Running in the Mitten & Beyond!

[michigandergirl]

Spring Break Disney & Star Wars Weekend Trip Report (part 2)

Tuesday
Magic Kingdom day! Our plan was to knock out as much as we could in Fantasyland at rope drop, starting with Peter Pan, but that plan went out the window when we had some bussing issues. We still arrived before opening, but were not in good position to execute that plan, plus it was crazy busy that morning, so we improvised, hitting everything in Adventureland first, then Small World and Haunted Mansion.


This picture of Chris & the boys really cracks me up!


Chris has always been our designated "snack runner", so this year I bought him a #snackgoals shirt. My boys love the Mickey Bars and churros and have to have them every day.


It was a bit chilly that day, so we swapped out our Splash Mtn FP for something else, and then hit BTMR and Space Mtn with FP. Allison was dying to get a picture with Stitch, so I waited in line with her while the boys did something else. The line was 45 minutes, the longest line we waited in all week, but it was worth it - fun interaction and pics.


We were out of there about 2pm, but not before some castle pics! I made my family stop for every Photopass person we saw, much to their dismay.


That evening we went to Hollywood Studios to try and ride Slinky Dog at closing. This was the only ride I could not get a FP for all week and we didn't feel like attempting it at rope drop (pure madness). It worked great. We rode Star Tours twice, then Alien Swirling Saucers, and then we got in line for SDD about 10 minutes to closing and waited less than 30 minutes. Toy Story Land is pretty cool looking at night too.


Wednesday
We headed back to HS Wed morning. We let the crazy people go on their mad rush to SDD as we leisurely walked to Toy Story Mania, which we rode twice (once standby and once with FP). We watched the green army men for a bit.


We then hit Star Tours a couples of times before our RnRC FP (another family favorite). Next up is my favorite - Tower of Terror!! I have yet to get Alison on TOT. She gets as far as the elevators and chickens out every single time! I know she would like it, she just can't get past the name. At least now she is old enough to not mind sitting and waiting for the rest of us to ride.


Another family pic before we head to the pool.


That night we went to MK to see HEA. We rode Buzz first and then found a spot to camp out. It wasn't the greatest spot with a lamppost in the way, but we were poised for a quick exit to Main St, which is always Chris's main goal.
It was the first time we had seen the show and we loved it.

 

[evre13]

This picture of Chris & the boys really cracks me up!

I didn't know there was a pic on Haunted Mansion until it showed up in my Photopass Account - it is hilarious!

I made my family stop for every Photopass person we saw, much to their dismay.

What Mama wants, Mama gets.

Y'all were so productive, especially during a Spring Break week!

 

[michigandergirl]

What Mama wants, Mama gets.

Y'all were so productive, especially during a Spring Break week!

Having been a few times, we know how to tour smartly, and yes, we hammered it out every day & night, but made sure to have our afternoon "pool & drinks" time. I'm happy with what we accomplished during a busy week.

Looking forward to reading all about your trip!

 

[michigandergirl]

Spring Break Disney & Star Wars Weekend Trip Report (part 3)

Thursday

We spent the morning at Epcot, knocking out the rides in Future World. My boys groaned when I made them do Turtle Talk, but of course they were laughing the whole time anyway. We had a FP for Test Track, but the ride was down all morning, which was a big bummer. If I remember right, I think we were all a little cranky this morning. Because of that, I only managed to get one picture - I've taken a picture of the kids in "Bruce" every trip.


Next Chris, Allison, & I went to the expo to pick up our bibs, leaving the boys at the hotel to nap. I am a big dummy and left the waivers in the hotel room, so we had to print them there. The lines were long everywhere. I kind of wanted to buy a pint glass, but Allison & Chris were itching to get back to the pool and in the end that sounded better than waiting in line. So for the first time ever, I didn't buy anything.

That evening we took the boat to Disney Springs to meet some friends that were in the Orlando area. We ate at Raglan Road. I thought the entertainment was fantastic but the food was just okay. Chris thought the drinks were amazing - some sort of Irish Whiskey - which he regretted the next morning. We were back at the hotel and in bed by 9pm to get ready for the Star Wars 5K!

Friday/Star Wars 5K

I woke everyone up at 3am. The kids did good with this, minimal complaining. Chris, however, was not feeling good. He says it was something he ate the night before - I say it was probably too many drinks, but whatever, he was clearly hurting, so we decided it was best to leave him behind. Little did we know at the time, but he probably got the better end of the deal that morning.

We were on the bus at 3:45 and on our way to Epcot. We stood around for an hour & a half waiting for the start. I think the kids were too tired to be impatient, so that was good. Of course I made them take a picture while waiting in the corral.


Around 5:20 we were seeing some lightning and at 5:25 I thought it was odd that they weren't getting the crowd hyped up for the start. I must not have been the only one because everyone around me started talking about it and pulling up the radar on their phones. At exactly 5:30 they said they were going to have to delay the start due to an approaching storm. About 10-15 minutes later, they said the storm was headed our way and that they need us to evacuate the race area. We were first told to find a bus to wait out the storm, but by the time we walked to the busses, they were all full. I was doing my best to stay calm for my kids, but really I was starting to freak out a bit - the storm was getting closer. We then heard volunteers telling everyone who wasn't on a bus to walk to the Epcot entrance - they were opening buildings for us there. We made it into the Electric Umbrella just in time. The kids took a little nap while I got on Facebook and the Dis to see what everyone was saying.

Oddly, the first time I've ever been in the Electric Umbrella!


Despite what some people were saying on Facebook, I thought the volunteers did an amazing job of finding shelter for over 10,000 people. I think we waited there about 45-60 minutes, then they said all was clear and to head back to the start. It was just one big massive corral, so the course ended up being very crowded.


It was a steady rain the whole time. Due to the course crowding, you couldn't really run for any lengthy stretch, so we just walked. They shortened the course about a half mile. My daughter was really upset about that because this was her first 5K, but I told her we basically just walked a 10K (busses to corral, corral to Epcot, Epcot back to start line, plus shortened course = 6.2 miles).

This picture says it all (cold, wet, tired & hungry).


But Allison remembered to smile for the cameras.


And of course I made them stop for this picture - memories!!


I love Allison's smile at the finish!


Soggy finish. They were actually telling people not to run at the finish because it was too slippery!


So...Allison's first 5K (umm...10K) and the kids first runDisney race was very memorable!

We finally warmed up later that afternoon at Animal Kingdom.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Poor Allison! Not the best first 5K experience. I love your matching shirts!

 

[TheHamm]

What an experience! I hope it was memorable and not so unpleasant as to deter the kids' future participation..... although that would save some money!

 

[evre13]

I am a big dummy and left the waivers in the hotel room, so we had to print them there. The lines were long everywhere. I kind of wanted to buy a pint glass, but Allison & Chris were itching to get back to the pool and in the end that sounded better than waiting in line.

We went a little after the Expo opened on Thursday, and it was nuts crowded. I decided not to buy anything but my friend B wanted an "I Did It" headband, and I think we waited about 90 minutes for her to get it. Insane.

We then heard volunteers telling everyone who wasn't on a bus to walk to the Epcot entrance - they were opening buildings for us there. We made it into the Electric Umbrella just in time. The kids took a little nap while I got on Facebook and the Dis to see what everyone was saying.

My friends that I traveled with did the 5k, too (I "just" did the Challenge), and I was up texting them updates because they said they couldn't access FB. I think rD did the best it could, and I know some people were unhappy with the confusion, but it was scary raining out there for a while. The only reason I was awake at that hour was because a burst of thunder woke me up!

But Allison remembered to smile for the cameras.

She's adorable! And it sounds like y'all made the best of it. The rest of Friday was definitely warm - a portent of things to come?

 

[MissLiss279]

@evre13

So... thinking about not being able to access the internet on a mobile device early that morning...

I learned a little trick from my parents who live in an area where cell phone coverage isn’t great. I go to settings, and change ‘Enable LTE’ to ‘off’ from ‘Voice & Data’. This switches LTE to 4G which you think would be worse, but it is actually sometimes better. (At least for AT&T.) I do this when I go to football games, and there are way more people than normal in the small city/town on the LTE network, and it usually works pretty well. I did this the morning of the 5k also, and I was able to continually refresh the radar, and see tweets from runDisney.

 

[michigandergirl]

Poor Allison! Not the best first 5K experience. I love your matching shirts!

Thank you!

What an experience! I hope it was memorable and not so unpleasant as to deter the kids' future participation..... although that would save some money!

Ben & Sam will run 5K's with me, not because they like to run necessarily, but because they like the experience, so no worries there, and Allison is already asking me which race we are doing next, so that's cool. I do think I will leave the family at home for the next runDisney trip though!

 

[michigandergirl]

The rest of Friday was definitely warm

Oh yes, that storm front definitely brought the heat & humidity!!

 

[michigandergirl]

Spring Break Disney & Star Wars Weekend Trip Report (part 4)

Saturday/Star Wars 10K

I was up bright & earlier and on my way to Epcot at 3:45am. I found the Dis meet-up and chatted with @SheHulk @MissLiss279 @Kazrak and I feel like I'm forgetting someone here, but anyways, it's always nice to match faces with screen names. I then spent a little too much time lingering by the bathrooms and just squeezed into Corral A just as they were closing the gates! I have never been in Corral A before, so that was exciting.

I only had one goal for this race and that was to get a picture with Chewbacca. Mission accomplished!


I stopped for pics way more than I thought I would.


I had to stop for this beautiful sunrise in Epcot.


I managed to not look awful in a few pics.


Finish!


It went so fast. That's what I love about Disney races, so much entertainment. I was loving looking at everyone's running costumes - some are so elaborate! I couldn't stick around after the finish because I had to get back to get ready for our last park day.

We spent the morning in Magic Kingdom knocking out a few rides we missed earlier in the week. It was finally warm enough for Splash Mountain! I am always the one who gets drenched on all water rides - it's a running joke in our family. Nobody wants to sit by me for that reason, but Ben manned up this time. And yes, we were soaked at the end. Allison barely got a drop on her, probably because she was so squished in between Chris & Sam.


Of course, more photopass pics. Smile kids! I may have bribed them with something to get a good pic...


We then spent the evening in Epcot. We had dinner at Coral Reef. I was also able to get a FP for Test Track, due to my obsessive refreshing of the MDE app, which is good because the ride was down earlier in the week. And of course, more pics!


Next up: SW half marathon!

 

[SheHulk]

Loved catching up with you too! I'd be a bundle of nerves if I hadn't met up with all you fine folks. I was in MK that morning of the 10k too but didn't see you, I made a beeline to Gaston's to get a giant cinnamon roll.

 

[michigandergirl]

I'd be a bundle of nerves if I hadn't met up with all you fine folks.

It is a great way to pass the time while waiting for the start. Congrats again on your 10K PR!

 

[evre13]

I found the Dis meet-up and chatted with @SheHulk @MissLiss279 @Kazrak and I feel like I'm forgetting someone here, but anyways, it's always nice to match faces with screen names.

I'm so sad I missed the meet up! At that point, though, I was a bundle of nerves so probably wouldn't have been fun to be around.

That's what I love about Disney races, so much entertainment.

you look so happy in your race pics! There must have been something in the water that day because my pics from the 10k are great! Like, I'm not sure I'll ever take better race photos.

 

[KSellers88]

Your 10k pictures are so good!!! Can't wait to read the rest!

 

[michigandergirl]

There must have been something in the water that day because my pics from the 10k are great! Like, I'm not sure I'll ever take better race photos.

Your 10k pictures are so good!!! Can't wait to read the rest!

Yeah, I'm glad they turned out good because the half marathon pics are a hot & sweaty mess!

 

[michigandergirl]

Spring Break Disney & Star Wars Weekend Trip Report (part 5)

Sunday/Star Wars Half Marathon

So those 3am wake-ups start to get real old on that 3rd day, but honestly they don't bother me as much some people. I'm often up at 4:15am anyway to get my weekday runs in, so it's not much different getting up an hour earlier. I feel for those of you coming from other time zones. I made it to the start area at 4:00 and once again found the Dis meet-up. I chatted with @SheHulk again and also @baxter24 , @Dis5150 (and daughter). I then spent some time near the bathrooms before heading to corral C. My only goal for this race (and all Disney races) is to have fun and run easy.

Because it was going to be a warm & humid race, my strategy was to run at a steady pace and not stop until later. I wanted to get as far as I could before the sun came out. Well that plan went out the window in a hurry! I was first lured by the Ewok.


And then I had to stop for the trash compactor scene. This one might be my favorite!


I must have been well-hydrated because I stopped for the bathroom like 3 times in the first 6 miles. This northerner was sweating buckets in that humidity too. This led to somewhat of a wardrobe malfunction - the sweatier I became, my rebel pilot tank was getting getting heavier and longer, which then covered my sparkle skirt more than I would have liked, but oh well. I was a sweaty, hot mess in most of these pictures.


Another beautiful sunrise.


I promised my mom I would get a picture with Darth.


Finish!


I really enjoyed the course. It went by so fast again with so much entertainment along the way. I would've like to have taken more pictures in the finish area, but I had to get back to the room to start packing up - we were going home that day (always a big bummer). I had my kids help me take pictures of all my BLING along the lovely grounds of Port Orleans Riverside.


And one more pool beer before heading to the airport.


That's a wrap folks! My "mini" trip report ended up being no so mini, but there you have it. Back to regularly scheduled programming soon.

 

[SheHulk]

Awesome report and yes it really was a great race weekend.

 

[baxter24]

Enjoyed hanging out with you before the half! You guys got great family pics on the trip!

 

[Jules76126]

Sounds like you guys had great time and congrats on your races!