In Training: Marathon Weekend 2015 (Dopey Challenge)! **COMPLETE**

[Ariel484]

Jingle Jungle 5K/Wine & Dine Half Marathon mini-trip report

Saturday, November 8, part 2: In between the races...disaster strikes

After the race, friend and I headed back to Riverside and got some grub. I had a big Mickey waffle with strawberries and bacon. Sometimes we learn important things about ourselves while in Disney, what with all the magic and all that, and this trip I learned that I prefer the big Mickey waffles over the small ones.

After breakfast we headed back to the room to shower and take naps. Before that though, we were checking the forecast for tonight's race. It was not looking good - a 100% chance of rain all night, temperatures in the low 60s/high 50s. I stubbornly refused to believe that this forecast would actually stick - why, I'm not sure. I think I was just convinced that things would work out for us. Disney magic and all that.

Friend and I took a nap. Other two friends that had not run the 5K, meanwhile, were at DHS for the morning and came back with 2 cupcakes to split among the four of us. One was carrot cake with a white chocolate Olaf (my first time trying carrot cake...I liked it) and the other was some kind of pumpkin thing. I forget exactly what it was - the seasonal offering at Starring Rolls, I think - but it was not as good as the Contempo Cafe cupcake from night 1.

While my two non-5K friends settled in for their pre-Wine & Dine nap, other friend and I went to Downtown Disney for some shopping. I was hoping to find a phone case for my iPhone 6+...NOPE. None there yet. I was so bummed!

We got soft pretzels from Wetzel's Pretzels (delicious!) and headed to World of Disney and Marketplace Co-op. So for those of you keeping track at home, that was my lunch today - a Wetzel's Pretzel and half a cupcake. NOT GOOD!

I had a splitting headache the entire time we were in Downtown Disney - I assumed it was from wearing my Minnie ears during the race. My head is just too big for those things (lesson learned for future races!).

We headed into Ghiradelli where I ordered a caramel latte, hoping that the caffeine would help my headache. As I waited for it to be made I quickly began to feel worse - suddenly not only did I have a headache, I was also nauseated to the point where I thought I might actually toss my pretzel right there in the shop (I did not, thankfully). What was this? Was I having a migraine or something?!

We headed toward the bus stop and suddenly I realized what was happening - the same stomach issues I’d had a couple of weeks ago after my 8-miler were coming back to plague me. I'm not sure what caused it - first time eating carrot cake? Stress? The fact that I wasn't sleeping much, wasn't eating full meals, and wasn't drinking much water??? (Ahem...) "Bob" from Citricos? Wait, that's it!! It's Bob's fault!!

At any rate, I stopped in the bathroom twice during that short walk to the bus, and after the second stop it was all I could to do keep myself from completely panicking. There were only 6 hours left until the race and I had very suddenly gotten significantly sick. HOW was I was going to make it 13.1 miles?! My friend was really great at helping me stay calm during the bus ride (we were heading to the Beach Club where we'd walk to Epcot) and I WAS feeling a bit better - and this time wasn't as bad as it had been a few weeks ago - but I still didn't know what the next few hours would hold.

We made it to Via Napoli about 15 minutes late for our reservation (Epcot was PACKED - Food & Wine on a Saturday night. Ugh - plus the time added from my bathroom stops). My other two friends were already there and could tell right away that something wasn't right. You know what’s not fun? Discussing unfortunate bathroom issues over dinner. I tried to get across what had happened in as few words as possible - I couldn't pretend I was okay. UGH. I didn't say much at dinner because I knew if I started talking I'd freak out because I was so frustrated, and at one point I excused myself to go into the bathroom and have a little pity party/cry fest. I mean, seriously - last year Will had flight issues and I was injured during Wine & Dine. This year my flight to Disney had been canceled and I was sick hours before the race. Am I cursed with this race?!

While in the bathroom my 5K friend had ordered dinner for me - just plain crust with nothing on it. (Side note - she was so great. She would text me to check in even though I was sitting right across from her so that I didn't have to say anything. It was really nice.) I love Via Napoli pizza - in fact, this ADR had been my idea, the only one I had pushed for, and I had really been looking forward to it - but I was afraid to eat anything. And I knew I needed to for the race. The crust alone wasn't that bad, actually. I was able to get about half of it down. One of the VN managers actually came to the table to try to persuade me to get it with some kind of topping and I had to keep saying no - that was a little awkward but I appreciated it nonetheless.

The forecast was still looking bad after dinner, so I actually did open my mouth to suggest that we buy ponchos to wear before the start of the race. I sort of felt like running in the rain wouldn't be as bad if we could stay dry while waiting in the corrals. So we headed to MouseGear for the ponchos and I found I was feeling better. Later one of my friends told me that when I arrived at dinner that I was pale enough that she was pretty worried and was relieved to see I had some color again. Seriously, worst timing ever!

We bought our ponchos and headed back to Riverside to get ready. Like it or not, it was almost time for the race.

Up Next: 2014 Wine & Dine...er, Splash & Dash...Half Marathon recap!

 

[ZellyB]

There were only two of us running this race, and we had alarms set for 4:30/4:45. We were both still sleeping when I heard another of my friends say, "It's 5:15...what time is the 5K?!" Obviously this gave me a slight heart attack as the 5K buses were due to stop running at 5:30! Nope - turns out the clock on our nightstand hadn't been changed for Daylight Savings Time, and that was the clock my friend had rolled over and looked at. It was actually 4:15. Oops!

I would have freaked out!!! Glad it was just a clock error. I'll bet that got both of you woken up in a hurry though.

I really like this race, but the first and third miles are so boring. The first mile was through the parking lot. At the end of it my friend handed her phone to someone and we got my favorite picture from the race, and one of my favorites from the weekend as a whole.

I love it too! I was so excited when I saw it and recognized you on the FB SFZ page. It really is a wonderful shot. You look so skinny too! All that weight watchers paying off!

Our first character picture of the race was with Timon and Rafiki! It's not on my phone but you'll just have to trust me on this one. Next up was King Louie and Baloo. It looks like Baloo is going in for the hug and I'm just not having it!

That is hilarious!

Duckface shot is also so funny. And I love the medal. Looks like a very fun race.

Up next: DISASTER STRIKES

Uh oh.

We headed toward the bus stop and suddenly I realized what was happening - the same stomach issues I’d had a couple of weeks ago

Oh no! That's my worst nightmare to get sick right before a big race. And I totally blame "Bob."

I'm glad you were at least able to eat something, but that shot of just the crust is so sad. I know you love the pizza at that restaurant. So disappointing.

Smart idea to get the ponchos. Running in the rain is bad enough, but standing around waiting to run in the rain is even worse. I'm glad to hear that after dinner you started feeling better. I hope that continued through the race.

 

[Ariel484]

I would have freaked out!!! Glad it was just a clock error. I'll bet that got both of you woken up in a hurry though.

SERIOUSLY! It was better than coffee!

I love it too! I was so excited when I saw it and recognized you on the FB SFZ page. It really is a wonderful shot. You look so skinny too! All that weight watchers paying off!

Thanks!! Not gonna lie...I also think I look skinny in it, which is a big part of why I like the picture so much.

That is hilarious!

Sorry Baloo!!!

Duckface shot is also so funny. And I love the medal. Looks like a very fun race.

I'm thinking I need to work on my duckface? It looks more like a kissy face...probably because I don't do the duckface very often...

It really is a very fun race, but having the walls there changed the feel a LOT. I still liked it though!

Uh oh.

Oh no! That's my worst nightmare to get sick right before a big race. And I totally blame "Bob."

Seriously, it was awful! It's bad enough to get sick in WDW, but just before a race is something else...REALLY hoping that doesn't happen again in January.

It's all Bob's fault!!!

I'm glad you were at least able to eat something, but that shot of just the crust is so sad. I know you love the pizza at that restaurant. So disappointing.

Isn't it sad?! At least I get a re-do in a few weeks (!!!)

Smart idea to get the ponchos. Running in the rain is bad enough, but standing around waiting to run in the rain is even worse. I'm glad to hear that after dinner you started feeling better. I hope that continued through the race.

Agreed. I was just imagining us sitting in the corrals getting drenched over the course of an hour or whatever - NOT GOOD!

I DID continue to feel better throughout the race - Whew!!!

 

[sumlee]

Love the merchandise! I am already making a mental list of the things I wanna pick up at the January expo. It's not going to be pretty.

Awesome pic of your VB backpacks and the castle! Love, love, love!!!

I've never been to Citricos, but it sounds like you had a lovely meal...minus Bob. Great view of the fireworks!

Going back to read about the races now!

 

[sumlee]

Oh no, Shannon! Sick right before the race! What's going to happen?!

 

[Ariel484]

Love the merchandise! I am already making a mental list of the things I wanna pick up at the January expo. It's not going to be pretty.

I KNOOOOOW. They posted the merch preview on Facebook when I was on layover heading down to Disney, so that was the perfect time to make a list. Hopefully they'll do it a bit sooner for January!

Agree...it ain't gonna be pretty!

Awesome pic of your VB backpacks and the castle! Love, love, love!!!

Thanks!!

I've never been to Citricos, but it sounds like you had a lovely meal...minus Bob. Great view of the fireworks!

I would definitely recommend Citricos! Definitely in my top 5 restaurants at Disney. Hopefully no Bob next time.

Going back to read about the races now!

Woohoo!

Oh no, Shannon! Sick right before the race! What's going to happen?!

 

[Ariel484]

Jingle Jungle 5K/Wine & Dine Half Marathon mini-trip report

Saturday, November 8, part 3: 2014 Wine & Dine Half Marathon! Part 1

I don't remember exactly what time we got back to the resort, but I was taking this Flat Runner picture at about 7PM:

EVERYONE was really nervous. The other 3 were really freaking out about the rain. I was freaking out about how my stomach was going to hold up. In between that I found myself acting like the mom of the group - "Does everyone have their after party wristband? Does everyone have their ID?" I forget what else I was suggesting but I did catch a couple of things that people almost forgot. I think it really helped distract me from worrying about myself.

Not sure what time we got on the bus...7:45 maybe? It wasn’t raining just yet but we still had our ponchos. No throwaway clothes, just like this morning, so we were a little chilly.

Our bus took a bit to arrive at WWoS, but I didn't care - the longer we sat on the bus, the less time we'd have to sit outside in the chilly, potentially rainy weather.

We got off the bus at about 8:30, checked our bags and took some pictures. It wasn't raining yet...yay!

It was already almost time to go to our corrals, so we hopped into a porta-potty line and I forced myself to eat half of the plain bagel I'd brought from home. My stomach was holding up okay so far and I was starting to feel a little hungry from my half dinner.

The porta potty line took a loooong time, and eventually it started to rain. By the time we were ready to head to the corrals, we had our ponchos on and it was raining.

Now, in submitting my 10-miler time from April, I'd been placed in Corral E, which I thought was appropriate. Two of my other friends were in F, and the other was in I. All of us wanted to run together, so we dropped back to I. And my friend that had been placed in I was the only one who thought this really wasn't a great idea. But the rest of us had this vision of the 4 of us frolicking along the course and finishing together...so we started together.

Also, my one friend had a visor. I have run in the rain before so I know it's not a total disaster, but the times I have done it I've had a hat, which really helps a lot. This time I did not, and I became really fixated on that fact. Wish I'd bought one at the expo, because despite my stubborn feelings that it surely would not rain for our race...it was definitely raining. Steadily. This was disappointing - would that mean no characters?

The earlier corrals started and we moved closer to the starting line.

Our corral was due to start around 10:30PM. When H started, the four of us began to take our ponchos off and everyone around us thought we were nuts. People were asking for the ponchos so we just handed them over. I maintain that buying ponchos to use while waiting for the start was one of the better ideas I've had, but I knew I wouldn't want to actually RUN in the poncho. It would be like running in a greenhouse!

I don't have all of the character pictures on my phone - we were sort of taking turns among us. I know we stopped for the Country Bears pretty early, but that one didn't come out.

Somewhere in here (second mile?) we passed what we knew was a character set-up with no character. It looked like Greek columns maybe, so we were afraid we'd missed a Hercules character. But the music was from Fantasia, so I'm sure it was the same Fantasia photo-op as last year.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, it was becoming apparent very quickly that the 4 of us running together was not going to work for the rest of the race. When I asked my one friend that had been placed in I how she was doing, she flat out said that she was feeling a ton of pressure to keep up with the rest of us. My other friend and I slowed down to stay back with her. Meanwhile our other friend was way ahead. She was running her first half marathon, and I knew she was very, very nervous about being swept. So she had headphones in and was just chugging along. We'd all agreed on run 4:00/walk 1:00 intervals, so whenever it was time to walk we had to shout ahead to her and she'd stop and wait. It wasn't going great.

But just after the 5K mark we were in Animal Kingdom, and there were characters!! runDisney figured out a way to have them out - under awnings, umbrellas, whatever. The line-up as a whole was almost exactly the same as last year (looking back on it, that's kind of disappointing for an anniversary year - no special characters?!) but mostly I was just relieved to see ANY characters out.

Eventually we gave up on our phones - I’d brought my point-and-shoot camera with me and that’s what we ended up using for most of our pictures. So glad I packed it!

Rafiki!

Tusks! With water on the lens!

Flik and crazy devil eyes!

Timon! Gotta dry that lens again!

Mile Marker 4!

King Louie! And another water spot ARRRG!

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Jingle Jungle 5K/Wine & Dine Half Marathon mini-trip report

Saturday, November 8, part 3: 2014 Wine & Dine Half Marathon! Part 2

We stopped in the bathrooms near Everest and left the park soon after. Our next stop was for PIRATES!

Just after the pirates, I saw them - SWEEPER BUSES. They are regular park buses that say "PARADE BUS" on them. What the heck?! I mean, we weren't making great time, but why were they out already??

I kept my mouth shut, but soon I heard my first-time half marathon friend ask, "what are those buses?"

"It's the Parade Bus," I said loudly, hoping people around me would take the hint. I turned to one of my other friends (who has run maybe 3-4 Disney races) and said, very quietly, "that's a Sweeper Bus."

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed. Oops, thought she knew that!

"Do I need to worry?" first-time half friend asked in a tone that let me know she knew EXACTLY what those buses were, but wouldn't really believe it until I confirmed it.

"Nope! Just the Parade Bus!" I said, again very loudly.

"Those are the buses they use to take people away that can’t keep pace!" some guy near us chimed in. DUDE, TAKE THE HINT!

Ugh. Not long after that, the four of us got separated again - my two friends that were corralled to F originally went up ahead (I know for a fact that seeing the buses really spooked both of them), and my other friend and I lost them in the crowd. This was the friend that I'd run the JJ5K with, the one that had helped me that day when I was sick, and I told myself I would stick with her to the end.

Somehow we missed a photo-op with Cast Members from Festival of the Lion King near here - the one character stop that was different from last year's race. Very disappointed about that!

Anyway...I really wanted to stay with my friend. Really badly. Except that I soon found that I just couldn't do it. To run at her pace, I was changing my stride significantly and it was starting to really cause me some pain - especially in my arches, the very place where I'd injured myself a few weeks back. Running with her had been fine that morning, I guess because it was a shorter distance, but now I was really wondering if I was going to hurt myself by continuing to run this way.

We didn't say much to one another, and after about a mile of going back in forth over it in my head, I finally told my friend that I had to go ahead. She gave me her blessing just after Mile Marker 6, I took off and almost immediately I felt better. I felt incredibly, incredibly guilty about leaving her, but I quickly knew I'd made the right choice.

The first of a couple of solo pictures.

Starting further back than I should have meant that I was doing a lot of weaving, so that sort of stunk. And it was dark, cold and rainy. The next few miles were really not enjoyable at all. I was a little bothered that my other 2 friends had left us behind without saying anything - later I found that that'd texted us, but my phone had been safely wrapped in the new case I'd bought at the expo, and with the rain I didn't dare take it out to check messages. I made it my goal to catch them somewhere on the course. I wish we had handled this differently - we should have explicitly told one another that it would be okay to split up on the course if need be. Lesson learned!

This whole thing just wasn't going the way I'd hoped it would at all. I'd so been looking forward to this race, because even though I was injured last year I remembered such a fun atmosphere on the course...the rain was just totally taking that away. And we weren't together.

Finally, a park! And something magical happened here...it STOPPED RAINING!!! That lifted my mood immediately.

Hanging out with my favorite toys!

Two official photos of me that I may actually purchase! (I forgot to put the JJ5K one in the race recap.)

Continued in Next Post

 

[Ariel484]

Jingle Jungle 5K/Wine & Dine Half Marathon mini-trip report

Saturday, November 8, part 3: 2014 Wine & Dine Half Marathon! Part 3

I passed up a photo-op with the Incredibles and then came to my favorite part of the course - the Osborne Lights!!!

LOVE.

After the lights, I was approaching Star Tours (where I knew there would be a character photo-op)...and there they were. My other two friends that had gone ahead earlier were right there, waiting in line for Boba Fett! Funny enough, I actually recognized them by their SweatyBands!

They were chatting, so I creeped forward until I was right behind them and just said, "Hey." They freaked out and were so happy!...until they realized that our fourth friend was not with me. Now we could all share in the guilt.

It was starting to rain again and we decided we just wanted to be DONE. I was pretty sure that Boba Fett was it for photo stops, based on what I remembered from last year, so we decided to pick up the pace.

I knew this upcoming stretch - leaving the Studios and heading down the path that goes in front of the Boardwalk, across the bridge and in front of Yacht & Beach, was going to be tough. Just because the course is narrow and crowded...and again, we'd started further back than we should have. So we sort of formed a line with me at front, weaving through and around our fellow Wine & Diners.

My one friend REALLY had to go to the bathroom, so other friend and I attempted a photo with the Lumiere light-up puppet. It came out horribly.

During this time we didn't realize that our third friend had actually SKIPPED the bathroom and gone on ahead. We waited for her for a minute or two before figuring out that she wasn't coming, and then we started running again and eventually found her.

This is me finishing ("borrowing" it from MarathonFoto ). I think this is the one picture I have that comes close to showing just how wet it was.

Although I don't think I even realized how much it was really raining until I watched the Wine & Dine recap video. Somehow it didn't seem like it was coming down that steadily when I was actually running...seeing it on video was really surprising (specifically from the 1:20 to 2:00 mark where they start showing the early finishers).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfpdScGKUf0

My friends and I are NOT in the official video...I'm guessing showing ladies in shirts that say "BEER RUN" is not very Disney-friendly!

Speaking of wet, that Raw Threads top did NOT wick the moisture at all! I mean, I was drenched, but still - my skirt did a better job. At least my armpits didn't chafe.

FINALLY, it was over.

Official Finish Time: 3:10:22, 14:32/mile pace...only 4 minutes faster than last year's race where I ran injured. Oops!

We collected our medals, water, Powerade, snackbox, bananas, heat sheet, etc. I read a suggestion from someone to bring a plastic bag to the finish to carry all of these items and that is totally going on my packing list for January. I love that they give us all of that stuff, but it's hard to carry! We headed through the chute and over to bag check (which was quick), and then to the porta-potties. And we were VERY surprised when our fourth friend finished not long after us - she crossed the finish line less than 10 minutes after we did! Apparently once the rest of us were gone, the pressure was off and she was able to do her own thing and actually got faster. And she wasn't mad at us at all for splitting from her.

So lesson learned - it's just better if the 4 of us don't run together for future races!

Once we were all ready we headed into Epcot and went to the Land. There was a line for the bathroom, but I waited anyway. Once I got a stall I took my time changing into the dry clothes I'd checked (right down to the underwear!)...except that my Raw Threads hoodie was somehow wet. Boo.

I was hoping once I'd changed that I would warm up...NOPE. I sat on a bench waiting for everyone else and couldn't stop shivering. When one of my friends looked at me and asked if I was okay, I knew I was done for the evening (eh...morning) - I needed to skip out on the after party (for the second year in a row, waaahhh!) and head back to the room to bundle up and have a hot shower.

I bade everyone farewell, pulled my heat sheet over me and made the looooong, slow walk to the Epcot entrance. It was raining as steadily as ever, and now that I'd stopped running for a bit my feet were sore again. I got to the bus area...there were no buses. They were beyond the normal bus area in a parking lot. And of course the Port Orleans bus line was the looooongest by far of the bunch. I stood there, shivering under my heat sheet, for a good 25 minutes.

Once I got on the bus I fell asleep for a second or two multiple times before we got back to the resort. I took a looooong, hot shower, bundled up and got into bed (after eating the rest of my Via Napoli crust from earlier - I may have been chilled to the bone but at least my stomach had held up! ). I tried to make myself drink the water and the Powerade from the finish area, but I was so cold that the last thing I wanted to do was drink anything.

My friends came back not long after me - they'd gotten one Soarin' ride in and one Spaceship Earth ride before calling it quits. And they had no bus line to wait in, of course.

And then we all went to sleep! What a crazy, crazy night. But I have to say...as tough as the conditions were, we all felt pretty awesome for powering through and finishing. Looking back, it’s sort of surreal!

And man, how awesome are runDisney volunteers and the Cast Members that were out on the course? Running definitely helped distract from the rain somewhat...I cannot imagine just standing there for hours to hand out water, or warn runners about a giant, upcoming puddle, or whatever else they did. So awesome!

UP NEXT: Celebrating!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

For feeling as ill as you did, I think you did awesome! Super proud of you!

Hopefully you are feeling better now.

 

[ZellyB]

Great race recap again! I love the Beer Run shirts that all of you were wearing. Too bad they didn't wick the moisture very well. And, holy cow, what a lot of moisture. That looks pretty miserable, so great job to all of you for pushing through some pretty awful conditions.

I'm glad things worked out for your friend and that she finished close to the rest of you. I would have felt bad leaving her too, but it sounds like that was the best thing for everyone.

What a relief that your stomach held up for you during the race. Probably whatever was happening with you contributed to your chills and feeling bad after the run though. Smart move I think for you to go back to the hotel and get warmed up and rested though. But such a bummer to miss the party again.

That medal is so awesome. I have to say that I really covet that one and can't wait until we can manage to run this race so I can get one.

 

[sumlee]

Alright! Way to power through it despite the rain and all! So glad your tummy didn't give you any trouble!
Running through the Osborn lights would be so cool! This is a race I REALLY wanna do! And look at that medal!!! Gorgeous!!! Congrats!

 

[Ariel484]

For feeling as ill as you did, I think you did awesome! Super proud of you!

Hopefully you are feeling better now.

Thanks!!

I actually think my stomach is still sorting itself out...over a week later. Hopefully it'll be back to normal soon!

Great race recap again! I love the Beer Run shirts that all of you were wearing. Too bad they didn't wick the moisture very well. And, holy cow, what a lot of moisture. That looks pretty miserable, so great job to all of you for pushing through some pretty awful conditions.

Thanks! Seriously, it was bizarre. Seeing the video was crazy.

I'm glad things worked out for your friend and that she finished close to the rest of you. I would have felt bad leaving her too, but it sounds like that was the best thing for everyone.

Me too! I thought about it this morning and realized that I had a type - she actually finished 8-9 minutes after us, which is closer than what I originally said. And she was the one from the beginning that said we should run separately, so clearly she knew what she was talking about. I think the rest of us struggled with that decision way more than she did. Definitely good to know for the future!

What a relief that your stomach held up for you during the race. Probably whatever was happening with you contributed to your chills and feeling bad after the run though.

You know...that never occurred to me. I wonder if you're right?! That would make me feel better, honestly - I felt like a wimp for being the only one to leave right away!

Smart move I think for you to go back to the hotel and get warmed up and rested though. But such a bummer to miss the party again.

I was really disappointed! I think if it wasn't raining it would have been a very different night, for sure.

That medal is so awesome. I have to say that I really covet that one and can't wait until we can manage to run this race so I can get one.

YES!! It was one I really coveted for a long time, too! Specifically the classic SSE medal. And then last year when I signed up for the race it wasn't a SSE medal anymore, it was Chef Mickey running with the tray. So I am glad to have the spinner with the SSE side now!

Alright! Way to power through it despite the rain and all! So glad your tummy didn't give you any trouble!

Me too! Looking back it's sort of amazing that it didn't! I'm wondering if the rain was distracting me from the stomach issues...

Running through the Osborn lights would be so cool! This is a race I REALLY wanna do! And look at that medal!!! Gorgeous!!! Congrats!

I looooove running through the lights! That's my favorite part of any Disney race course...I think it might even top running down Main Street USA for me.

LOVE the medal - there were reports of peoples' medals breaking (the spinner part falling out) and mine has held up so far...fingers crossed. Eeps!!

 

[Ariel484]

Jingle Jungle 5K/Wine & Dine Half Marathon mini-trip report

Sunday, November 9: Celebrating a little too much

We had grand, grand plans for this day. After breakfast, we headed to the bus stop to wait for an Animal Kingdom bus.

Me and my medal!!

The 4 of us grabbed a Tree of Life shot before heading to the Dawa Bar. We had slept late and it was about 2PM already!

Lost on Safari!

Heyoooo!

We thought about getting a King Louie picture (to try to re-create the one from last night), but the line was huge and time was ticking away! So we grabbed a bus to Hollywood instead.

We made a new friend!

Grapefruit beer from High Octane Refreshments!

From here we walked over to the Boardwalk and visited Leaping Horse Libations. Can't wait to stay at this resort in less than 2 months!!

We grabbed a cupcake from the bakery to split. It had pumpkin cheesecake in it but again, it didn't taste as good as the Contempo Cafe cupcake. This was lunch...NOT SMART! The pumpkin thing on top was disgusting.

We made a quick pit stop at the ESPN Zone before setting up camp in World Showcase for the evening.

From there we just made our way around the pavilions! At some point I had chicken nuggets and fries from the America pavilion, so at least I had dinner. We got separated at one point - two of us went to the Magic Kingdom (rode Haunted Mansion) and the other two were at the Poly. We all met back up at the Poly (VERY upsetting to see all of the walls in there!! ) and ended up getting a cab back to Riverside. Fun night, but we indulged in the alcohol way too much and ate very little food. You can imagine how the next morning went...

UP NEXT: JUST LET ME GO HOME!!

 

[pxefig]

I have spent many a-night at the value resorts when I was young and broke and they are fine for what they are- but it's nice to be older and not have to do that anymore. Add me to the resort snob list, I guess! I do think the moderates are great- you get most of what is at a deluxe but with the theme park next door access- especially now that they have updated all the mods with queen beds. I've never stayed at the Royal rooms- I almost did for this race until a surprise military discount for Contemporary became available and switched over to that (and got a free upgrade to concierge level, if I can brag about that for a second! )

I'm realizing I have been reading your trip reports for YEARS at this point, and keep up your workout and diet regime- you are looking good! It's really noticeable in your arms and waist.

I'm having the same battle right now with running separately for races. there are four of us training for the Disney marathon and the fastest runs 7 minute miles (!) and the slowest, who hasn't distance run in more than a decade is a 13 mm pace. I keep saying we need to each run our own race, but one friend is a social runner and she is almost offended at the thought of going separately. I thought I would be ok with hanging with the slowest person, because really who minds running slower? But hearing your Wine and Dine story of how it changed your stride only strengthens my resolve that we do our own thing. 26.2 miles is just too long. I'm going to be selfish and worry about JUST myself. So thanks for posting that story.

I can see how Wine and Dine would be a really fun race WITHOUT all the rain. If it had been my first half or first runDisney event, I'm not sure I would have done either again based on the experience. that being said, while each step was miserable, the miles themselves went by pretty quickly for me. And as far as sweeper buses, they were there for me, too, and I started in D. I think they had been parked there ahead of time because if the road closures.

I think we just missed each other at the Land because that is where I was parked after the half. My bag ripped and all my after race clothes got soaked walking to Epcot afterwards so I didn't even bother changing but I sat on the floor and chugged my nasty free wine while waiting for my sister to make her way through the crazy bathroom line. At least it was indoors and mostly dry!

 

[joeyvt]

I was told when I first started running by a friend with way more experience to always run your own race that nothing wears you out faster than trying to run at other people's pace and I have found that to be absolutely true. My brother and father like to run with me but they can't keep the pace that I do, we like you did do fine for about three miles and then I am worn out from trying to slow myself down and they are worn out from trying to keep up with me so we have a new rule, when we go race everyone runs their own race and since then like you found all of our times improved and we were all less fatigued afterwards.

 

[Ariel484]

I have spent many a-night at the value resorts when I was young and broke and they are fine for what they are- but it's nice to be older and not have to do that anymore.

AGREED! On all counts!

Add me to the resort snob list, I guess! I do think the moderates are great- you get most of what is at a deluxe but with the theme park next door access- especially now that they have updated all the mods with queen beds. I've never stayed at the Royal rooms- I almost did for this race until a surprise military discount for Contemporary became available and switched over to that (and got a free upgrade to concierge level, if I can brag about that for a second! )

I have really been pleasantly surprised by the moderate resorts! I wasn't at Riverside very much this time, but the room was really nice and I thought the buses were pretty good. I stayed at Coronado Springs for one night last year and loved the room, but not how spread out the resort itself is. Again though, the buses were pretty good.

We stayed at French Quarter for Wine & Dine last year and LOOOOVED it. I think right now that's my favorite moderate resort, just because it's smaller - so you don't have multiple bus stops. I would not hesitate to stay there again.

However...if I could, I would ABSOLUTELY switch to a deluxe resort if a discount came up, like you did! AND concierge?! Color me jealous.

I'm realizing I have been reading your trip reports for YEARS at this point, and keep up your workout and diet regime- you are looking good! It's really noticeable in your arms and waist.

Thank you so much for saying that!! Seriously, you have made my day!

I'm having the same battle right now with running separately for races. there are four of us training for the Disney marathon and the fastest runs 7 minute miles (!) and the slowest, who hasn't distance run in more than a decade is a 13 mm pace. I keep saying we need to each run our own race, but one friend is a social runner and she is almost offended at the thought of going separately. I thought I would be ok with hanging with the slowest person, because really who minds running slower? But hearing your Wine and Dine story of how it changed your stride only strengthens my resolve that we do our own thing. 26.2 miles is just too long. I'm going to be selfish and worry about JUST myself. So thanks for posting that story.

Seriously, take it from me - it's tough to run at a pace that is not yours! It doesn't really make sense - why would it NOT be easier to run slower, ya know? But it was really causing me some pain!

I'm so glad we figured it out this time. We all plan on doing other races together...for the half in January, I'm planning on running with one of the two friends I caught up to during Wine & Dine. I think that should be okay. The friend that finished after us three is also running the marathon, so I will NOT be running with her. And the 3 of us are planning on the Disneyland Half - not sure what we'll do for that one.

I can see how Wine and Dine would be a really fun race WITHOUT all the rain. If it had been my first half or first runDisney event, I'm not sure I would have done either again based on the experience. that being said, while each step was miserable, the miles themselves went by pretty quickly for me. And as far as sweeper buses, they were there for me, too, and I started in D. I think they had been parked there ahead of time because if the road closures.

Agreed - so glad that wasn't my first half! My friend who did do that one as her first was totally pumped about it though! I think she chose to focus on how much of a bad*** she felt like, completing the race in those conditions. And she was pumped for that medal.

I know what you mean about each step being awful, yet the race flew by - I felt like that too!

So weird about the buses. That wasn't the first time I have seen them (they are usually parked outside of Hollywood Studios during the marathon), but I just didn't know they came out that early!

I think we just missed each other at the Land because that is where I was parked after the half. My bag ripped and all my after race clothes got soaked walking to Epcot afterwards so I didn't even bother changing but I sat on the floor and chugged my nasty free wine while waiting for my sister to make her way through the crazy bathroom line. At least it was indoors and mostly dry!

That stinks that your clothes got wet! Ugh! I don't know why mine did - my bag wasn't ripped. Everything was dry except for the hoodie.

The Land bathrooms are my go-to post-Wine & Dine bathrooms. I think they were extra crowded this year compared to last year because of the weather. Boo!

I was told when I first started running by a friend with way more experience to always run your own race that nothing wears you out faster than trying to run at other people's pace and I have found that to be absolutely true. My brother and father like to run with me but they can't keep the pace that I do, we like you did do fine for about three miles and then I am worn out from trying to slow myself down and they are worn out from trying to keep up with me so we have a new rule, when we go race everyone runs their own race and since then like you found all of our times improved and we were all less fatigued afterwards.

After this race, I totally agree with that! It makes sense - it's not smart to go against the way our bodies naturally want to run. It was a slightly painful lesson for me to learn, but an important one!

 

[Ariel484]

Jingle Jungle 5K/Wine & Dine Half Marathon mini-trip report

Monday, November 10: Will I ever get home?!

Today was a very, very rough day. I felt awful all day - and by "awful" I mean, "worst hangover of my life." It you were in the Magic Kingdom on this day and saw someone in a lilac hoodie carrying around a small box of Wheat Thins and ever-so-slowly eating them while looking miserable, that was me. Totally my fault...lesson learned.

Packing was a herculean task for me and my friends (who also felt bad, but not like I did). We eventually got everything put away and checked out on time. The airline counter at the resort would not take my luggage since my return flight was AirTran (even though they take Southwest luggage and Southwest owns AirTran...oooookay ), so that was frustrating.

After that failure, we headed to the Riverside food court and I ordered 2 pieces of plain toast and bought a small box of Wheat Thins. I was so afraid to eat anything and gave up after half a piece of toast. During this time I also got an upsetting text from Will - he's fine now but was very upset about something at the time (health-related) and it killed me to not be with him when I knew all he needed was a hug and some calm talking. I called him and it seemed to help. All I wanted to do was go home...I looked up earlier flights (since I was on Southwest I would be able to move for free if I found something) but struck out.

We headed to the Magic Kingdom.

First stop was the PeopleMover. I felt so awful that I didn't even want to risk riding THE FREAKING PEOPLEMOVER. Instead I waited and texted with Will. I also skipped out on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train...ugh!!!

Eventually I decided I could try Under The Sea...that went okay.

After that, my local friend had to leave to put her kid down for a nap. The rest of us went on Haunted Mansion. There was no haunted vomit (ew sorry), so I considered that a triumph.

Another friend left, so it was down to just two of us. By then I felt like I could try eating a full meal, so we had lunch, which helped me feel better (salad from Columbia Harbor House) and watched Festival of Fantasy...my first time seeing it! Normally Will and I don't make time to watch the parades, but I really liked it and am looking forward to seeing it again in January!

My friend and I were on the same Magical Express bus, due to leave at 4:30, so after the parade we got back on the bus to the resort. And then I got another text message from Southwest...

My return flight home, which was due to take off at 7:40PM, was delayed until 9:20PM!!!



Looking back, with how terrible I'd felt all day (due to my own doing) and how badly I wanted to get home, I'm not sure how I didn't start crying over this. The only thing I could think was, "there is no way I am going to work tomorrow." At this rate I wouldn't arrive home until 2AM, and that's just not enough sleep. I quickly emailed my boss to let him know that I needed to take PTO tomorrow and he wrote back with the "OK."

When we got back to the resort I asked the concierge if I could change to a later DME bus (thinking I would spend the extra time sleeping in the lobby - that's how badly I needed sleep at that point. I wasn't above sleeping in a public place!). NOPE. She said I had to take the original bus in case my flight got moved back up. So I was looking at killing a LOT of time in the airport.

I arrived at MCO, said good-bye to my friend and checked in at the Southwest counter. As usual, I was afraid my suitcase would be overweight, but it wasn't - 48 pounds! Booyah!

I wandered through the Disney and Universal gift shops (bought a Gryffindor scarf for my brother), ate at Chic-Fil-A and got on my flight at 9:20. So much for it possibly taking off earlier! I slept the ENTIRE flight, made the hour-long drive home and arrived just before 2AM. I don't think I've ever been so happy to be home from a Disney trip!

So yeah, I had some bad luck on this trip. Feeling bad the last day was obviously my fault (and something I plan to NEVER repeat again! Seriously, too old for that ****), but besides that...one canceled flight, getting sick in Downtown Disney, a rainy half marathon, and a delayed flight home??! Yowza!

This trip was definitely a study in things NOT to do during a Disney race trip - I drank way too much alcohol. I didn't drink enough water. I snacked a lot. I skipped full meals. I didn't sleep nearly enough. I tried to run the half way too slowly. January - and any other future race trips - will be VERY different.

Of course, any bad stuff that happened is GREATLY outweighed by all of the good things that did happen. I mean, I was in Disney with my BFFs for almost a whole week! Can't complain about that!

Continued in Next Post

 

[RnbwSktles]

Feeling bad the last day was obviously my fault (and something I plan to NEVER repeat again! Seriously, too old for that ****),

I think we've all said that before!

I know people make jokes about turning 30, but I swear a switched flipped when I did and I cannot stay up late or handle my alcohol anymore. I actually like going in Jan since the parks close so early!

 

[loop]

Thanks for posting this recap! I saw a lot of people complaining about how cold and wet it was during the half and it made me really nervous since I want to do this race next year. I'm glad you and your friends were able to still finish the race and have a good time of it.

Also, your pictures of the Osbourne Lights look amazing! That is so cool that you got to run under such a beautiful display!

Add me to the resort snob list, I guess! I do think the moderates are great- you get most of what is at a deluxe but with the theme park next door access- especially now that they have updated all the mods with queen beds. I've never stayed at the Royal rooms- I almost did for this race until a surprise military discount for Contemporary became available and switched over to that (and got a free upgrade to concierge level, if I can brag about that for a second! )

We've only ever stayed at Pop and it's worked well for us since we don't spend that much time in the room, but I've been lusting after the Contemporary for a while for the convenience--between being able to walk to MK or just jumping on the monorail to get around sounds so much better than taking a bus. Free upgrade to concierge sounds amazing, what an awesome deal!

When we got back to the resort I asked the concierge if I could change to a later DME bus (thinking I would spend the extra time sleeping in the lobby - that's how badly I needed sleep at that point. I wasn't above sleeping in a public place!). NOPE. She said I had to take the original bus in case my flight got moved back up. So I was looking at killing a LOT of time in the airport.

I never realized that that was their policy. That's terrible! I understand they don't want to be responsible for someone missing their flight, but who wants to spend that extra time in an airport when they could get dinner or spend more time in the parks?