Nemesis Challenge: No Pain, No Gain. A ½ Marathon 2013 NEW Updates 2/20 NEW

[Captain_Oblivious]

How did you get all my quotes to say Andy's SN?

I replied to Andy's TR before yours and didn't change the copy-paste header for the quotes. Or I'm an idiot. Or both.

 

[jenseib]

joining in. I will warn you, writing 2 is VERY hard. I need to get my Sept one done so I can concentrate on just one, but I just can't get the time to devote to it.

 

[afwdwfan]

Short Backstory

Were you forced to be a lawn gnome?

We've met each other in Disney 3 times before this trip, not because we planned it like that, it just happened that way.

Well, I'm sure you'll be planning it that way a lot in the future. I know I would for free Dole Whips.

She gave Melody a pass to be the first group on the plane... even before the A's!

Wow... Southwest magic. Even more rare and more impressive than Disney magic.

I think we just passed the DelMarVa

Hi Mark.

when Melody grabbed my hand and put it on her belly. I felt our daughter kick for the first time. It was so amazing!

Great moment!

I leaned over and started reading what Melody was reading on her iPad. 50 Shades of Gray. LOL I think we read that for a little over an hour when it was time to land. (Just when it was starting to get good.LOL)

You read that for a little over an hour...

Come to find out Melody went to high school with her niece. Small World.

I ended up in corral B. Sweet. Barry, who was in corral B, texted me and asked me what corral I was in. I told him I was placed in A. He didn't believe me so I broke down and told him B. He still didn't believe me. LOL

Let the head games begin...

I replied to Andy's TR before yours and didn't change the copy-paste header for the quotes. Or I'm an idiot. Or both.

I've done that before myself. Usually I catch it as I post it and edit before it is too late. Or if I haven't caught it, I guess I at least haven't been called out for it.

 

[that's nice]

This is going to be great reading. Congratulations on having another Princess. Melody is beautiful as always.

Thanks for reading!!!

Thank you for the kind words.

Joining in on the TR! I'm hoping to run the full marathon next year so I'm interested in hearing about your half experience!

The 1/2 was really a fun race. There are a few people here who ran the full... I'm sure they will tell you that the heat was no fun.

Limping on in.

Hey Pat! How you feeling?

The airport is always empty when you DON'T have the kids.

I know. It's like they know when you are bringing them.

Yes the expo was less crowded Thursday.... Walked right in and had some space to walk around too. Still did not see that wall... I guess others were looking for their name and I just walked on by....

Maybe I will have to shoot to be there on Thursday if there is a next time.

The wall was in the Josten's center once you walked down the left staircase.

I think I had the same CM at check in. Need to look on that camera for the picture.

What day did you arrive? Wed?

I replied to Andy's TR before yours and didn't change the copy-paste header for the quotes. Or I'm an idiot. Or both.

Awwww Mark. I was just trying to figure out what you did.

 

[that's nice]

joining in. I will warn you, writing 2 is VERY hard. I need to get my Sept one done so I can concentrate on just one, but I just can't get the time to devote to it.

I wanted to get this TR done quickly. There isn't that much. There were only 4 days and I didn't take too many pictures. Melody always yells at me that we have 100 of the same picture.

Were you forced to be a lawn gnome?

Yes. And a sexy one at that...

Well, I'm sure you'll be planning it that way a lot in the future. I know I would for free Dole Whips.

Wait till you see how many free Dole Whips I cashed in on....

Wow... Southwest magic. Even more rare and more impressive than Disney magic.

You read that for a little over an hour...

And we had to shut it off right when Christian was flying Ana to his house in Portland.

POLL: Did Melody & I ride IASW without kids?

Let the head games begin...

 

[tinkgurl]

Ahhh! So many things to comment on!

I love Melody's shirt! Where did she get it?

Was it weird going to WDW without Juliana? Did she know where you were going?

OKW!! I miss it there!

 

[Millie12591]

I'm always late to your TR's!

Oh well, better late than never!

Gotta go read now.

 

[petals]

That is so cute that your little girl kicked you, she must be Team Barry...

This made me LOL

Yep. We left them home with our moms. It was weird being there without them.

Did Ana know you were going to Mickey Mouse's house?

That's so cool that you're having another little Princess. Bet Ana can't wait to have a sister

 

[that's nice]

Ahhh! So many things to comment on!

I love Melody's shirt! Where did she get it?

AK.. my mom bought it for her in Nov. at a shop across from the Tusker House.

Was it weird going to WDW without Juliana? Did she know where you were going?

It felt really weird being there without her. This was the first time I went to WDW without having a kid in tow.

OKW!! I miss it there!

We liked the resort a lot. I wish I was back there now.

I'm always late to your TR's!

Oh well, better late than never!

Gotta go read now.

Camille!

Did you read or did I put you to sleep?

Did Ana know you were going to Mickey Mouse's house?

We told her and she took it extremely well. I think she liked the idea of running the house while we were gone.

That's so cool that you're having another little Princess. Bet Ana can't wait to have a sister

She is soooo excited. She wanted a sister when Christopher came and now she is getting her wish.

 

[chloe770]

checking in.

 

[afwdwfan]

And we had to shut it off right when Christian was flying Ana to his house in Portland.

You're really starting to make me question the whole Team Tim thing now...

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

You're really starting to make me question the whole Team Tim thing now...

I Know!

 

[petals]

We told her and she took it extremely well. I think she liked the idea of running the house while we were gone.

That's good.

She is soooo excited. She wanted a sister when Christopher came and now she is getting her wish.

Aws I bet she'll mother over her and dress her up in so many weird and wonderful ways

 

[that's nice]

checking in.

Hey Dawn!!!

You're really starting to make me question the whole Team Tim thing now...

I guess I should't tell you that I read the next 2 chapters when we got home because I had to see what happened.

(and if you were ever thinking of reading it, you should start where I did when I got home.. .it's like skipping all the... ummm never mind )

I Know!

HUSH you!

Aws I bet she'll mother over her and dress her up in so many weird and wonderful ways

I'm sure of this!

 

[that's nice]

We we walking out of the Expo and trying to figure out how to get to Epcot. I heard there wasn't a direct bus, so we hopped on the Boardwalk bus. Little did we know it stopped at the Swan/Dolphin, Yacht & Beach clubs, then the Boardwalk. When we arrived at the Swan (or was it the Dolphin?) we got off and decided to take a walk on the Boardwalk to the back entrance to Epcot. Unfortunately, we didn't pass GO, nor did we collect our $200.

It was our first time just strolling on the Boardwalk. We always try to get there on our trips but it just never happens. We went through the gates and stopped for a quick picture...

We headed over to Rose & Crown to meet up with some of the aforementioned DISDads. As I got closer to R&C, I can hear the girly voice of Randall yelling, 'Team Barry Rules!' I quickly considered just to continue walking past Rose & Crown, but there were a few other guys with him... including some of the Team Tim members.

We sat down and had a drink with Randall and his wife, Carl, Paul, and Scott... oh, I can't forget the penguins.

We had some good conversation about running, Barry (were your ears ringing?), and Disney in general.

One of Randall's penguins was acting up so Carl quickly put him in his place.

I think we sat and talked for close to an hour. Then it was time to get Randall back for beating me up in November... In case you missed it- first he put me in a head lock..

Nov. 2012

Then he tossed me to the ground and stomped on me.

Nov. 2012

So it was time for payback. First we tossed Randall to the ground, draped a Team Barry shirt over him, then went Team Tim style on him! (No penguins were hurt during this stomping)

We didn't hurt him too bad... but we this did stop him from yelling Team Barry every 5 minutes.

We finished up our drinks and picked up Randall off the ground and started to take a leisurely stroll around the World Showcase... We only walked about 20 feet before Randall was up to his antics, having CMs pose with his penguins.

We walked around the WS and stopped for another drink.. in Morocco.

As much as I wanted to continue, putting back a few more cold ones, I had to keep telling myself that wasn't a good idea. I had to run in the morning. Paul assured me it was ok, he was the 'real' runner of the group. He was running the full on Sunday. I resisted the temptation as I watched Randall ask the belly dancer to hold his penguins and pose for a picture. The guy was out of control.. LOL

Melody & I said by to the guys, and continued walking around the WS. It felt really weird being there without Juliana. The sun was starting to set...

Melody and I just wandered around with no agenda. It felt kinda good but odd. We usually head to the park with some kind of plan. It was almost 6:15 and we had an ADR at Via Napoli with a few other guys... Barry and his family, and CJ and his daughter Andriana AKA Crash, Bambi's parents (Barry's wife) as well as another family friend of Barry's.

We were seated pretty quickly and ended up at two tables next to each other. Melody & I sat with CJ & Crash, Barry, Barry's friend and his son. We had a nice dinner discussing running, food, Disney, and ummm vasectomies. I hope we didn't scar Crash for life with this conversation. It took a few minutes to order but once we did the food came in a matter of minutes. Melody had the eggplant parmigiana, I had chicken parmigiana with a side of pasta, Barry had pasta & meatballs, Crash had Lasagna Verde (i think) and CJ had mozzarella & tomato salad and soup(?).

After eating pizza here in Nov, I had high expectations for my meal and I was a little disappointed. Melody was too. We aren't food snobs, but living in CT where there is a higher concentration of Italians than Italy itself, we thought the sauce was lacking and the quality just wasn't there. Barry, didn't seem to have a problem eating his pasta and CJ did like his salad. There was a consensus on our side of the table anyway, that we should of just ordered pizza. I didn't get any pictures of our meal but after we did stick around and talk outside for 10-15 minutes. I HAD to find out if Bambi hated me for challenging her husband but she seemed cool with it. How could she be mad? I mean I just forced them to take another Disney trip!

Before departing for the evening, A quick picture of Barry, CJ, & I.

It was around 8:20 when we left dinner and it was back to strolling the WS for Melody & I.

Hey I found a hat I liked...

Melody was ready to plunder and pillage....

We went into Mexico and rode the Three Caballeros, and then found a spot to watch Illuminations. Melody has never seen Illuminations in it's entirety, and being there without kids, tonight was the perfect night to do that. We found a spot behind a few people but still had a good view of the water.

I don't know how you feel, but Illuminations doesn't do that much for me. I think now that Melody has seen it too, she feels the same way. We started walking toward the exit and stopped for one more picture.

We didn't wait too long for a bus but when it got there it was pretty packed. Once we were back to OKW, instead of getting off at the first stop, we rode the bus till we got to the Hospitality House. That was a bad move. We should of got off at stop #1 and walked but we didn't know the internal bus system yet. We had to stop at the Hospitality House because we were never given our room number at check-in, we only knew what building we were in. After finding out, we asked Bell services to give us a ride to our room. A really nice guy, I think his name was Bill, drove us to the room, telling us all about the resort. He also came to the room to make sure our key worked and our luggage was there.

We unpacked a bit, and I looked at the clock. 10:55. UGH I was meeting Barry outside the room at 3:10am to get to the 1/2. After getting situated and showering, I think it was about 11:30 before I finally laid down. I really hope I could sleep... and not sleep through my alarm.



Up next... RACE DAY!!!

 

[marvali]

I tried to go back to sleep but no luck. (I'll probably lose my man card for this) I leaned over and started reading what Melody was reading on her iPad. 50 Shades of Gray. LOL I think we read that for a little over an hour when it was time to land. (Just when it was starting to get good.LOL)

Oh, I am not touching this one...I'm going to leave it to all of your DISdads!

Yea, this is bound to be good.

Normally I might jump all over this, but based on what I've heard about 50 SoG it isn't a bad thing for you and Mel to be "on the same page" if you know what I mean...........

I'm sending you a whip for Christmas.

No thanks.. I already have one. Do I need to remind you?

Oh, I can see Kathy jumping all over THIS one!!!

Well, money shot out of my wallet.

Don't think I'm touching this one either...........

And we had to shut it off right when Christian was flying Ana to his house in Portland.

Hey wait! I thought you left the kiddos with your Mom??? Who is this Christian you are letting your little Princess run around the country with???

POLL: Did Melody & I ride IASW without kids?

Now who in their right mind would ride IASW without kids along??? Well, unless it is Mark while everyone else is off riding ToT...........

We liked the resort a lot. I wish I was back there now.

Yes, but wouldn't you say that about the "All Stars," Pop, CSR, or any other Disney resort???

 

[afwdwfan]

I guess I should't tell you that I read the next 2 chapters when we got home because I had to see what happened.

(and if you were ever thinking of reading it, you should start where I did when I got home.. .it's like skipping all the... ummm never mind )

Unfortunately, we didn't pass GO, nor did we collect our $200.

Oh well. It's not like $200 would buy much in Disney World anyway.

As I got closer to R&C, I can hear the girly voice of Randall yelling, 'Team Barry Rules!' I quickly considered just to continue walking past Rose & Crown, but there were a few other guys with him... including some of the Team Tim members.

What kind of representatives of Team Tim are they if they're sitting there letting Randall run his mouth????

I think we sat and talked for close to an hour. Then it was time to get Randall back for beating me up in November... In case you missed it- first he put me in a head lock..

Nov. 2012

Then he tossed me to the ground and stomped on me.

Nov. 2012

50 Shades of Tim????

So it was time for payback. First we tossed Randall to the ground, draped a Team Barry shirt over him, then went Team Tim style on him! (No penguins were hurt during this stomping)

Ok, that makes up for the lack of action earlier.

We didn't hurt him too bad... but we this did stop him from yelling Team Barry every 5 minutes.

So it was every 10 minutes instead then???

I resisted the temptation as I watched Randall ask the belly dancer to hold his penguins and pose for a picture. The guy was out of control.. LOL

I guess he had to settle for the belly dancer since he couldn't get Jasmine!

Melody & I sat with CJ & Crash, Barry, Barry's friend and his son. We had a nice dinner discussing running, food, Disney, and ummm vasectomies. I hope we didn't scar Crash for life with this conversation.

Poor Crash...

There was a consensus on our side of the table anyway, that we should of just ordered pizza.

I don't think I could ever go to Via Napoli and not order pizza.

I don't know how you feel, but Illuminations doesn't do that much for me. I think now that Melody has seen it too, she feels the same way.

I'm kind of on the fence about it. I always enjoy seeing it, but I don't think near as highly of it as Wishes and Fantasmic. The storyline to it is interesting and the massive explosions at the end that shake you to your core are pretty awesome, but the globe thing that you can't see very well all the way in middle of the lake anyway kind of loses me.

We unpacked a bit, and I looked at the clock. 10:55. UGH I was meeting Barry outside the room at 3:10am to get to the 1/2. After getting situated and showering, I think it was about 11:30 before I finally laid down. I really hope I could sleep... and not sleep through my alarm.

Wow... who needs rest before running 13 miles??

 

[emilyindisney]

Woohoo! I've been so pumped to read some Marathon weekend TRs!

I thought the travelers umbrellas looked familiar and then I realized I've read some of your other TRs, and we fly out of the same airport!

Glad you were still able to run, despite injury. Definitely would have been a bummer to work so hard and not make it to race day. Can't wait to hear about race morning!

 

[tinkgurl]

Tim! I just realized I forgot to tell you that I finally can say I've been to CT! Back at the end of October aka Hurricane Sandy time, I was in xoktenox's wedding on Long Island. We were stranded for a week. La Guardia was still under water, so we drove to CT, spent the night, and flew out of Bradley airport the next morning.

 

[petals]

Luvin the update. Even when you don't take Ana she still makes an appearance I love it