I Went Running and Racing...and Boozing and Freezing!

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Got to teach everyone the proper spelling!

I love this shirt!

We had Strongbow cider with warm apple whiskey topped with maple syrup whipped cream and brown butter. It was paired with a small mug of roasted butternut squash bisque that had cinnamon nutmeg whipped cream on the top. The picture makes it look pretty big, but I should’ve taken a picture of it in Rob’s hand…it looked like he was drinking out of a little doll’s cup. “I am Mrs. Nesbit!”

Glad you said that, cause I was totally thinking they were huge!

I loved the drink at this stop and would’ve liked to have another if we’d had time. It was called The Sailor’s Mai Tai. The glasses were crooked, which was a cute touch.

Love the glass!

Back to the point, Jackie. Our first little plate was golden beet salad with herb goat cheese and pistachio crumble. The second was spicy tuna roll, and the third (the one I liked best!) was citrus chili pork belly.
20180103_173652 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr 20180103_

Yum Sushi! That would not have been enough for me.

She mentioned she’d been staying here at the GF since 12/20 and wouldn’t be checking out for “another week or so,” so she might have to check out the dine around event. I can’t even imagine how much that stay would have costed!!! I can’t afford to stay for the night!

What?!? Seriously how much would that have cost? And how do people have that much money?!?!

also found it funny that the Deluxe pools were open, while the Pop pools had been closed for days now.

Interesting... Wonder why that would be....

About ten minutes before the fireworks were due to begin, they wheeled out a cart of warm blankets for us. They were really large, so we just grabbed one and took it out on the balcony with us.

That is a very nice little feature at least.

20

I love it.

I set the alarm for 3:45 (funny because I didn’t realize til the next day the alarm was set for 3:45 P.M.!! Guess it’s a good thing I happened to wake up early!)
20180103_214851 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

I am always paranoid about this happening on days like this.

 

[missjackiemcg]

I'm so glad you are doing a review of this, as it was definitely on our radar.

I couldn't find much information about Highway in the Sky when we first heard about it and wanted to take really good notes for people who, like me, really wanted to know the details ahead of time!!

remember how freakn' cold the 5K morning was-I was so grateful to have brought my winter running gear-which I wore, under my tinkerbell tutu

It was SO cold!!!!! At least you were smart to bring winter running gear!! I usually take winter off from running LOL because I'm a baby and don't like being outside in Chicago winters!

That is a very nice little feature at least.

I should've taken a second warm blanket to wrap around my stupid feet....darn sandals!!!

 

[CaseFace5]

I didn’t find them to be as crisp and clear as some people have mentioned, BUT my glasses felt so giant and kept slipping down my nose.

You already know I had this same problem. Happy to hear they fixed it!

For some reason this morning our bus ride to Animal Kingdom was excessively long, but we did finally make it!

This picture is adorable!!

I was surprised at how active many of the animals actually were, especially the lioness who I have never seen do anything but sleep!

That picture of the lioness is awesome! Glad they were all active for you!

I was disappointed that the Shaman/priestess/whatever she is at the end of the ride was not operating (probably why the ride went down temporarily) and was instead replaced with just a screen image of her singing. I would definitely ride again because it was really pretty, but it’s not long enough that I would really wait very long to get on.

I have heard this so much. I'm bummed I didn't get to ride in January, but also glad I didn't wait in a huge line for it.

“Don’t touch Pocahontas!” I looked back at her, half startled, more confused. She said, “You can’t hug her with your poncho on.” That made perfect sense, but it was too late now, I was already awkwardly standing there, so…..that’s pretty much how the pictures turned out. #awkward
20180103_1054

Not awkward! But kind of funny the CM told you "no touchy!"

While we warmed up and enjoyed our lunch, there was a large group at the back of the room with several teens and adults. Suddenly, they were all jumping out of their seats, wildly gesturing and trying to help one girl. The lady at the table next to us yelled, “She’s choking!” (As teachers, Rob and I are both trained in CPR/First Aid/Heimlich maneuver). Rob immediately got up and headed over toward the girl, just as she dislodged whatever was blocking her airway. He talked to her family for a minute and offered to get her some water. They left shortly after that and every single one of them said, ‘Thank you,’ and/or shook hands with Rob. I was so proud of him for not even taking a moment to think before jumping in to help. And I was very thankful he didn’t have to actually Heimlich her.

Yikes, how scary! They were lucky to have you both standing by!

Back at the hotel, we changed for another event I’d really been looking forward to, The Highway in the Sky Dine Around

I just heard about this event! Looks awesome! My pregnant self is also drooling over all those drinks! I want to try them!! LOL.

The picture makes it look pretty big, but I should’ve taken a picture of it in Rob’s hand…it looked like he was drinking out of a little doll’s cup. “I am Mrs. Nesbit!”

I loved the drink at this stop and would’ve liked to have another if we’d had time. It was called The Sailor’s Mai Tai. The glasses were crooked, which was a cute touch.

That so cool!

About ten minutes before the fireworks were due to begin, they wheeled out a cart of warm blankets for us. They were really large, so we just grabbed one and took it out on the balcony with us. The view was beautiful but the wind was just howling around us.

The warm blankets are a nice touch!

 

[missjackiemcg]

You already know I had this same problem. Happy to hear they fixed it!

I was actually glad to read your TR and find out it wasn't just me!!!!!

This picture is adorable!!

Thanks I was trying to just grab a quick selfie of us and he surprised me with a kiss on the cheek. Rob is usually grumbling at my taking pictures all day long, so the fact that he was even playing along surprised me LOL

I just heard about this event! Looks awesome! My pregnant self is also drooling over all those drinks! I want to try them!! LOL.

The drinks were definitely tasty! Not glowing, but I mean, c'mon, can't have it all I thought the non-alcoholic options looked really tasty, too, especially at Poly when it was some kind of pina colada slushie. I really wanted to have both!!

 

[MeghanEmily]

I got pretty behind and didn't quote anything, but I thoroughly enjoyed your new updates! I'm so impressed with how Rob jumped into action when the girl was choking! And your monorail dining night seemed amazing!

 

[buzzrelly]

when the availability FINALLY opened up for our dates, they had completely shifted the schedule around and the only day it fit into our schedule was tonight….the night before my 5K, when I’d need to be up at 3:30 a.m. Not a great plan, but I really wanted to do it, so I threw caution to the wind and signed us up!

You're brave! I was such a baby about going out the night before the races!

I had initially planned to wear a very cute dress and my sparkly sandals from our vow renewal last year…but the weather had other plans for us, so I ended up in jeans and a sweater, but I refused to wear gym shoes, so sandals it is!

Very cute, but I think you'd have been better off in Uggs!

She mentioned she’d been staying here at the GF since 12/20 and wouldn’t be checking out for “another week or so,” so she might have to check out the dine around event. I can’t even imagine how much that stay would have costed!!! I can’t afford to stay for the night!

Crazy! Even if she is a DVC member, that's a LOT of points! I guess that's how the other half lives

Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, Bailey’s, Frangelico, and Kahlua were available with a bartender (I guess you’d call him…attendant, maybe?). There were organic chocolate flourless cakes, Valencia citrus cake, and Florida Strawberry shortcake shot glasses (good gravy, that was the best dessert ever!! I liken it to the strawberry cheesecake cupcake at Be Our Guest—SO delicious!)

Looks yummy!

About ten minutes before the fireworks were due to begin, they wheeled out a cart of warm blankets for us.

Nice touch!

At 10:48 p.m. I was finally setting up Flat Jackie for the very early morning wake up to run my first runDisney 5K! I set the alarm for 3:45 (funny because I didn’t realize til the next day the alarm was set for 3:45 P.M.!! Guess it’s a good thing I happened to wake up early!)
20180103_214851 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

Super cute!

 

[missjackiemcg]

You're brave! I was such a baby about going out the night before the races!

It definitely wasn't ideal, that's for sure!! But, I was much less nervous about being out or having some drinks the night before the 5K because I've run lots of those on only a little sleep or after a night of too much fun LOL I don't think I would have even chanced booking this the night before the 10K!

Very cute, but I think you'd have been better off in Uggs!

I would have been SO much better off in anything else, but I didn't want to wear gym shoes I wanted to be cute!!!! Damn weather.

 

[Lesley Wake]

It seems like you guys had fun! Highway in the sky seems like a nice experience, but I'm way too picky (I probably would have liked the main course and the dessert party, but nothing else).

There were a lot of other people with their little kids out there, so it wasn’t quite the ambiance I had imagined for us, but I was still excited to see HEA for the first time. It ended up being difficult to hear over the annoying people/children and the wind howling around us, but we did stay til the end.

That's annoying! You'd think they could have blocked off the area better or shooed everyone not in the event off the balcony.

 

[missjackiemcg]

It seems like you guys had fun! Highway in the sky seems like a nice experience, but I'm way too picky (I probably would have liked the main course and the dessert party, but nothing else).

It was nice! I am super picky, too, and really surprised myself with what I tasted and even enjoyed! The drinks were great, too. Only thing that would make it better is a second Sailor's Mai Tai

That's annoying! You'd think they could have blocked off the area better or shooed everyone not in the event off the balcony.

According to the hostesses, they used all the stanchions to rope off the couches in the lounge area for us and so none were left to block access to that balcony. That is a lame excuse, but what could we do

 

[Disneychix]

I'm enjoying your TR, you look soooo cold...but you pull it off well!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I just found your report and have really enjoyed it. I like all the different events you two did. The dinner in the sky looks really fun and your News Year Party looked like a wonderful time.

Wow the cold does not look fun. I live in Minnesota and when it has been cold at Disney it does feel worse than here at times. Good luck on the races, coming up!!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

A little late, but following along!

I have really enjoyed your pictures so far!

I was there the same time as you, and I don't know if I will ever forget how cold it was. There is nothing like experiencing WDW on New Years Eve though! I have now gone the past 2 years, and possibly planning to go again for New Years Eve this year.

 

[missjackiemcg]

A little late, but following along!

I have really enjoyed your pictures so far!

I was there the same time as you, and I don't know if I will ever forget how cold it was.

HI!! Welcome!!

It was SO awfully cold, but a cold day in Disney World is better than a day at work I think we will prepare a little better for future December/January trips to Florida, that's for sure!! That cold is no joke!

Hoping to get another update in here today!! I lost a day cleaning up my classroom for the end of the year when I had to go home sick yesterday Made me fall behind on my clean-up, but more important, my DIS time!!

 

[krr126]

Hi Jackie, I'm a new follower to your trip report! My family was at WDW 1/1 - 1/6 this year. We were also at Pop, in the 80's building though. I wonder how often we crossed paths?? A few coincidences, we bought our 6 year old a Shellie Mae the evening of 1/1 and on 1/3 we also went to DAK first thing. When that downpour happened and you were at Kilamenjaro Safari's, we were on Everest, rain pelting us in the face as we came out of the mountain. We rode it 3x that morning. We stuck it out on our itinerary until about 4:00 that day before going back to our room to huddle under the covers. We were soo cold!

Anyway, nice to "meet" you and happy to follow along as your trip continues!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Hi Jackie, I'm a new follower to your trip report! My family was at WDW 1/1 - 1/6 this year. We were also at Pop, in the 80's building though. I wonder how often we crossed paths?? A few coincidences, we bought our 6 year old a Shellie Mae the evening of 1/1 and on 1/3 we also went to DAK first thing. When that downpour happened and you were at Kilamenjaro Safari's, we were on Everest, rain pelting us in the face as we came out of the mountain. We rode it 3x that morning. We stuck it out on our itinerary until about 4:00 that day before going back to our room to huddle under the covers. We were soo cold!

Anyway, nice to "meet" you and happy to follow along as your trip continues!

Thanks for letting me know you're here

We have gone to WDW in December several times before and never experienced the kind of cold we had on this trip!! We never bring anything more than a sweatshirt, happily leaving our coats, gloves, etc. at home. I don't think we'll come to FL quite that unprepared ever again!

Today's the day an update's coming--promise!!

 

[krr126]

...We have gone to WDW in December several times before and never experienced the kind of cold we had on this trip!! We never bring anything more than a sweatshirt, happily leaving our coats, gloves, etc. at home. I don't think we'll come to FL quite that unprepared ever again!...

We were lucky, we had driven down from zero degree PA so we already had our winter gear. Most days I had a long-sleeved tee, t-shirt, Disney hoodie and winter gloves, along with sweat pants or jeans. I refused to wear a winter coat, except for that windy evening after our AK day, after we slept a couple hours we did bundle up in our coats and go to Disney Springs to walk the Christmas tree trail. I remember it being super windy and cold as we waited about 20+ minutes for a bus back to Pop that night....

I think the warmest it ever got the whole trip was Saturday the 6th, it got up to 59 degrees right as we got in the car to drive north. and it only took about an hour for it to already be back down to 50.

Crazy, but the folks back home would have given anything for 30 degrees that week so I tried not to complain very much when updating social media. LOL

 

[missjackiemcg]

Thursday, January 4th

I woke up a little after 3 a.m. I couldn’t believe I had woken up on my own without the alarm, but I think subconsciously I was afraid I’d sleep right through it. By 3:46 a.m. I was up and dressed with an extra layer of leggings and long sleeved black shirt to add to my planned Baymax costume! I thanked God many times during this trip that I had thrown that black shirt in my bag at the very last minute because having this extra layer saved me on both race days for sure!!
20180104_024528 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr 20180104_024730 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

I have run a lot of 5Ks over the past few years since I became “a runner” (I still use quotes because no matter how many miles I log, I just don’t see myself as a real runner! I met several people during the course of my races this weekend who really made me appreciate the fact that I was out there really doing it, and I AM a runner. So I guess I should drop the quotes….at least for the rest of this TR!) My point being that I have run lots of 5Ks and had no reason to be nervous about this one, but I found myself really agonizing about the temperature for this race! (Last January, in Chicago, I ran The Polar Dash that was below zero at the start of the race with wind chills in the minus twenties. The difference is I was prepared with layers, hat, gloves, face covering, etc. I obviously had not packed any of those things for my run in Florida. #rookiemistake)

I stopped at the bathroom in the lobby of Pop in an effort to avoid needing to use the Port-o-potties at the start line. It was so incredibly dark outside! I had the adrenaline I always get before a race, so I didn’t feel tired, but it was weird to see the resort so quiet while most people were asleep! The lobby, on the other hand, was swarming with runners! Outside at the bus lines was SO organized! There was a man outside directing runners to line up in the queues for every park. As the buses arrived, he directed them to each of the bus lines in order of how we’d been lined up. I had brought my wrap from the New Year’s Eve party for an extra layer of warmth, along with a zip pullover I planned to discard before the race. I had told Rob he didn’t need to come with me, but I was secretly really happy that he decided to come along. He kept me from getting too nervous with my own thoughts, kept me warm with extra hugs, and carried a backpack so I could keep all my layers with me until I lined up in my corral. At 4 a.m. we were on the bus to Epcot.
20180104_032400 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

At 4:24 a.m. we were dropped off at the Epcot parking lot and had a short little walk through bag check and over to the waiting area. There were large groups of people huddled around heat lamps scattered throughout. I didn’t realize until the next morning that characters were already out meeting in their athletic gear. Instead, I headed for the DIS group meet up. I was texting with Ariana and also wandering aimlessly in the general direction I thought I would find them. Thankfully, she spotted me, again!, and waved me over. We chatted about the cold, our layers, and how excited we were for this race!
20180104_034916 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

At 5 a.m. an announcement was made that the corrals were open! We said our goodbyes, and I gave Rob my wrap before donning my zip pullover and walking to Corral C. When we run, Rob and I always give each other one last kiss before running. He gave me a smooch as I headed into Corral C alone—that was such a weird feeling! We always run together, so going it alone this time felt really weird!
20180104_040226 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr 20180104_040516 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

I walked up near the front of Corral C (as close as I could to the front, thanks to the advice of our runner friend from dinner last night!) and tried to stand near the middle of a group who were mostly all wearing mylar blankets. I had brought one, but left it with Rob. That was not a great idea. It definitely would have been useful, as we had quite a bit of standing around in the corrals to do before the race. Staying close to them helped me stay pretty warm, as people filled in behind me and on the sides. The only thing that really was cold at this point was my nose and my toes!
20180104_042228 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr 20180104_155420 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

While I listened to the Emcees and watched Pluto bob around, I got really excited for this race! Corral A and B were moved into position at the starting line pretty quickly, so we started walking out behind them. I took my pullover off too early (lesson learned for tomorrow!) because I couldn’t really figure out exactly when my group would be in the wave that was starting. The time between waves really passed quickly. I spent my time in that portion of the line talking with a Snow White and Dopey duo who couldn’t have been more friendly. They were both running their second Dopey Challenge this weekend, and I had said I was “just doing the 5 and 10K.” Snow White (what IS it with Snow White on this trip!?) told me, “Don’t say JUST! Your run, is YOUR run. Own it! In fact, you could totally do Dopey.” She gave me just the boost of confidence I needed to start this race on the right foot. I was so thankful to have met her!

I loved everyone’s costumes so much—definitely a highlight for me! I was in line behind lots of green aliens (I think Ryan @rteetz told me it was Team Shenanigans) and The Claw! That was SO incredible…I felt really bad for him when less than a half mile into the race, the claw fell off. He hardly missed a step before grabbing it and running with it in his hand holding it up over their heads.
20180104_044024 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

I was in the 3rd wave of Corral C, near the front of my wave, and at 5:41 the fireworks went off and we were on our way! I can’t even begin to describe the incredible feeling I had as I took off down the first stretch, past my husband cheering me on, Disney music playing in the air…through the parking lot of Epcot. Seriously, it felt amazingly magical, and I was just in a parking lot!
20180104_044121 by Jackie Lagoni, on Flickr

 

[rteetz]

Just saw you tag me and that you had a TR! I didn't even realize it so now I have to go back and read the whole thing. Anyways thanks for tagging me! It was great to meet you on this trip.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Just saw you tag me and that you had a TR! I didn't even realize it so now I have to go back and read the whole thing. Anyways thanks for tagging me! It was great to meet you on this trip.

This TR is going much more smoothly than my first one!! I've got things figured out now, including how to tag LOL Glad to have you reading along!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I think the warmest it ever got the whole trip was Saturday the 6th, it got up to 59 degrees right as we got in the car to drive north. and it only took about an hour for it to already be back down to 50.

Crazy, but the folks back home would have given anything for 30 degrees that week so I tried not to complain very much when updating social media. LOL

It's so funny to think how warm Saturday felt compared to the rest of that week!! We were so excited the pool at Pop was open that day while we were killing time waiting for our Tragical Express back to the airport.

People at home (in Chicago) just had zero sympathy for us complaining about the 30's...they don't understand it felt WAY colder than 30 in Chicago with all that humidity!