Pixie Dust Challenge Accepted: a Tale of a Fairy Odd Duck at Disneyland

[MommaoffherRocker]

We ventured out Saturday to WB Studios and your right traffic was crazy! DH and I agreed we would rather drive through NYC than Cali LOL.

Disney cracks me up with their post race boxes. Oreos and Cheese! It just seems the total opposite of running. But it is yummy! At Darkside DH ate the chips and cheese before we even made it to our bus. He was happy to see it at Tink.

Mmmmm Earl of Sandwich, we sometimes make a trip to Orlando just to eat there. I love the Holiday turkey! That was my dinner before the Tink half.

You guys are adorable in your Dapper Outfits!! We saw lots of Dappers on Sunday at Epcot, they looked like they were having so much fun. Sadly I don't think I could pull off one of those outfits but they awesome to look at!

 

[SarahDisney]

I loved the 10K recap - definitely sounds like you had an awesome time!

OMG I love your Captain America Dapper Day dress! So pretty!

Sounds like a great down day, and I love the sparkly skirt for your half marathon outfit!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

On Wisconsin! Our cheese is the best!

And even voted so!

Great Dapper Day outfits!

Thank you! We'd never done it before and didn't get as fancy as many people do, but we just wanted to try it out without a huge investment of time and money. My hair was probably the hardest part!

I've always wanted to see a new movie at Disney but never have. Captain America is a solid choice for that!

When we lived in Orlando, AMC at Downtown Disney (at the time) was one of our favorite places, until we got annual passes to Universal and discovered the theater there - oftentimes we had the entire theater to ourselves, even with new releases!

I've never eaten at Earl of Sandwich but have heard many good things about it.

We hadn't, either, just because when we stay on property, Disney Springs is a bit out of the way for us. But with it being right there on the corner of Disneyland Drive and the walk to the hotel, it was very convenient, reasonably priced ($6-8), and turned out to be a great choice for meals!

We ventured out Saturday to WB Studios and your right traffic was crazy! DH and I agreed we would rather drive through NYC than Cali LOL.

Well, that certainly makes me feel better about our decision, even though we were both excited about the possibility of visiting La Brea tar pits (DH is history nerd, I'm a natural history nerd). Yikes, NYC traffic is better?

Disney cracks me up with their post race boxes. Oreos and Cheese! It just seems the total opposite of running. But it is yummy! At Darkside DH ate the chips and cheese before we even made it to our bus. He was happy to see it at Tink.

LOL!

Mmmmm Earl of Sandwich, we sometimes make a trip to Orlando just to eat there. I love the Holiday turkey! That was my dinner before the Tink half.

It turned out to be a favorite stop for us post-race.

You guys are adorable in your Dapper Outfits!! We saw lots of Dappers on Sunday at Epcot, they looked like they were having so much fun. Sadly I don't think I could pull off one of those outfits but they awesome to look at!

Thank you! I think anyone could do it, really. There are really no rules, just wear something "dapper." The dress is from the Her Universe fangirl line (Ashley Eckstein, who voices Ahsoka Tano on the animated Star Wars series, is the creator and she has some really great stuff), a website on which I spend entirely too much money, but all of it is super-comfortable (my #1 priority) and cute!

I loved the 10K recap - definitely sounds like you had an awesome time!

Thank you! It was a different experience for sure, but totally fun!

OMG I love your Captain America Dapper Day dress! So pretty!

And more importantly, comfortable! Thank you - Her Universe is a really great clothing line.

Sounds like a great down day, and I love the sparkly skirt for your half marathon outfit!

It was a good down day, DH definitely had a great idea and I love that he was willing to let a day of possible touristing go so I could relax. Thank you! The skirt is actually very sparkly in person, and I left a trail of glitter behind me! I actually keep it in a gallon Ziploc so that I don't end up with glitter all over all my other Sparkle Skirts.

 

[girliea]

I am so behind and such a slacker!! I just saw your TR yesterday and have been madly catching up while trying to work too!

After disembarking from our tour of the world's rivers, we headed over to Tomorrowland. Now, I'm a huge Star Wars fan. I'd prove it by posting a photo of 4-year-old me who'd insisted my mom put Princess Leia braids in my hair, but I can't find that particular photo. Just trust me on this one.

My dad took me to see SW when I was....younger. Thus began the obsession!

I loved your reference to Tracy Chapman's Fast Car song. Of course now I am singing it to myself over and over again!

OMG-Bloodline- I just finished it last week and promptly read Lost Stars! What a great author Claudia is!

I saw Civil War last week--um, so good! I'm looking forward to X-men this week. I feel like I'm going through my second childhood, although honestly at this point in my life its more like my fifth or sixth!

Anyway, I digress! Your TR is awesome- just like your Dopey one! Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[tigger536]

I love your costume! I was the cheshire cat for the Princess half in February (I was Marie for the 10K, that's the profile pic). I love the tattoo too!

Your report is great! Its making me so excited for Dumbo in September! I haven't been to DL since I was 13 so all your tips are great...secret menu at the Cove? What?! So there!

Can't wait for more!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

I am so behind and such a slacker!! I just saw your TR yesterday and have been madly catching up while trying to work too!

Thanks so much for following along!

My dad took me to see SW when I was....younger. Thus began the obsession!

Same here! And I was the only little girl playing Star Wars with the boys on the school playground, so of course I was relegated to Princess Leia.

I loved your reference to Tracy Chapman's Fast Car song. Of course now I am singing it to myself over and over again!

I'm glad someone got it!

OMG-Bloodline- I just finished it last week and promptly read Lost Stars! What a great author Claudia is!

She really is, I read Lost Stars a while ago and really enjoyed it, even though it's YA and I'm not a YA. Bloodline was also fascinating in setting up why Leia was General Leia in TFA and she was totally kick-butt in the book!

I saw Civil War last week--um, so good! I'm looking forward to X-men this week. I feel like I'm going through my second childhood, although honestly at this point in my life its more like my fifth or sixth!

I feel like all my childhood favorite stuff is now cool and I also have the benefit of disposable income now. Woot! Nothing wrong with perpetual childhood.

Anyway, I digress! Your TR is awesome- just like your Dopey one! Thanks so much for sharing!

Oh, thank you so much!

I love your costume! I was the cheshire cat for the Princess half in February (I was Marie for the 10K, that's the profile pic). I love the tattoo too!

Thank you! The Cheshire cat is awesome and has such great advice for life if you pay attention. Marie for the 10K - fantastic!

Your report is great! Its making me so excited for Dumbo in September! I haven't been to DL since I was 13 so all your tips are great...secret menu at the Cove? What?! So there!

I wish I could do #alltheraces this year, but my budget is telling me no. Stupid budget. I hope you have a fantastic time at Dumbo! I'd love to do that one someday as well. But I think next year will be the year of the Kessel Run, so Dumbo probably won't happen for me until at least 2018. But I'm lucky that I live so close to WDW that Star Wars and Lumiere's Challenge were spur-of-the-moment decisions for me.

Yeah, the secret menu at Cove Bar is apparently the old actual menu, so if you just Google secret menu Cove Bar, it should bring up a few blog posts that detail the drinks. Also, and I'm getting ahead of myself here, the lobster nachos are amazing!

Can't wait for more!

Thanks for following along!

 

[Ariel484]

Your Dapper outfits are awesome, love them!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

@Ariel484 Thank you so much!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Day 4: May 8 - Spread Your Wings and Let Your Inner Fairy Fly!

After waiting so long in the rain the previous day for the 10K, I was a little more relaxed about time on the morning of the half marathon. I slept in until 3:30 (what?) and pulled my costume together. I'm not much of a fairy person, but in preparation for my Dopey Challenge costume-making, I'd watched a few of the Tinker Bell movies on Netflix and identified immediately with Fawn, an animal talent fairy. Also, I'm pretty sure that birds and squirrels can understand me when I talk to them.

Anyway, before I launch into the half marathon recap, I feel as if I've done a poor job of explaining why I called myself an odd duck in this TR title. Because this race weekend fell on Mother's Day, it seemed that there were a lot of mother-daughter or mother-daughters or MIL-mother-DIL-daughters or sisters groups participating and I thought to myself how wonderful it would be if my mom and sister would do this with me. Except for the fact that neither of them run, so that's not going to ever happen. I'm the only one in my family who runs, so there's that. I've never felt like I belonged, even as a kid, I was never in any clique or sorority or group that wasn't an organization of some sort. I've always been the odd duck out. In the long run, I think it's made me a very strong person who's learned to rely on herself for the most part, and since I'm an introvert anyway, I've always been very good about entertaining myself in any given situation. So for me, running solo or with friends/running partners, I'm good either way. And I think the "fairy" of the Fairy Odd Duck moniker is pretty obvious for this race weekend!

Back to the half marathon. I put together my costume and DH was kind enough to photograph me pre-race.


Initially, I was going to run with wings, but had a feeling that they'd get annoying over the course of 13 miles, so I ended up freehand drawing them with iridescent fabric paint on the back of my racer. I also painted glitter around the neck and tried to put a few animal spots on one side of the tank to evoke Fawn's various costumes. But I did have to get the Sparkle Athletic Tink Schwings for my shoes because how cute are they? The only sad part about this photo is that it didn't capture how sparkly and pretty that orange skirt is - I actually got a lot of compliments during the race on it.

DH once again accompanied me down to the ART stop so I could catch the bus to the race. I think it was around 4:30, which is panic-attack-worthy late for WDW races, but not so much for DL! So it was the same deal on Sunday as it was Saturday: walk through the DL/DCA plaza towards Downtown Disney, through DD, then hang a left to the corrals, go through security, and to your corral. I was in Corral C for the half marathon (still pretty stoked about that, too), so I was glad that it wasn't raining today since C wouldn't have that handy-dandy overpass. I didn't arrive and get settled in my corral until 5 - so late, you guys! Luckily, I'd eaten my half bagel with peanut butter while I was walking (it is amazing I didn't choke) and so I just ate my banana upon arrival and prepared for the race start. It was so weird to not be standing in a corral for an hour! Not that I'm complaining. And because it wasn't raining this day, I could do one of my favorite activities at rD races: people watch!


One of the race announcers was interviewing some pirates. I'm not sure why because the audio wasn't so great in our corral, but they seemed to be getting some laughs pre-race. But look at all the people in the corral today versus the 10K! And the screen is attached to the overpass I'd used as shelter the previous day.


I just thought that this Rosetta costume was just adorable! It's hard to see, but her skirt is velvety petals with some embedded sparkles in them.


So many people in my corral! And there's the overpass we'd taken shelter under the previous day.

By the time we were on deck to start, I ditched my heat sheet (the mylar coating interferes with your race chip), downed a Gu gel, and started up my race playlist. I hadn't brought my earbuds for the 10K because my strategy was to just enjoy all the lovely park time, but with the half, I knew there'd be a lot of time out on the streets of Anaheim, so I plugged them in this time. But just one ear! Soon our corral was released!


...aaaaaaaaannnnnddd...GO!

[runners slowly shuffling towards start mat and then taking off in run]


Shot of the all-female race announcers - and Minnie and Daisy?

The beginning route was similar to the 10K, first around the park perimeter.


And then we entered Disneyland, underneath my favorite sign in the world.


Blurry shot of my favorite sign in the world.


Running backstage - I thought the Wall-E costume ahead of me was so cute! Love seeing Pixar race costumes.


Drive-by shot of Tink character stop at the foot of the Matterhorn. There was another fairy with her.

Like the previous day, I felt like I'd been seeded correctly in that I never felt rushed or slowed-down, that everyone was running about the same pace as me. It was also a laid-back vibe just like yesterday. Honestly, Tink isn't my favorite, but I really enjoyed her races just for the ambiance!

Next Up: Castle To Castle

 

[rteetz]

Great costume! costumes that are hand made or have hand made touches are always better than pre-made stuff.

May 8th was my birthday and really that sole reason is why I want to run this race the next time it falls on my birthday if it does.

Yay for no rain and yay for corral C!

How were the female announcers? I know some felt it was strange without Rudy there.

Can't wait to hear more.

 

[tigger536]

Thanks so much for following along!




I wish I could do #alltheraces this year, but my budget is telling me no. Stupid budget. I hope you have a fantastic time at Dumbo! I'd love to do that one someday as well. But I think next year will be the year of the Kessel Run, so Dumbo probably won't happen for me until at least 2018. But I'm lucky that I live so close to WDW that Star Wars and Lumiere's Challenge were spur-of-the-moment decisions for me.

Yeah, the secret menu at Cove Bar is apparently the old actual menu, so if you just Google secret menu Cove Bar, it should bring up a few blog posts that detail the drinks. Also, and I'm getting ahead of myself here, the lobster nachos are amazing!


Thanks for following along!

Lobster nachos! I'm in!! I need to start stalking the DL menus! I'm looking at the Kessel run too...I did SWDS last year so I'm going to keep the streak going and might just add a very short trip to DL so I can get the Kessel. I'm in ATL, so WDW is not too far for me either, luckily.

 

[SarahDisney]

I love the wings and animal spots on your shirt - that's an awesome touch!

People watching at runDisney races is awesome - people come up with some amazing costumes!

Looks like the race started well, I can't wait to read about the rest of it!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Great costume! costumes that are hand made or have hand made touches are always better than pre-made stuff.

Thank you! I didn't put as much work into my Tink weekend costumes as for other rD races, but I was pretty happy with them.

May 8th was my birthday and really that sole reason is why I want to run this race the next time it falls on my birthday if it does.

What a great way to celebrate your birthday - at Disney and a race! You should do it, there were quite a few more men than I thought there'd be. My birthday is just after Christmas and so I can't celebrate at Disney with all the crazy crowds. Believe me, I've tried a few times and it's not fun.

Yay for no rain and yay for corral C!

How were the female announcers? I know some felt it was strange without Rudy there.

I thought they were fine! It was a little odd to not have Rudy there, but no more weird than not having Carissa for WDW Marathon weekend.

Can't wait to hear more.

Your wish is my command!

Lobster nachos! I'm in!! I need to start stalking the DL menus! I'm looking at the Kessel run too...I did SWDS last year so I'm going to keep the streak going and might just add a very short trip to DL so I can get the Kessel. I'm in ATL, so WDW is not too far for me either, luckily.

Definitely stalk the DL menus. We only had one ADR the entire trip, but I think we did pretty well, all things considered. Sometimes I feel as if loading up on ADRs kind of takes the fun spontaneity out of Disney trips. I must have that Kessel medal.

I love the wings and animal spots on your shirt - that's an awesome touch!

Thank you! I was really happy with the wings because I just drew them without a pattern or looking at anything.

People watching at runDisney races is awesome - people come up with some amazing costumes!

Right? Every time I think I need to rein it in or not be so detailed, I see 100s of people who went ALL out and it's just amazing!

Looks like the race started well, I can't wait to read about the rest of it!

It did! Moving on to another update, assuming I don't get interrupted in the middle!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Best-Laid Plans...

Well, I was going to post another installment but for some reason can't upload photos - just get "there was an error uploading your photo" message with no details. Size of each is OK, so I'll try again later. Stay tuned!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

testing...

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Day 4: May 8 - Castle to Castle!

Like the previous day, I didn't really have a race strategy. I figured I'd run the outer park perimeter and then take my time while inside the parks and then run again on the city streets. I had my GymBoss interval timer along in case I wanted to do intervals and as mentioned, my runDisney playlist was jamming away in my ear. Sidebar: is it wrong that I have Tupac and Eminem on my runDisney playlist interspersed between attraction themes (Enchanted Tiki Room, Gran Fiesta, MSEP, etc.) and film songs (Tangled, Hercules, Frozen, Star Wars, etc.) and classics? If it's wrong, I don't wanna be right.

While the half marathon doesn't nearly have the park time ratio the 10K does, I did feel like we had a good amount of time in the parks. And as for the 10K, there were only a handful of character stops but that was OK because the park landmarks make for awesome photo ops! After passing the Tinker Bell photo op (I think it was Iridessa with her, even though I've seen a couple of the movies I still don't know all the character names) and running into Tomorrowland, we next went into Fantasyland.


Exiting Tomorrowland. I was really nervous to wear the SwingStyle Sparkle Skirt because I have long legs and that style tends to be re-he-he-heally short on me (I prefer Hiker Chic style for that reason and that I can wear them as an actual skirt if I want), but I'd worn a SwingStyle for the WDW half marathon and it turned out OK. I think, anyway. At any rate, I forgot all about the length when running and kind of cringe now when I see the photos! Oh well.

Coming back through Fantasyland, the Carousel was whirling around and around and there were people taking selfies in front of it. What on earth? So me being the curious sort, I pulled over and noticed...The Lost Boys! There were a couple CMs making sure that people were only taking selfies with them, though there was a pair of girls who took turns with actual shots. In case you missed me mentioning it before, I'm terrible with selfies, but how could I pass up a Lost Boy photo op? And so here it is. I love that one is sticking his tongue out.


Terrible selfie, but how cute are they?

Then it was on towards the back side of the castle, which required another selfie! I was determined to get at least one decent race selfie. Practice makes perfect!


But...not so much.

And then it was through the castle! This was my first run through Sleeping Beauty's Castle and it was really cool, but I almost forgot to take photos and luckily remembered just as I was exiting.


People walking through the castle, but no one got upset. Such a laid-back race atmosphere!


And then the drawbridge!

There were many, many photographers stationed just outside the castle, which was really cool - I have so many PhotoPass castle shots - especially after the WDW marathon when there were no photographers at all on the side we had exited (both sides were open).


I know this is a me-buried-in-the-crowd shot, but I like all the 60th accoutrements.

Then it was down the ramp where I decided to try another selfie, because why not? I only had one character stop planned, and the whole idea was to enjoy the parks and course while I could.


So I stationed my sweaty self and took a photo. And then I decided to get a posed shot. I was gonna try that castle leap, y'all! A few things you should know about me: 1) despite 5 years of ballet lessons as a kid, I am not graceful, 2) I get really weird ideas during a run, and 3) in the moment, I always think things are a good idea. After the fact, I'm cracking up because my castle leap is hysterical - and, might I add, took 3 attempts before the photographer felt he got a good shot. He said he just wanted to see how many times I would jump. Which, come on, you know you'd try that, too, so I couldn't help but laugh. Too funny!


Progression of castle shots. The last one is hysterical because I didn't realize how high I'd kicked up my foot.

At least I amuse myself, you know? Then I was done with castle shots and ran onward towards Frontierland, where around the corner was the character stop I'd been eyeing: Fawn! There was a bit of a line, but it seemed to be moving pretty well, so I got in it. When my turn arrived, Fawn took a look at me and said, "it's like we're twins!" which was cute. She kind of spread her hands out like I am in the photo, so that's why I was doing it. The other fairy is Vidia, who doesn't like Tinker Bell very much if I remember correctly. I'm right there with you, Vids. Also, doesn't she kind of look like a pixie version of Megara? Maybe it's just the hair and all the purple.



Then it was onward yet again.


"So we sailed up to the sun, til we found the sea of green."
Exhibit B on why I chose an orange costume.

Then we looped up along the waterfront, around past the Haunted Mansion, and the rest of New Orleans Square.

Next Up: Hey, Don't I Know You?

 

[rteetz]

I think it's totally ok to have Eminem and Tupac on your RunDisney playlist.

The lost boys seemed to be a popular selfie spot.

Great Castle photos! Running through a Disney castle in any park is probably the best part.

Vidia definitely looks like the fairy version of megara.

Wow that's a lot of green!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Day 4: May 8 - Hey, Don't I Know You?

I continued on through New Orleans Square, up and over the Pirates of the Caribbean bridge and then under Tarzan's tree and then towards Main Street, U.S.A.


Blurry drive-by photo of the POTC entrance. I really like how it just blends in with the rest of New Orleans Square. To enter the ride (if you're unfamiliar), you go under the archways into the queue and then upstairs into the entranceway (photos from previous post). We've been in Disneyland on days when the POTC queue winds around the front and then up and over the bridge. Craziness!

Once back on Main Street, U.S.A., I noticed a photo op at the Partners statue. I had missed it the previous day, so I thought I'd get a nice shot with Walt and Mickey with the castle in the background. But no silly jumping this time!


You can see the green PhotoPass tents behind my right shoulder.

Once my photo was taken, I walked back out onto the street, where I was promptly greeted by my 10K partner-in-crime, Jenni! We were shocked and happy to see each other (I never thought I would have caught up to her since she was in Corral B and I was in C), but after exchanging air hugs (since we were sweaty) she waved me on since she was going to get a photo op at the Partners statue. I don't know why I didn't just stop and wait for her, but I guess I was in a sort of "I'm running this thing alone" groove, so I kept going, down Main Street, out into the plaza, and then entered California Adventure again! Soon it was time for another requisite photo op in front of Paradise Pier and the wheel of death. So I stopped and was just about to quid pro quo another runner (this happens a lot and most runners seem happy to take your photo if you return the favor), when Jenni ran up to me again! So we took one another's photos and decided that since we're leap-frogging each other we may as well just run the thing together!


Oof, sorry for the ginormous photo, you guys.

So we continued on together, Jenni reminded me that she had just gotten over a really bad illness and was under doctor's orders to take this one easy so that I was free to run on ahead if she was holding me back. However, since I'd really had no plans for this race other than enjoying myself, taking my time, and finishing, I told her I was fine if she was OK with me hanging with her. To which she perked up and said, "of course!" Also, it's not like I'm some crazy-fast runner anyway. Sometimes you just have to go with the events that happen to you, and since we'd had such great conversation the previous day, I was game. Even though I keep insisting that I'm an introvert! Really, you guys, this is so out of character for me I can't even tell you. So onwards through the remainder of DCA. I think there was one last character stop in A Bug's Land (maybe Rosetta and Silvermist?) and that was all she wrote for character stops during the Tinker Bell Half.


Jenni as Tinker Bell, me as Fawn. Just running through Hollywood Land.

We were soon running around the perimeter of DCA, where all of a sudden, there were yellow cones to the right and another set of traffic lanes where runners were emerging out from the green-covered gates. What the? And then I remembered that the end of the course doubled around DCA as well, so we were seeing a few of the speedier folks finish up their half marathon. Although I heard stories of runners skipping from where we were (around Mile 5) to that last stretch (around Mile 12). I won't lie, the thought crossed my mind as well just because it's so hard to see that when you're not even half way, but I would never act upon that impulse. It seems so silly, to me, especially since if you gave into that urge, when you wouldn't log a 10K or 15K time and then your time would be highly suspect if you finished the last 10 miles of a half marathon in less time than your first 5K.

So we continued on, past mile 5 and then soon out on the streets of Anaheim. Jenni and were kind of doing sporadic intervals, depending upon how she felt, and I'd put away both my earbuds and GymBoss by that time. As we were running down a palm tree-lined street, my keen ears picked up on parrot vocalizations (I have a parrot at home, so I'm really tuned into their squawking) and looked up. Sure enough! A few Amazon parrots were perched in the trees, on the power lines, and flying around. How funny! So I pointed them out to Jenni and she thought that was hilarious. We have a resident Quaker parrot flock in my town, and my long run route goes past their little colony, so it was kind of heartwarming to also see them on this running route.

Not long after that, we noticed a girl veer off to the side, bend over and was just kind of breathing heavily. We were about to go check on her, when another runner came up to her, comforted her and asked if she was OK. Everything seemed under control, so Jenni and I kept going. And then we spotted a police car with a runner sitting on the ground propped up against the trunk. She was in tears because I think she knew she wasn't going to finish the race. My heart went out to her, but it looked like the medics were attending to her. It's always kind of scary and sobering to see people go down in races and you just feel so badly for them. Poor folks.

All of this happened in the 1.5ish mile stretch on Walnut Street, and soon we were heading towards the downtown area of Anaheim (I remember seeing the public library). And here was a magnificent display of support: The Red Hat Society ladies! They were lined up for at least a quarter mile, it just seemed like cheering red and purple stretched on forever. So awesome!!



There was much rejoicing and many high fives given that day! How wonderful are these ladies?!

This part of the route was basically the around-the-block portion near City Hall, and then we were soon back on Harbor Blvd. I barely remember Mile 9 sweeping by, it turns out that my new and impromptu running partner and I had a lot in common and so a lot to talk about! It seemed like the miles out on the streets - the miles I was most worried about as far as boredom went - flew by! We crossed the 15K mat and nothing happened - I had signed up for tracking texts and had received the start, 5K, and 10K texts, but nothing for the 15K. I like getting the texts because they estimate your finish time and pace and then that way I don't have to do math while I'm running because once those endorphins kick in, my math abilities delve into abstractness, and I'm normally pretty good at it. So once we reached mile 10, I just texted my husband so he'd have an idea where we were at. He had no idea I'd caught up with Jenni and so I let him know I had found her again, too, so he'd know to look for both of us.

There had been various pep/marching bands along the way, and one guy was even out by his lonesome playing a marching snare drum around mile 6, but at mile 11, there were two high school bands cheering us on! As a former band nerd, I loved seeing them and their enthusiasm even though they must have been awake and out there for goodness knows how long.


Gotta love the guy in the balloon hat! And now that I'm looking at them, I wonder if they aren't a community band - do high school kids have a full beard usually? Check out the tuba player. He has a Zac Brown levels of facial hair.

Nearly finished! And at this point, a very familiar and welcome sight was off in the distance...

Next Up: Jiminy, Oh My, We Can Fly!

 

[rteetz]

Great Paradise Pier photo.

I can't imagine what people feel or go through when they can't finish a race or are sitting on the side watching people go by. My heart goes out to them too especially if an injury is what caused.

I have heard about the Red Hat Society ladies. It looks like they come out in full force!

I love the school bands and such that come out to support runners as well.

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Day 4: May 8 - Jiminy, Oh My, We Can Fly!

After passing the pep bands, we turned a corner and Jenni noted a very familiar and welcome sight: the Matterhorn!


I didn't react fast enough to get a better shot, but there it is, hiding behind the palm trees!

Then it was along the east side of the parks, down Harbor Blvd again, where we encountered - dun dun DUN - the tunnel between DL and DCA. And there was much grumbling about what sort of idiot put a steep hill at mile 12 in a half marathon? And I will admit that it was painful, but mostly the going down part. Soon we were climbing back up (never mind, this was painful, too) and making our way between the green-covered gates where we saw a glorious mile sign - for mile FIVE! Eek, that was sort of terrible. Apparently runDisney was in no hurry to take that mile sign down even though all the runners must have cleared that area a while ago. But we shook it off and realized that we were almost to mile 13! Jenni's mom texted to let her know that she'd be waiting around mile 12.5, so once we got into the parking lot (the Simba lot, maybe?) we started looking for Jenni's mom. Jenni said that she'd likely be screaming her name, so we wouldn't have to look too hard!

We made our way through the parking lot, ran past DH (but didn't stop because he was on the opposite side we were, so we waved and continued) and were well on our way to the end when Jenni spotted her mom! We pulled over and I offered to take a photo of the two of them, and then Jenni and I ran in strong to the end!


Captain Hook and Smee - technically the fourth character stop, I guess?


Finishing up with arms held high!

Then it was time to get our shiny new bling - I've said it a bunch of times, Tink is not my favorite, but her race weekend accoutrements are gorgeous! - and then on to the Pixie Dust Challenge/Coast to Coast Challenge tents. I received a blue C2C medal since I hadn't run the Princess Half this year. The C2C medal is exactly the same as last year's and I noticed that the year isn't even on the lanyard anymore as it was last year. Oh well, still pretty, pretty bling! We then picked up our water, Powerade, and food boxes and made our way to the family reunion area. One last photo with Jenni before we went our separate ways!



This race weekend really exceeded my expectations. As I've mentioned eleventy billion times, I don't really care for classic Tink (the newer, softer Tink is much nicer, though) and I was anticipating Princess-levels of selfish and entitled behavior and crowded congestion. Other folks who've chronicled this weekend have had similar sentiments, so I'm really glad that it wasn't just me. The field was always really considerate and when oopsie-doodles happened, the reaction was not indignant anger, but kindness. Imagine that! It was really a joy to run with this crowd and I had a lot of fun. I met someone new and had a great time running with her, which was just a really cool experience. I've read a lot of Disney race blogs over the years and have read lots of stories about perfect strangers supporting and running with each other but this was the first time it happened to me, and it was, dare I say, magical! I'm not sure if I'll run Tink again in 2017 (I'm eyeing that Kessel Run), but it definitely has not been removed from consideration in the future!



Look how pretty! And you can't tell, but Tink's wings on the half medal are painted an iridescent white.

Next Up: Laissez les bons temps rouler!