That was utterly terrifying and I regret having joined you (comments welcome)

[GollyGadget]

Your photos look magical!

 

[Baloo in MI]

Your pictures make me want to go back to New York!

 

[NYC_MW]

Your photos look magical!

Thanks!

Your pictures make me want to go back to New York!

It is a pretty good place to be

 

[NYC_MW]

Marathon weekend simulation/peak week! And to quote @The Expert: I did not die

Sorta felt like I was chickening out this week by not just toughing it in the cold/rain Wed-Fri. But considering I think treadmill runs are harder than outdoor ones (and that the one machine I like is in this weird hot/stuffy corner of the gym), I'll just have to live with myself (and consider it heat acclimation). Did make it outside on Saturday though, and it was great running weather. Went up the Greenway, but forgot they closed part of it for repairs, so ended up wandering around Washington Heights for a bit while trying to figure out where I was going. Phone totally failed me on the tracking, so drew in the map by hand on Runkeeper post-run. Tried to make it as accurate as possible, but still don't really believe the mileage. Oops. Was supposed to test fueling strategies on Fri and Sat but forgot about it on Friday. On Saturday--prefuel: minibagel+PB; ~6miles: Maurten 100; ~14miles: Honey Stinger Fruit Punch gel (think the strawberry kiwi one is slightly better as it's less sweet). Think fueling strategies for marathon weekend are set. Still felt good Saturday evening (and made sure I didn't take it easy after any of the runs to fully simulate going to the parks on race days in Jan) and Sunday felt normal. Can't believe WDW is 15 days away! Time for the taper

In other news, didn't get into Cherry Blossom. That makes it 0/3 for lotteries this fall (London Marathon, Berlin Marathon [though I did put myself on the waitlist], Cherry Blossom 10M). Considering the relief I've felt after getting the rejection emails each time, maybe this answers the question posed after the Chicago Marathon of whether or not I should be doing any more marathons. FOMO brain, listen to sensible brain!

 

[NYC_MW]

Taper (and fiddling with plan since the taper seemed too steep) + Holidays + Cold Snap = runs all over the place.
One week til lift off!✈ (hope this doesn't jinx anything)

 

[NYC_MW]

Lumping 1.5 weeks together to get in one last update before the races! It was soo nice to get back outside on Saturday and Sunday.

Was going to do some kind of annual recap but spent the last couple days off obsessing over park plans (first time in AK and HS; 2nd time as adult in MK and Epcot; last trip was 2016) and now trying to squeeze in all the last minute work things before getting on a flight to MCO. Guess that's what the plane ride will be for. A little anxious going into the races but super excited; Disney, here I come!!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Have fun!

 

[azrivest]

Enjoy your weekend!

 

[NYC_MW]

Trip and race reports forthcoming (feeling a little like I'm back in elementary school and needing to turn in the "What I did over break" homework assignment ), but in the meantime, updates from the last two weeks. Since none of the MW races were "A" races, and need to keep up training for PW, took things easy this week but didn't all out rest. Tentatively will be following Higdon's intermediate 2 half plan for the next 5 weeks in preparation for the Fairytale Challenge, but depending on how race/trip buddy L wants to strategize the trip, may not go quite so all out.

Also changing up journal title now that MW2023 is over (feels bittersweet saying that).

 

[NYC_MW]

Tuesday
Had originally planned to be on first flight Wed from LGA to MCO, but reading about travel delays and wanting to maximize park time, decided to switch to a Tues evening flight. Thankfully, JetBlue had no change fees and @lookingforsunshine super generously offered to let me crash with her for one night. Worried about tourists heading home after the holidays, arrived at LGA 3 hours early, only to sit through what eventually became a 3 hour delay (oh well, at least I had a comfy seat). Flight was uneventful, but we arrived just after 1:30a, which is when the Mears counter closes at Terminal C, so had to trek over to Terminal B. Got on a van super quick and arrived at POFQ about 2:30a. @lookingforsunshine was super gracious about my keeping her up, and it was fun to finally get to meet in person, but we only chatted for ~10 minutes before each hitting the sack.

Wednesday
Up at 6:30a to drop bags off with bell services for transfer to AsMu, and grab the first bus out to AK. Arrived just before the 7:30a early entry for my first ever visit to AK, and followed the crowds into Pandora to a FOP line that was already snaking to the Festival of the Lion King.

After ~70min in line (enjoying the detail of the landscaping along the way), got to ride a magical ride. I’ve never watched Avatar, but even so, the visuals took my breath away. Followed up with Na’vi, then over to the Kilimanjaro Safari line, which again took about ~70min (recurring theme thru the weekend: I was not the most efficient of ride choosers and stoutly refused to purchase Genie+, probably to my detriment). A stroll through Gorilla Falls ended with a must-have Dole Whip before the 12p showing of Festival of the Lion King. I had seen video of the show beforehand, but it really is so much better in person, especially the tumbling monkeys.

Then got to meet the infamous broken Yeti after ~80min wait (yes, I could have gone through the SR line, and in retrospect, totally should have, but thought it would be cool to experience the line; it was not ). Meandered through the Maharajah trek to the 2:30p showing of Finding Nemo; it is indeed a lovely Big Blue World. Then off to Dinosaur, which as advertised, was very reminiscent of DL’s Indiana Jones. Picked up a popcorn bucket (I would mainly subsist on popcorn and trail mix for the next 4 days) along the way. Got to examine the Tree of Life in depth while in line for It’s Tough To Be a Bug, and that is such a work of art; so fun to search for all the different animal carvings within the trunk.

Snagged a couple of Photopass shots on the way out of the park and hopped a bus to the Expo around 4:45p. I definitely loved wandering around AK, but can also see why some people call it a half-day park. Before MW, I had planned my PW parks to be MK, Epcot, and AK, but have now switched AK to HS (partially because I missed a couple rides in HS).

Hadn’t planned on buying anything, but some friends were there, so stopped by the official merch “tent” just as they started letting standby people in. Having heard about the madness of the Expo earlier in the day, very glad to get there late. Slim pickings for merch but much more relaxed atmosphere. Hemmed and hawed over the Dopey sweatshirt for way too long, took a photo with the 48.6 display, then went to pick up bibs/shirts. Wandered back and forth in the parking lot before figuring out where the All Stars bus was, and got to my room at AsMu around 7p (thanks to the great bell services folks who dropped my bags off in the room!), picking up a chili bread bowl in the food court along the way. Prepped everything for the next day and in bed around 8p.

 

[NYC_MW]

Thursday
Up a little after 2a, got ready (today’s getup was Anastasia from Cinderella), and headed out to catch the first bus at 3a. Chatted with my seatmate who had flown in from Ireland to do Dopey and had just run the Berlin, Chicago, and I think NY marathons in the last couple months ). Got in the shortest photo line to snap a pic with Daisy in workout gear before joining the DIS meetup thanks to @RunWI1265 and @surfde22 finding lost me. So great to get to actually meet people after following and chatting with you all for the last year! One of my goals for Marathon Weekend was to meet new running friends, so was super psyched for all the meetups. In corral C for the 5 and 10k and it really did feel like we were in a cattle corral, getting squished and slowly shuffling along the starting chute. It was super cool to see Epcot lit up in the dark and all the elaborate runner costumes, but I think the 5k was my least favorite race, just due to general crowding and that it was the hottest/most humid day. Didn’t stop for character photos because lines were long, yet pace for this race was the slowest of all 4 days . Still, it was definitely the most magical 5k I’ve ever run. Return buses weren’t running yet when done, so waited a bit before heading back (someone behind me was complaining that the chips in the finishers food box had been replaced with pretzels haha). Showered and hopped on the bus for my first ever visit to HS.

Arrived just after early entry started at 8a and tried to make my way to Rise, only to find that it was down. The efficient thing probably would have been to switch to Runaway Railroad or ToT, but ended up in Toy Story Land and a ~60min wait for Slinky Dog. It was a fun ride, but maybe I had hyped it up too much or the wait blunted the experience. Then back to Galaxy’s Edge for a much anticipated blue milk, medal shot, and SR walk on for Smugglers Run. As expected, I was an engineer, but the dad and young son who were pilots were great and this was definitely a fun ride.
Saw that Rise was back up as I was leaving Batuu, so though the posted wait was 180min, had to get in line. It actually only took ~90min to get into the preshow, so was pleasantly surprised. The annoying thing was the family ahead of me suddenly ballooned from 3 people when I got in line to 14(!!) as folks got in, got out, and got back in throughout the queue . The dad behind me was getting irked as well and started pointedly telling them to move along when they weren’t paying attention to the line ahead. But boy, this ride was amazing; just so so cool in every way. Well worth every minute in line.

It started pouring as we were on the ride, so pulled out my trusty poncho and headed to Sunset Boulevard. As someone who grew up in CA and going to DL, it was funny to see how things were transplanted to FL (recurring theme throughout the weekend was me being bemused when certain things were just off between DL and WDW). ToT was down (and I had mixed thoughts about riding it to begin with) so joined the SR line for RnR. This took a little longer than expected, but it was fun and I have a hilarious Photopass of me screaming with joy and the gentleman next to me with the most terrified expression. Refilled my popcorn bucket and hit up the 1p showing of Beauty and the Beast (bittersweet when Angela Lansbury’s voice came on), then Star Tours and Muppet Vision (where I may or may not have dozed off a little).

In the most unexpectedly long line of the day, waited ~45min to meet Olaf where he was impressed by my medal and gave me a warm hug. Finally, tried to hit up Runaway Railroad, but it was posting a 3hr wait at 4:30p and I was pretty much done at this point, so sadly headed out (will have to prioritize this ride when back in Feb). Grabbed another couple Photopass shots and another chili bread bowl back at AsMu. My friend V and her DH L came in from SF this night (V would be running the 10k along with some of our other friends who were staying at BW) so I waited til they got in before passing out around 8:30p.

 

[NYC_MW]

Friday
V and I again grabbed the 3a bus out. The two of us, our friend B, B’s sister PH, and their mom were dressing as the aunties + grandma from Turning Red. It was B’s idea and his mom really decked us out with purses and the “jade” talismans we all had. V and I took a photo with Donald, and then the 5 of us got a shot with Monterey Jack before heading to the corrals. Having experience from the 5k, I just sat us down in the corrals so we could conserve energy before the start chute shuffle, which was again not fun. The other 4 were more interested in character photos along the route (V even ended up finishing with the balloon ladies due to waiting in so many lines) and I was prioritizing my MK day, so we split up soon after starting. Looking at the Photopass pix, they are all so much better at taking/posing for pictures while running than I am. Finished a little before 7a (again not waiting for any character shots), headed back to the room to shower, and ended up at MK ~10min after early entry at 8:40a.

Since MK is the most like DL, a lot of rides were must do’s purely for nostalgic reasons, but that doesn’t make it any less magical. Though I’ll be interested to see everything through my friend L’s eyes when we’re here for PW since she’s been to neither WDW or DL before. First stop, of course, Space Mountain: always great, and a pretty short line. Then stopped to visit Peter Pan in Neverland (thought about Small World as well, but the one at WDW is just so small [haha] compared with DL, so skipped) en route to Frontierland. Grabbed a fun medal shot while in line for BTMR then had to stop by Splash Mountain (and its ~45min wait) before the changeover (though I’m excited to see how they adapt it for the Tiana theme). Another fun Photopass shot from the first row, then over to Adventureland to ride Pirates (kinda missed the atmosphere of the Blue Bayou at DL) followed by a visit with Jose, Michael, Pierre, and Fritz. The Tiki Room is forever linked in my head to my dad and family trips to DL. Then a popcorn refill and the obligatory dole whip.

Headed over the visit the 999 ghouls (I always remember Woody meeting the little ghost girl in the DL 35th anniversary special when riding HM). Swung around to PeopleMover (where I caught a glimpse of Tron test runs!) then back out to Main Street to meet Mickey with my 5k and 10k medals (and a surprise visit with Mulan as well).

Caught the 2nd parade showing with the castle in the backdrop, then went back to visit the Hundred Acre Wood and Ariel’s Grotto (this day may have been the most inefficient in terms of walking back and forth through parkland). Thought about trying to catch the Adventure Cavalcade but energy was really starting to sag at this point, so finished with some Photopass shots in front of the entrance before grabbing the bus a little after 5. Picked up a pulled pork sandwich in the AsMu food court (messy; should have stuck with the chili bowl), prepped for the next day and passed out (not even registering when V&L came back from their day in downtown Orlando).

 

[NYC_MW]

Saturday
1:30 wake up for the 2:30 bus today dressed as Mr. Smee (and thank goodness this was the costume with a beanie because it was COLD, even for someone coming from NY). So thankful for the tips from other DISers (especially the Floridians) about being prepared for any temps–came equipped with gloves, handwarmer, and mylar blanket. Got some shots with Timon and Flik (and ate a Honey Stinger waffle) before the pre-race meetup (again a highlight of the morning), then headed off to the corrals. Luckily had a POT for corral B so after a port-a-potty stop, sat myself down at the very back to huddle in my blanket and eat my mini-bagel+PB [handed down protip: had brought Jif-to-go PB packets from home, one each for Sat and Sun, and picked up a plastic knife from the food court]). I’ve learned over the years that starting at the back of corrals works best for me because there’s less pressure from people behind trying to pass, which then causes me to start out too fast. This was easily the best race day: the half marathon is probably my favorite race distance anyways, there was much less crowding than the 5 and 10ks, and since I wasn’t going to any parks afterwards, I felt less rushed. And though it had the most photo stops, it was my fastest pace of the 4 days. Got some great pix of the castle in the dark, and another runner and I swapped phones to get castle shots of each other (better than the Photopass one where the foreground lighting was too strong so you couldn’t see the castle in the background). Thanks to the leaked character lists, knew I had to stop for Tinkerbell and Periwinkle (props to the Tink CM who warned Periwinkle that “it’s a pirate!” before reassuring her that I “must be a good pirate, right?” ). It was cool to see the sunrise as we were coming back towards Epcot, and since there were no lines, got pictures with Mushu, Lotso (right behind running Jack Sparrow), and Meeko. Fuel-wise: Honey Stinger Fruit Smoothie gel around mile 7, ~10oz of water before & during race, and blue Powerade bottle pretty quickly after finishing at 7:40a.


Got back to AsMu in time to do a load of laundry, scarf down the finishers snack box, and pack up just before 11a checkout (which, the app automatically checked me out before I did anything). Dropped bags off with bell-services for transfer to Kidani (V&L had dropped their bags earlier before heading off to a day at AK) then got on the bus to Disney Springs. First order of business was getting into the virtual queue at Gideon’s, then wandered for a bit, snagging a medal shot with the hot air balloon, before unexpectedly getting a character shot with the Coca-Cola bear. Met up with B and family for some window shopping and lunch at Morimoto Street Food, then was called back ~2.5 hrs later for yummy cookies. January’s limited edition flavor was Cookie Butter Butterscotch, and you were definitely hit with the aroma just walking into the store.

Some more window shopping and a Photopass session later (these were maybe the most unsatisfying photos of the whole trip), got on the bus to AKL around 4:30p. We had lucked out in renting the room via David’s back in May, and wow, it was amazing. Just entering the lobby was so cool, and then seeing zebra, giraffes, and antelope through the windows over the savannah…. Since there were 7 (then 5) of us, we were able to score a 2bdrm Savannah view without breaking the bank, and the room itself was another wonder (all that space [3 bathrooms!] and the theming throughout the room was so on point). Our balcony overlooked the Sunset Savannah, and since I arrived just around sunset, got to just sit on the balcony for ~30min, drinking coffee, eating popcorn, and enjoying all the roaming animals. This is partially why I’m pretty much one and done for Dopey. Parameters probably aren’t going to align again for me to be so spoiled with optimal park days/resorts/POT/race conditions that any other attempts will be a disappointment. Everybody else was watching Drawn to Life/grabbing dinner afterwards but since I (for once) had had foresight and knew that would be too much for me, got the room to myself to unpack, prep for the next day, and collapse into bed again around 8p.

 

[NYC_MW]

Sunday
1:30 wake up again, this time dressed as Eeyore. B and his other sister PC would also be running the full, dressed as Chip and Dale in the best home-made costumes ever (they were even featured on the runDisney FB page!). Slathered on some sunscreen (also brought along one of the single serving packets but never ended up reapplying during the race), grabbed fuel, water, handwarmer, and the mylar blankets runDisney had thankfully handed out the day before, and we headed out for the 2:30 bus. Pre-race photos with Esmerelda (sorry to @DisneyMountainWoman for maybe freaking you out when I recognized you in line haha), Tarzan, and Jasmine, then they waited for Megara while I joined the DIS’ers for one last pre-race meetup (definitely looking forward to seeing some of you again at PW and meeting new faces). Had one moment of terror when the 3 of us were walking to the corrals, remembering how horrible miles 20-24 of Chicago felt, and wondering why I had thought this was a good idea. Thankfully it was only a moment, gave self a mental shake, and went on. Pre-race fuel again = Honey Stinger waffle & mini-bagel+PB.

First couple miles were uneventful. It was pretty cool to see the leaders racing ahead when we were at mile2 and they were at mile4, but it was a lot of looping. Was definitely glad for the handwarmer (that I’d end up keeping all the way until BB) but felt much better than Saturday temp-wise. I knew the first must-do character stop was Pooh and friends around mile 8 (thanks again for the leaked lists!), so didn’t really stop for any of the photos along the way as the lines were a little long and many of them I’d gotten to see on Saturday. A little sad to miss actually meeting Eeyore, but definitely special to see Pooh and Piglet. Had set an alarm for 7a to try to get a Guardians VQ (making mile9 the 2nd slowest mile of the race in the process) but to no avail. The drum wall as we entered MK, and the line of spectators along Main Street almost got me choked up, definitely increased my pace, and reminded me just how special runDisney races are. Sadly got blocked for a “running through castle” shot, but the Photopass in front of the castle was much better than Saturday, with the sun beginning to rise in the background. Don’t really remember much else about the rest of MK and the road towards AK (was that really 4.5 miles?). Had wanted to get a photo with Dopey at mile 12, but of course, everybody else did as well, so ended up bypassing the long line. It was so fun to see the goat (with its own bib!) on the way into AK (regret not getting a photo with it) and a Photopass shot in front of Everest. And oh man, had not paid attention when everybody was talking about the real bathrooms along the route (and rarely, if ever, have bathroom breaks in races), but it was soo nice just to be able to wash my hands at a sink and splash water on my face! Thought for a nanosecond about jumping in the Everest SR line, but decided not to risk it and kept going, getting a picture of the tortoise on the way out. Was a boost to high-five B coming out of AK as he was heading in, before that looooong stretch from AK to HS (definitely felt much longer than 4 miles). Pictures with Jessie/Buzz and Donald definitely helped though. TMI but there was chafing, so the med tent right before HS was the most welcome sight. Grabbed a popsicle stick of vaseline and again was very thankful for a real bathroom. The rest of the race was a breeze. Snagged photos with Abu and Jafar, and spectators all the way from HS, along the boardwalk, and through Epcot were so amazing. Sad to run by the Test Track backlot and the choir wall for the 4th time and last time, but so glad there would be no more (also, I can still hear “caution: speed bumps ahead” in my head every time I see a speed hump in the street…). And before I knew it, that was it! 3rd marathon and the WDW MW 4race challenge in the bag. Still a little surreal thinking about it a week later. Very happily collected 3 new medals and the 4th blue powerade bottle in as many days (nixing a 4th runDisney snack box) before climbing on the AK-bound bus. Amazingly felt pretty good (much better than either of my previous marathons); I guess training actually works. Fuel-wise: Maurten 100 at miles 7 and 21; Honey Stinger Strawberry Kiwi caffeinated gel at mile14, 16oz water bottle (+ 2 refills at water stations) before & during race, blue Powerade bottle after finish.

 

[NYC_MW]

Sunday (cont.)
Got back to Kidani around 11a, showered, sat for a good 45min scarfing leftovers from previous rD snackboxes and half a Gideon’s cookie, and headed out to Epcot around 12:30p. First stop, The Seas with Nemo with no wait. Got off just in time to try for a 1pm GotG VQ and snagged a return time of ~7:40p. Wandered through SeaBase, taking obligatory aquarium pictures before Turtle Talk. Highlight was a little girl telling Crush she liked to eat sushi and his horrified expression. Then over to a ~45min wait for Soarin (such a great ride) and a walkon to Living with the Land (it would be so fun to work in the USDA lab there). Refilled the popcorn bucket before dropping in on Figment (he was never really on my radar until this last year and all of a sudden he’s everywhere) and the Pixar shorts. All while walking through Epcot, saw so many runners that still had bibs so must have come over straight after finishing–mad props to them and their stamina.

Headed to World Showcase and a ~50min wait for Remy. This was another highly anticipated ride and it definitely delivered: really fun POV and the trackless rat vehicles made me feel like we were pucks on an air hockey table. It was getting close to sunset by this time, so went back out to SE to get some Photopass medal shots (loved these) before it got too dark and travel back in time with Judi Dench. Then practically a walkon to Mission Space Orange followed by a SR walkon to Test Track. And timing worked out perfectly to head over to GotG, where callback had moved up to 6:30p. Didn’t realize it was still another ~30min wait from there to the ride, but the queue atmosphere was distracting and fun (even for someone who hasn’t watched either of the GotG movies and really only a handful of anything from Marvel). We got September for our song and the ride was again amazing, totally living up to the hype. It was a little intense, especially given the previous 4 days, but definitely so much fun.

It was 7:20p when we got out and my feet hurt and I was ready to drop, but had 2 more stops to make: Frozen Ever After and the 3 Caballeros. Frozen was nice, but in retrospect, probably should have skipped it and its ~45min wait (in my defense, decision making abilities were a bit blunted by this point). Quickly went searching for Donald through the streets of Mexico and headed towards the exit. Debated waiting 10 more min to watch Harmonious, but knowing that there would be huge crowds of everybody leaving together afterwards, gave in to the exhaustion and jumped on the bus back to Kidani.


Monday
It was so nice to sleep in! Got up around 7a to try to catch some sunrise shots of the animals on the Savannah and start packing. V&L had left on Sunday, but the rest of us had an 8:50a reservation for Boma. Had just enough time to get one last load of laundry into the dryer before walking over to Jambo and I was pleasantly surprised with how normal I felt. Boma was so so good, I can definitely see why people say it’s the best breakfast on WDW property, 100% would recommend. Went back to the room to finish packing and check out (again the app checked us out with my doing anything). The other 4 left, but my Mears shuttle wasn’t coming til 2:30p, so I dropped my bags off with bell services and wandered throughout AKL taking pictures of animals before snagging some zebra domes and relaxing on the rocking chairs overlooking the savannah in the back of the Kidani lobby. Then sadly, it was time to head home. Getting back to MCO and through security was super easy and fast, flight had no delays, and even had no issues on the MTA getting home from LGA. It truly was a most magical Marathon Weekend. Whew, that was a lot longer than it should have been; kudos if you've read to the end!

 

[azrivest]

a Photopass session later (these were maybe the most unsatisfying photos of the whole trip),

If you mean the PP studio at Springs, yep!

 

[striker1064]

I absolutely love AKL - my favorite hotel ever, anywhere. Very jealous of your 2br! I bet that was incredible.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Your "aunties and grandma" costumes are amazing. So good!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

were dressing as the aunties + grandma from Turning Red. It was B’s idea and his mom really decke

I am obsessed with this

props to the Tink CM who warned Periwinkle that “it’s a pirate!” before reassuring her that I “must be a good pirate, right?”

This is adorable

We got September for our song

I did too!

Great race and trip report. I’m so glad I got to meet you, and you rocked Dopey!!!

 

[The Expert]

As an OG owner of AKV Kidani (DH and I have our names on the tapestry in the room off the lobby), I'm biased, but it's easily my favorite Disney resort by far. So happy to see when people discover it! While I loved the convenience of BLT for the monorail and spectating, I'm seriously considering AK for my next WDW race. We usually have a car and it's so much nicer to hang out there between races when not doing a lot of park time.