picture I wanted (and yes, I paid big money for this picture … I thought it was worth it):

Official Finish Time: 2:00:14 (my Garmin had 2:00:15)
Official Pace: 19:21 min/mile
That finish line picture is probably what stopped me from coming in under 2 hours. But I really didn’t care. I had just survived 2 hours of running in on-and-off rain. I had finished my first 10K and had a crapload of fun doing it. Yes, I was wet and my hair was a mess (more than usual). Yes, I think it could have been a better race experience. But I was victorious!

I got my medal and mylar blanket from some awesome volunteers, and then another volunteer offered to take a picture of me. Here’s the result:

I knew Beth wasn’t far behind me, so I hung out and waited for her to finish and find me.

And that’s where the next TR entry will pick up.

Overall Assessment of the Race: This is tough. The first and second halves of the race were like night and day. The first half was really rough … dark, rainy, crowded, and just not the experience I knew runDisney could provide. The second half more than made up for that (even with the on-and-off continued rain), with great characters, amazing scenery, and a fun environment.
Did I enjoy the race experience? I think so, but I’m not entirely sure. There were parts I enjoyed, and parts I greatly disliked. It’s really hard for me to treat the first and second halves of the race as one unit. I was very frustrated with the first 5K, but I loved the second 5K. I’m really torn on my opinion of the overall experience
Would I do this race again? Absolutely. In a heartbeat. I’m still trying to figure out when I will get back to do it again. And I’d recommend the 10K as a great distance to run at Disney – the front half of the course can be boring if there isn’t sufficient entertainment, but running around the Epcot area resorts really makes up for that. It’s definitely a great course, a manageable distance (with proper training, of course), and I think it has the potential to be an unbelievable experience.

Coming Next: Beth’s 10K Recap

 

[SarahDisney]

(See Sarah’s 10K Recap Here)

Day 4, Chapter 1B: Snow Wet and the 6.2 Mile Run (Beth’s 10K Recap)
Friday, January 8th, 2016
​

Since we ran this race separately, we have two separate race recaps. This recap was written by Beth (and she really hopes you guys like it!). Some parts will overlap with my recap, but some will be different. Any discrepancies between the two can be attributed to either different experiences or memory lapses. Hopefully you guys will enjoy reading both perspectives!

I know my sister has shared a lot about me over the course of our last few Disney trips but now, for the first time, you get to hear my perspective. But for now let's start with a little running background. I used to run when I was younger, like 8-10 years old, but then stopped. So last year when Sarah wanted to go down to Disney to do the Princess 5K, I wasn't going to let her go alone (not that I really NEED a reason to go to Disney World) and since I walk all the time, I knew I could handle the 5K just walking and not training. When I finished the 5K last year I thought to myself: hmm, that wasn't so bad, I can totally do a 10K. Fast forward to when I started training - it was not even close to as simple as I thought it would be. Over the course of my training I had a few setbacks - injuries to my feet and legs, issues with new shoes - which made me doubt I would be able to even finish the race. I was really only able to do 1 complete 10K run before the race so I was definitely nervous for this.

And now back to the "present." It was finally here, 10K race day. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. My goal for the race was just to finish. I am not that fast a runner to begin with so I definitely didn't want to have to worry about getting swept. My plan was to run/walk my regular intervals (1:45 walk/ 1:30 run) and depending on the character and the line I would make a decision then about stopping.

So now, on to the race itself. See Sarah's recap for the morning - although I can pretty much guarantee I didn't jump out of bed (morning isn't really my thing). Continuing…get to Epcot and we took our traditional, pre-race picture by the marathon weekend sign:

My outfit was, let's say, Snow White inspired - she's one of my favorite princesses so I thought it would be fun. Plus I "found" this awesome skirt in my room one day made by a mouse that sews (wait, wrong princess, that was yesterday's outfit). Anyway, I knew the day would be tough because of the rain so I was just hoping my outfit wouldn't get too heavy.

You can check Sarah's recap for more details so I'm just going to fast forward to the race itself. When those fireworks went off and Sarah and I separated, planning only to see each other at the end.

So, off we went. The rain did not make things easy by any means. Every time my face got wet and I wanted to wipe it, I had nothing dry to wipe it with - very frustrating! Also, a tip for the future - don't wear non-waterproof mascara to a race in the rain. I always wear make-up and wasn't really paying attention when I got ready in the morning so I put on my mascara. I was convinced the entire race I was going to have black lines down my face for all my pictures which was not exciting and it drove me nuts! Apparently, my mascara was waterproof as I had no black lines.

The race starts off on the back roads, which while not super exciting helped get me ready for the rest and hopefully allowed me to save time to allow me to stop later. The big thing was making sure to avoid the puddles but it seemed like every time I tried, I managed to run right into it - my feet just kept getting more and more wet. So, along I went along the roads in the rain and the dark and I came up to an overpass. I could vaguely make out that it was Anna and Elsa and while I didn't want to stop to take a picture so as not to annoy the people behind me, I tried my best.

Definitely not the best picture but you get the idea. So, I kept going and then was glad to see this:

I wasn't planning to run into Sarah, but she was leaving the mile marker as I got there and she offered to take the picture for me. I wasn't really going to try for a selfie (those are more my things in the parks themselves). Here I just wanted to "mark" the point in my race, but if someone was going to offer to take a picture of me, I wasn't going to say no. And I've forgiven her for cutting off Anna's face.

So, 1 mile down. I didn't really trust my runkeeper app to be giving me the most accurate information so I really was only paying attention to my intervals. But, it was nice to know that I was actually making progress.

I kept going, doing my best to keep with my planned run/walk intervals but it wasn't always so simple - it was more crowded than I expected which sometimes made it hard to keep with my pacing and I didn't really feel like weaving around people. Then we hit a turn around which went up hill - not something I was going to run up - so I walked.

As I kept going I saw a set up for what looked like a character stop coming up on my left but it was empty, stupid rain, and then I saw a line and a tent and I thought maybe they moved the character stop inside? No such luck, oh well. So I kept going until I hit:

Mile 2 - woohoo! I took a picture just of the mile marker but then another runner offered to take one of me (not Sarah this time) so I wasn't going to say no. On a side note , which I know we've mentioned before but deserves repeating - when running a Disney race, runners tend to be friendly and are usually willing to take pictures for you so you don't need to butcher the picture as a selfie. Anyway, what excited me most about the mile 2 marker was the Tangled scene. Tangled is my favorite of the newer princess movies so anytime I see Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Maximus (but mostly I love Pascal), I get excited. Since the goal was just to finish the race, I really wasn't paying attention to how long it took me to run each mile. I know Sarah provides you those more specific details, but that's just not really my thing.

It may have been dark and raining and there weren't characters out but I really was enjoying myself. I know what excited me most before the race were those specific touches that make a runDisney race like no other, I was still getting most of that experience so I was actually having a good time. It's not like Disney can control the weather, right?

As I kept going, I came across another exciting moment:

Mile 3 - almost half way done! Which is both awesome and sad. But it also meant that Epcot was coming up and that is one of experiences I love about runDisney races. I didn't really feel like asking anyone to take the picture with me in it, so I just took a picture of the Mile Marker itself. Plus, who doesn't love Bambi?

Right passed the mile 3 marker was the timing pad and I made sure I stepped on it - even if I wasn’t keeping track directly of my timing, I wanted a record of it for the future.

Just past the 5K mark, was one of the reasons I love runDisney races:

It's a little blurry but I love running through Epcot before the park opens - I don't even know how to put it into words.

This race, however, was falling a little flat. The rain did not make things better and there was a planned character spot right outside Epcot itself with some of my favorite characters (that you can't even meet anymore) but the characters weren't out because of the rain. But I took a picture by the area anyway:

It was almost time for the best part of a runDisney race - running through an almost empty Epcot - starting in World Showcase, going around the world (and because of my pacing usually getting to see it get lighter as I go around the world) and so on. But it seemed more crowded than I was used to - I'm sure more people had intended to be pacing differently due to characters but the rain was changing everyone's plans.

So, around the world I was planning to go. As soon as we entered the China Pavilion there was a water stop and then I saw a line. Could it be…characters were out? The rain was starting to let up a bit, maybe I was finally going to be in luck.

And I was! Woohoo! I got in line and two people in front of me was…none other than…my sister Sarah!! Sarah dropped back to wait with me so that we could be in the picture together. We were in China, so of course we took our picture with:

Not the greatest picture but if you've read enough of Sarah's TRs, you know neither one of us are the most photogenic people in the world.

But onwards we went! After we took our character pictures, Sarah and I separated again. Remember, for this race, the plan was just to see each other at the finish line.

I tried to take some pictures around the lagoon but I couldn't maneuver myself right for selfies and the pictures I tried to take alone didn't come out right either. So, I just kept going.

Until I came to Germany - "my" home country - where I would normally go to meet…me (Snow White inspired…) But instead of meeting myself, I ran into Sarah, again and this:

Mile 4! Two-thirds of the way done. The rain had let up if not stopped for the moment so I was getting more and more excited to keep going with this race and kind of sad that so much of it was already over.

Again, after this brief meet up, Sarah and I split up again. As I kept going around the world, I saw a line at the French Pavilion. Since I wasn't necessarily planning to stop at every character, a line where I couldn't see who the characters were wasn't something I was going to stop for. But again, I ran into Sarah (we keep meeting up with each other, strange) and she told me who we were waiting for - characters from Ratatouille - a movie about cooking, one of my favorite past times, and not characters you can meet in any of the Florida Disney parks - so count me in.

(See Sarah's recap for picture)

After France, we separated again, ran around and down out of World Showcase and onto the Boardwalk and Yacht club area. Not an area I'd ever seen or been to before but was ready for. And I had to mark it with a picture:

We had been warned earlier to be careful running on the boardwalk as it was slippery from the rain. But before I could get very far, I saw a character line, and again, Sarah. So I joined up with her and we took our picture with:

Then it was off to more running again. And actually, along the boardwalk was the fastest I think I went throughout the race - everyone else slowed down allowing me to speed up. Works for me.

Along I went from the boardwalk to the beach (which I generally hate) and I came to this:

Mile 5…it looks like I may actually finish this race after all! There was some woman in my way and apparently a CM to take the picture with me in it but at this point I wanted to take advantage of the lack of rain and keep going.

As I kept up my running, I saw a character stop which I had briefly seen on my to the Boardwalk/Beach/Yacht club area.

It was on this line that we were talking with some other runners and I learned that I had reached the point where I was unlikely to get swept. You know what that means…I'm almost done and will definitely finish this race. I know I was definitely going slower than I wanted or had planned on, but I just wanted to keep going.

So on I went. Some more Epcot backstage, back into Epcot into Future World and I saw Sarah online for Phineas and Ferb - not characters I would have generally stopped for but if Sarah was already in line and I was almost done with the race, and I knew I was going to be allowed to cross the finish line, why not?

Then off we went again, to finish the race. We saw each other one more time but this time we each wanted our own pictures:

The timing didn't matter but I had made it - Mile 6 - almost there… And then, before I knew it:

I had done it! All that training and the complications before and during the race and I had finished my first 10K. Sarah wasn't that far ahead of me so she waited…

And that was it. Overall, I loved the distance and would totally run a 10K again. I wasn't thrilled with the rain situation and was a little upset about the character situation but otherwise, it was a great experience. Sometimes it’s all about your perspective and as soon as I remembered that this was likely my first, last and only runDisney 10K, it made everything better.

Coming Next: Gluten-Free Breakfast of Champions

 

[rteetz]

Woohoo you did it! Congrats!

I can understand being annoyed by the rain. I can also see how that affects your experiences. I know when I did the 10k in 2015 the only problem was it being so cold but you warmed up after a while of running.

I can see why RunDisney takes the characters out in the rain but I guess they should still have something in the event of weather issues. Maybe just put up more back drops?

The character stops you did hit you seem to have made the most of. One thing I regretted when I did my first RunDisney race and that being the 10k is I only stopped for one character. I of course made the most of it this year.

I have to say I'm jealous of your meeting with Kimberly and the rest of her group. I say them pass by me after you left.

I was so glad we got to meet and am so glad your race ended better than it started. I really hope you get to run a Disney race again in the near future. I know I will be back in 2017.

I loved reading both of your recaps.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

Congratulations to you and Beth for finishing the race! Too bad about the rain, but it's good you were able to get through it without too many issues. Love the characters you two met - especially Remy and Emille! I am so jealous! I love Ratatouille, and I wish those two met regularly in WDW.

Looking forward to reading more about the rest of your day!

 

[afwdwfan]

It was raining. And it was supposed to keep raining until around 7am (the race was scheduled to start at 5:30am).

Oh boy... what a forecast.

And I remember that morning... it was a dreary morning to be driving, I can't even imagine being out in it all morning.

I know it’s none of my business, but I don’t feel comfortable hanging out with people who break rules. Maybe that makes me a terrible person, but that’s who I am.

Not wanting to be involved with rule breaking doesn't make you a terrible person.

Does the fact that it wouldn't really bother me make me a terrible person?

Pay attention, because some of these may (or may not) be relevant later:

No! I don't want a quiz!

Apparently in the rain the Boardwalk/YC/BC area gets very slippery. We were being warned to slow down in that area to prevent slipping-related injuries.

Yeah, totally thought this was going to be relevant...

I tried to figure out what the line was for before getting in line (I didn’t want to stop if it was a character I had met before and didn’t really love). It was for a port-a-potty.

Well, I'm glad you checked. There would be nothing more disappointing than to get in a character line only to find out the character you're waiting to meet is a port a pot.

I didn’t want to blame runDisney too much, because I know they can’t control the weather

What? I thought they had a dome???

I was pretty annoyed that they didn’t have anything for us in the rain.

That would be disappointing.

I was angry about the rain, the crowding, and the lack of characters. I missed a character meet that I would have loved just because runDisney didn’t have a rain contingency plan. It was dark and I felt like I couldn’t see very well. I was pretty frustrated.

That would be frustrating. I don't blame you at all.

I want to enjoy this experience.

Good attitude to have!

Just past the toll booth there was an area set up that was very clearly meant to be a character photo spot. The characters were missing, but there was a CM taking pictures with the background, and I had to stop!

Nice job! You even positioned yourself just off-center so that you can easily photoshop the characters in later!

We took our picture with Mulan (who I had not noticed while running past) and Mushu.

Cool!

After our mile marker picture, it was back to the running. I kept going until I hit the France pavilion and saw some rats heading towards a backstage area. I’m from NY, so rats don’t bother me much (unless they run pretty much right in front of my shoe so that I end up kicking them … that was a weird experience)

I hate rats...

But those 2 are kind of cool. I'm glad you got to see them. Definitely some very rare characters.

That’s cool enough, but here’s the cooler thing … this woman’s name is Kimberly Markey. Now, that name probably means nothing to most of you

Nope, not a thing...

I don’t have a picture because I kinda didn’t want to be weird about it, but their outfits were cool and they were really genuinely nice people who we enjoyed talking to (we saw them on another character line later). So that was cool.

Um... she took a picture of you and your sister. You didn't want to be weird about asking for a picture of their outfits???

Time to run some more … but first, I had to take one more picture. Here’s something you probably didn’t know about me: if there’s nothing on TV in the morning, my default is to watch SportsCenter. I’m a big fan of ESPN (just not so much the current SportsCenter advertising campaign … I miss “This is SportsCenter”). Which is why I had to take this picture:

Cool! I knew you had to be a sports fan based on some comments I've seen you make, but I didn't know you were a SportsCenter junkie!

I was looking at the groups of spectators, and suddenly I saw a familiar face and a DIS t-shirt … it was Ryan (@rteetz)! I was very excited to see him, so I went over to chat for a little bit. It was nice to have a short break from the running, and really awesome that I got a chance to meet Ryan! So that DIS-meet #3, which was very cool.

Cool! Fun way to have a random Dis-meet!

I don’t even know which one is which (and I have looked it up several times since the race … it doesn’t stick).

Phineas is the short one, Ferb is the taller one. The way to tell is if you see them from the side, Phineas' pointy head makes him look like a "P." Ferb's tall skinny head and blocky nose makes an "F."

And did you ever give this show a chance? Once I saw it I loved it.

I slowed down a little so that I had a clear field when I was ready to cross. It may have affected my final time a drop, but I got the picture I wanted (and yes, I paid big money for this picture … I thought it was worth it):

Great picture! Congratulations!

Did I enjoy the race experience? I think so, but I’m not entirely sure. There were parts I enjoyed, and parts I greatly disliked. It’s really hard for me to treat the first and second halves of the race as one unit. I was very frustrated with the first 5K, but I loved the second 5K. I’m really torn on my opinion of the overall experience
Would I do this race again? Absolutely. In a heartbeat. I’m still trying to figure out when I will get back to do it again. And I’d recommend the 10K as a great distance to run at Disney – the front half of the course can be boring if there isn’t sufficient entertainment, but running around the Epcot area resorts really makes up for that. It’s definitely a great course, a manageable distance (with proper training, of course), and I think it has the potential to be an unbelievable experience.

Ok, you said you'd do it again in a heartbeat. I know you said it is hard to separate the first half from the second half, but I think that clearly means that you did enjoy the experience.

I was convinced the entire race I was going to have black lines down my face for all my pictures which was not exciting and it drove me nuts! Apparently, my mascara was waterproof as I had no black lines.

I'm glad you didn't look like a raccoon for your pictures.

Definitely not the best picture but you get the idea. So, I kept going and then was glad to see this:

Cool! At least somebody was out in the rain.

And I've forgiven her for cutting off Anna's face.

Just past the 5K mark, was one of the reasons I love runDisney races:

Ok, I thought it was funny that this was a highlight for both of you. I guess it would be really cool seeing the backstage entrance to EPCOT and going through the gate though.

It was on this line that we were talking with some other runners and I learned that I had reached the point where I was unlikely to get swept.

That's gotta be a great feeling!

And that was it. Overall, I loved the distance and would totally run a 10K again. I wasn't thrilled with the rain situation and was a little upset about the character situation but otherwise, it was a great experience. Sometimes it’s all about your perspective and as soon as I remembered that this was likely my first, last and only runDisney 10K, it made everything better.

I'm glad you had a good time, and congratulations on finishing the race!

 

[Elevationist]

Even with my music on, I still was able to do a lot of thinking, and I came to a realization:

I want to enjoy this experience.

Yes, it was raining. Yes, I wasn’t at my normal pace. But this was my first (and possibly my only) runDisney 10K, and I was going to do the best I could to enjoy it. I told myself that I was going to get as much out of this experience as I could, and once it was over I could worry about coming back for my 10K do-over (because I knew at this point that I would most likely need one). And that realization really turned the race around for me.

YAASSS! I love this! Good for you!

While I was handing my phone to the CM, I asked if there were no characters out because of the rain. She confirmed that there had been characters out earlier, but they pulled them because of the rain. I was annoyed, but whatever.

Boooooo. That really stinks.

I started to run through World Showcase, trying to enjoy just being there. Plus, the rain was starting to lighten up a drop, so I was feeling a lot better. And then I got to China … and saw Mushu. A character. And one I’d never met before.

Oh, YAY!!!

I did mention that the rats were Remy and Emile from Ratatouille, right?
This was my favorite character meet from the trip, just because Ratatouille is such a cute movie and these are characters that I never even imagined I’d get a chance to meet. So I loved this one.

Bahaha! SO CUTE!

(and yes, I paid big money for this picture … I thought it was worth it):

YESSS! I love this shot!!!! I want something like this!

That finish line picture is probably what stopped me from coming in under 2 hours. But I really didn’t care. I had just survived 2 hours of running in on-and-off rain. I had finished my first 10K and had a crapload of fun doing it. Yes, I was wet and my hair was a mess (more than usual). Yes, I think it could have been a better race experience. But I was victorious!

Congratulations, Sarah!

Oh, how neat!

But before I could get very far, I saw a character line, and again, Sarah. So I joined up with her and we took our picture with:

Yaaaaay!

I had done it! All that training and the complications before and during the race and I had finished my first 10K.

Congratulations, Beth!!!

 

[Saphire5742]

Congratulations to both of you for finishing the race. What an accomplishment!
Great character photos. Also wonderful photo of you crossing the finish line.
Sucks about the first part of the race. Happy for you that at least the second half of the race made up for the first part.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I love the two race stories. What a shame it was so rainy. It is no fun running in wet shoes and wet running clothes, for that matter.

I did mention that the rats were Remy and Emile from Ratatouille, right?

I totally thought you saw real rats until I saw the picture.

but I got the picture I wanted (and yes, I paid big money for this picture … I thought it was worth it):

This is a very nice race picture. You look very happy.

Would I do this race again? Absolutely. In a heartbeat. I’m still trying to figure out when I will get back to do it again. And I’d recommend the 10K as a great distance to run at Disney – the front half of the course can be boring if there isn’t sufficient entertainment, but running around the Epcot area resorts really makes up for that. It’s definitely a great course, a manageable distance (with proper training, of course), and I think it has the potential to be an unbelievable experience.

A 10K distance is a nice race distance. It is long enough to break up the groups of runners who tend to clog the course but short enough to make it doable and not take all day.

Woohoo! I got in line and two people in front of me was…none other than…my sister Sarah!! Sarah dropped back to wait with me so that we could be in the picture together. We were in China, so of course we took our picture with:

That's a cute picture. I'm glad you were able to be in them together.

Overall, I loved the distance and would totally run a 10K again. I wasn't thrilled with the rain situation and was a little upset about the character situation but otherwise, it was a great experience. Sometimes it’s all about your perspective and as soon as I remembered that this was likely my first, last and only runDisney 10K, it made everything better.

I think the comradeship and the feeling of being special make it fun, too. Not too many people can say they have run a 10K race.

When my sister and I ran the half marathon we didn't stop for any characters. We were racing. It was a super boring course, too, mostly along the roads far away from spectators.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

That was such an AMAZING update!! OH, and HI Beth!!!! Make sure you tell her I said hi!! Both of you did such an awesome job!! So very proud of you!!

 

[SarahDisney]

Woohoo you did it! Congrats!

Thanks

I can understand being annoyed by the rain. I can also see how that affects your experiences. I know when I did the 10k in 2015 the only problem was it being so cold but you warmed up after a while of running.

I'm kinda used to running in the cold (stupid winter that won't end), so that doesn't really bother me as much. I'd only done a few shorter runs before this race in the rain, so it was definitely something that I wasn't thrilled about.

I can see why RunDisney takes the characters out in the rain but I guess they should still have something in the event of weather issues. Maybe just put up more back drops?

The backdrop that was there had originally been a character stop - it wasn't there just because of the rain. But I think it would be really cool if they did that for all of the character stops - have some sort of fun backdrop or scenery there so that even if the character not there, people can stop for a fun picture.

The character stops you did hit you seem to have made the most of. One thing I regretted when I did my first RunDisney race and that being the 10k is I only stopped for one character. I of course made the most of it this year.

It's definitely hard to balance the running and the characters, but I'm really glad that I was able to stop for all of the characters I saw!

I have to say I'm jealous of your meeting with Kimberly and the rest of her group. I say them pass by me after you left.

It was definitely cool to meet them - I was having one of those "OMG there's a celebrity behind me in line, I have to be cool" moments

I was so glad we got to meet and am so glad your race ended better than it started. I really hope you get to run a Disney race again in the near future. I know I will be back in 2017.

Thanks - it really was great to have a chance to chat with you! I hope I can be back for a runDisney race in 2017 (or maybe even late 2016) ... but I'm also thinking about a 10K redo in 2018 for the 5th anniversary...

I loved reading both of your recaps.

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed

Congratulations to you and Beth for finishing the race! Too bad about the rain, but it's good you were able to get through it without too many issues. Love the characters you two met - especially Remy and Emille! I am so jealous! I love Ratatouille, and I wish those two met regularly in WDW.

Thanks! The rain was definitely a damper, but we had a pretty good time anyway.
I was so excited when I saw Remy and Emile. I had never seen them before and I really wish Remy was a regular character in the parks!

Looking forward to reading more about the rest of your day!

Hopefully I'll have another update soon!

Oh boy... what a forecast.

And I remember that morning... it was a dreary morning to be driving, I can't even imagine being out in it all morning.

I was actually thinking about you that morning and wondering if you were driving in that same rain!

Not wanting to be involved with rule breaking doesn't make you a terrible person.

Does the fact that it wouldn't really bother me make me a terrible person?

Um ... maybe?
I know that it wouldn't bother most people. I'm just weird.

No! I don't want a quiz!

My father's a teacher. There's always going to be a quiz.

Yeah, totally thought this was going to be relevant...

Did you think I was going to slip and fall or something? (Or better yet ... did you think I was going to stop and laugh at someone else who fell?)

Well, I'm glad you checked. There would be nothing more disappointing than to get in a character line only to find out the character you're waiting to meet is a port a pot.

Yeah. Seriously. That's not the photo op I was hoping for.

What? I thought they had a dome???

So did I! What happened to the famous runDisney dome? I was pretty disappointed in this lack of dome situation!

That would be disappointing.

Yeah. I knew rain was a possibility, but I had really hoped that they'd have something special planned that could survive the rain.

That would be frustrating. I don't blame you at all.

Lots of opportunity to get frustrated at this situation. And I wasn't the only one who wasn't happy.

Good attitude to have!

That attitude was really what turned the race around for me!

Nice job! You even positioned yourself just off-center so that you can easily photoshop the characters in later!

That was unintentional. I hate Photoshop. I use it sometimes (mostly because I deal with idiots who refuse to learn the program I prefer to use for that work), but I still really hate it.

Cool!

This was my first time seeing Mushu, so that was a great first character stop.

I hate rats...

But those 2 are kind of cool. I'm glad you got to see them. Definitely some very rare characters.

If you live in NY long enough, you kinda get used to rats. I see them on the subway tracks all the time.
But those are my two favorite rats.

Nope, not a thing...

The name didn't mean anything to Beth either... (she doesn't follow the runDisney "celebrity" community like I do)

Um... she took a picture of you and your sister. You didn't want to be weird about asking for a picture of their outfits???

The worst part of that is that everyone else was taking pictures with them, I just kinda didn't want them to know that I recognized them. I'm very weird.

Cool! I knew you had to be a sports fan based on some comments I've seen you make, but I didn't know you were a SportsCenter junkie!

That's one of those random Sarah-facts that nobody knows.

Cool! Fun way to have a random Dis-meet!

It was definitely great to have a DIS-meet during the race!

Phineas is the short one, Ferb is the taller one. The way to tell is if you see them from the side, Phineas' pointy head makes him look like a "P." Ferb's tall skinny head and blocky nose makes an "F."

Thanks for the clarification. I'm not going to remember that.

And did you ever give this show a chance? Once I saw it I loved it.

I think I watched like 3 minutes once...
The only Disney Channel shows I actually watch are Miles from Tomorrowland (occasionally) and Girl Meets World (and that's mostly because I'm still addicted to Boy Meets World after all these years).

Great picture! Congratulations!

Thank you!!

Ok, you said you'd do it again in a heartbeat. I know you said it is hard to separate the first half from the second half, but I think that clearly means that you did enjoy the experience.

I get that. I definitely loved the second half, and I think that did outweigh the rough first half.

I'm glad you didn't look like a raccoon for your pictures.

There was one picture line where her mascara was starting to run a little, but I noticed and wiped it off before we got to the front of the line.
But yeah ... this is why I do not wear mascara to races. I don't know how Beth does it.

Cool! At least somebody was out in the rain.

It was definitely cool that they had Anna and Elsa out, even with the terrible weather.

Neither of us ever claimed to be good photographers!

Ok, I thought it was funny that this was a highlight for both of you. I guess it would be really cool seeing the backstage entrance to EPCOT and going through the gate though.

It's definitely one of those fun backstage moments that a lot of people seem to like.
It's also the point where you realize that you will soon be entering World Showcase!

That's gotta be a great feeling!

That was definitely a relief for both of us - knowing that we were going to finish was awesome!

I'm glad you had a good time, and congratulations on finishing the race!

Beth says thank you!

 

[SarahDisney]

YAASSS! I love this! Good for you!

Telling myself that I wanted to enjoy the race definitely turned it around for me!

Boooooo. That really stinks.

Yeah, that was a bit of a sad point. Who wants to run a race with no characters?

Oh, YAY!!!

I was definitely excited to see Mushu standing there!

Bahaha! SO CUTE!

Cutest rats ever!

YESSS! I love this shot!!!! I want something like this!

My #1 tip: Be willing to slow down at the end to create space if there's a big group right in front of you, and pay attention to where the photographers are!
I was definitely happy to get this shot - but I got it by prioritizing picture over finish time.

Congratulations, Sarah!

Thank you

Oh, how neat!

It was definitely fun to see that they had Anna and Elsa up there!

Yaaaaay!

And that was actually the second day in a row that we had met Mike & Sulley! (We met them at DHS the day before)

Congratulations, Beth!!!

Beth says thank you!

Congratulations to both of you for finishing the race. What an accomplishment!

Thank you!

Great character photos. Also wonderful photo of you crossing the finish line.

Thanks! We saw a lot of great characters, and I was really happy with how my finish line picture came out!

Sucks about the first part of the race. Happy for you that at least the second half of the race made up for the first part.

The first half was definitely rough. But I was so happy that the second half was so awesome!

I love the two race stories. What a shame it was so rainy. It is no fun running in wet shoes and wet running clothes, for that matter.

Thanks.
Yeah ... the wet shoes and wet clothes are not fun. But after I while I kinda just got used to it... it wasn't comfortable, but it stopped annoying me.

I totally thought you saw real rats until I saw the picture.

I feel like there aren't so many real rats hanging around Epcot...

This is a very nice race picture. You look very happy.

Thank you!

A 10K distance is a nice race distance. It is long enough to break up the groups of runners who tend to clog the course but short enough to make it doable and not take all day.

I totally agree with this - in the second half it wasn't as crowded as the 5K is, but it was a distance that felt like it didn't go on forever.

That's a cute picture. I'm glad you were able to be in them together.

Thanks!

I think the comradeship and the feeling of being special make it fun, too. Not too many people can say they have run a 10K race.

Very true! It's a great accomplishment and I'm glad that we're both now a part of that special group who have had the opportunity to run a 10K race!

When my sister and I ran the half marathon we didn't stop for any characters. We were racing. It was a super boring course, too, mostly along the roads far away from spectators.

I totally get not stopping for characters - some times you just want to go out there and run the race!
And yeah, the in-park parts are way better than the roads ... it sucks that they have to use the roads so much for the longer races.

That was such an AMAZING update!! OH, and HI Beth!!!! Make sure you tell her I said hi!! Both of you did such an awesome job!! So very proud of you!!

Thank you!!
And I will pass your message on to Beth! (I'm guessing she'll probably say hi back!)

 

[natebenma]

I really enjoyed reading your recap of the race. Especially the point where you decided that you were going to enjoy your experience, which I think became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

It is fantastic that there were several places where you and Beth were able to meet up.


More comments in quote box:

Day 4, Chapter 1A: Two Hour Shower (Sarah’s 10K Recap)
Friday, January 8th, 2016​

Before we get too far into the race … here’s the course map:

Cool Course!

We took our picture with Mulan (who I had not noticed while running past) and Mushu. I thought we went right back to running, but I seem to have a picture of myself with the lagoon in the background, so maybe Beth (or someone else) took a picture of me first:

I also seem to have gotten a really nice picture of the giant golf ball across the lagoon:

Fantastic Photos!



Here is our picture with the rats:

FUN!

I accidentally erased the part where you met Ryan. I was so happy to read that.

Congrats!!!

 

[KathyM2]

I loved reading about the race from both your perspectives. I would really love to do one of those one day. I was so sad for you about the rain...I'm glad you were able to enjoy it more for the second half at least. But I can totally see that happening...you look forward to it for so long and then...ugh...rain...nothing you can do but...it's gotta be hard. I'm glad at least it made you want to do it again lol

 

[natebenma]

Hi Beth!!! Congratulations on completing the 10K

I got in line and two people in front of me was…none other than…my sister Sarah!! Sarah dropped back to wait with me so that we could be in the picture together. We were in China, so of course we took our picture with:

Until I came to Germany - "my" home country - where I would normally go to meet…me (Snow White inspired…) But instead of meeting myself, I ran into Sarah, again

Again, after this brief meet up, Sarah and I split up again. As I kept going around the world, I saw a line at the French Pavilion. Since I wasn't necessarily planning to stop at every character, a line where I couldn't see who the characters were wasn't something I was going to stop for. But again, I ran into Sarah (we keep meeting up with each other, strange) and she told me who we were waiting for - characters from Ratatouille - a movie about cooking, one of my favorite past times, and not characters you can meet in any of the Florida Disney parks - so count me in.

But before I could get very far, I saw a character line, and again, Sarah. So I joined up with her

I saw Sarah online for Phineas and Ferb - not characters I would have generally stopped for but if Sarah was already in line and I was almost done with the race, and I knew I was going to be allowed to cross the finish line, why not?

It IS a small World (Showcase)!

That is fantastic that you kept meeting up with your sister throughout the race. You got some great pictures together. Mushu is so cool!

Once again, great job pushing yourself for this event.

 

[fallonkendra]

First of all - congratulations to both of you on finishing your first 10km!

Sarah, I love your attitude! The rain that morning was cold and miserable, and I wasn't even running in it, so kudos to you for deciding to make it an enjoyable experience!

Your character pictures turned out great! How awesome that you and Beth kept meeting up at the character spots so you could get pictures together too!

I LOVE your finish line photo - I'd say it was well worth the money to buy that one!

I really enjoyed how you and Beth each wrote your own thoughts and feelings about the race, I really loved reading your recap. Can't wait to read more!

 

[SarahDisney]

I really enjoyed reading your recap of the race. Especially the point where you decided that you were going to enjoy your experience, which I think became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Thank you! It definitely was a self-fulfilling prophecy ... once I knew I wanted to have fun, the fun was there to be had!

It is fantastic that there were several places where you and Beth were able to meet up.

Yes! I wasn't sure if I would see her at all between the start and finish because I am a bit faster than her, but it was nice to run into her and see that she was having fun too!

More comments in quote box:

Thanks for all of your kind words (and compliments on my pictures )

Congrats!!!

Thank you!

I loved reading about the race from both your perspectives. I would really love to do one of those one day. I was so sad for you about the rain...I'm glad you were able to enjoy it more for the second half at least. But I can totally see that happening...you look forward to it for so long and then...ugh...rain...nothing you can do but...it's gotta be hard. I'm glad at least it made you want to do it again lol

Thanks!
You really should try to do one of these races - I think you would love it!
The rain was definitely a bummer, especially after looking forward to the race for so long, but we just tried to make the best of it.

Hi Beth!!! Congratulations on completing the 10K

Beth says thank you!

It IS a small World (Showcase)!

Yes, it is!

First of all - congratulations to both of you on finishing your first 10km!

Thank you (from both of us)!

Sarah, I love your attitude! The rain that morning was cold and miserable, and I wasn't even running in it, so kudos to you for deciding to make it an enjoyable experience!

Thanks. I'm not sure which is worse - running or sitting around watching the race - but it was definitely important to me to try to make the best of the experience.

Your character pictures turned out great! How awesome that you and Beth kept meeting up at the character spots so you could get pictures together too!

Thank you!

I LOVE your finish line photo - I'd say it was well worth the money to buy that one!

Thanks! I totally agree!

I really enjoyed how you and Beth each wrote your own thoughts and feelings about the race, I really loved reading your recap. Can't wait to read more!

Thanks! Hopefully I'll have another update later this week!