Just a walk in the park - A Goofy Adventure, Day 3

I woke up at 2:30 am with an amazing sense of calm and confidence!  I woke up knowing that I had the first part of this challenge in the bag.  I know that I can run 13.1 miles.  

I also woke up a little cranky.  It was cold in Florida.  I had a tank top for my outfit.  I was also not really looking forward to the long walk to the corrals and the long wait.  I wasn't really bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I walked to the bus to start this adventure.  

Luckily, there wasn't a line for the 3:15 (that's am...in the morning) bus, so I hopped right on and made my way to Epcot for the starting line.  I hung out and shivered for a little bit, and found a couple of photo ops.

Finally, I found one of my running groups for a picture, chatted with a girl on the walk to the corral, and stopped early and often for the bathroom line.  I had some friends that I was supposed to meet up with so we could run together, but it just didn't happen.  I really just wanted to be alone.  I got settled in my corral and then I had to go to the bathroom again.  (Hey, at least I wasn't dehydrated!!)  I made my way out of the corral, got through the line, found the friends I had been looking for and found my spot back at the front. (Told you I was being anti-social)  Shortly after that...it was go time!

In typical Disney fashion, the first few miles were magically crowded.  I hung to the right, kept up my intervals, and did my thing.  Of course, I stopped for a few pictures.

And, while I was doing my best to get to him, Race Support was waiting for me at the castle.

As quickly as I had started, I was on the exit ramp for the Magic Kingdom.  I heard the last set of fireworks, telling me that the last corral had started.  I had about a 2 mile lead on them.

As I was coming up to the mile 2 marker, I ran into my friends and they waited so we could run together.  Things started getting fun after that.   I had spent 2 miles running out of my funk and I was ready for some magic!  And just like that...there it was.

The next 3 miles are my favorite part of running Disney!  I had some friends, I had my music, I was feeling great, and I was in the happiest place on earth.  (For those of you keeping score, we were running 1/1 intervals for the half.)

The miles were ticking away and the characters were keeping us occupied.

I'm gonna wreck it!  

Not my favorite movie, but you don't see this guy every day.

The Ticket and Transportation Center is full of spectators with great signs, cowbells, and enthusiasm.  It is also the first opportunity at a real bathroom.  Everyone tries to take advantage of it, so we kept plugging along.

Quick story...this one was on the left, behind the spectators.  I totally asked them to move so I could get my picture.  Belle is my favorite!!

Out of the TTC and onto the mountain at the Contemporary.  (Really...that hill is no joke.  It's a reverse hill - down and then up.  It's super steep down and then super steep up, but the reward at the the end is Main Street USA!)   Disney has a great DJ with the huge Mickey hands up there.  It helps....a little.  Princess had some characters at the top.  Not so much this time.  But, to the victors go the spoils.  Best part of the race EVER!

Not going to lie, this makes me a little teary every time I see it.  It's extra magical during a race.

We went through Tomorrowland, where Buzz was waiting for a picture.  (I stopped at Princess...no need for a redo.)  We went past the teacups, where the Queen of Hearts was holding court.

We ran through Fantasyland.  The mime from Tangled was by the Winnie the Pooh ride, but there was no time for that.  We got to the castle and it was SNOWING!  Anna, Elsa, and Christoff were on the castle to greet us.  (Now, I need to give another editorial note - running through Fantasyland seemed WAY faster this time.  Maybe there was more to see at Princess, I don't know.  I also liked the trumpeters better.  The snow, now that was pretty cool!)

I was much more aware of the crowding at the castle, and I didn't get a good picture from Marathonfoto.  Thank goodness my prince was there waiting for me!!  He took my jacket and snapped my castle shot.

Running for Sophie!  Race Support surprised me with this awesome sign.

After the castle, we slowed down for a flushing potty stop.  The miles kept flying by.

If there is a train, I am stopping for a picture!

Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip

Cindy and Charming

The princesses took us out of the Magic Kingdom.  This is the worst part of the entire course.  The fire truck and DJ were out to give support.  But, because of the fire station, the road has to be open.  This means that we have one lane to run in.  20,000 people in one lane.  There were places where it was impossible to run.  Even with the intervals, we couldn't get around people.  We sort of got swept up in the pace of the masses and did the best we could to keep going.  It's a huge bottleneck from the Grand Floridian to the Polynesian and there is not much that you can do about it.  So, when the going gets crowded, the crowded take pictures!

There was supposed to be fuel between miles 8 and 9.  I saw where it was supposed to be, but they had run out.  (Not that it matters because I bring my own, but still....)  Total party foul, Disney.

Because this is a running race and not a photo tour of Disney World, let's check in with how the running is actually going.  So, yeah...about that.  You see, on my last long run (11 miles) before the race, my foot started to hurt.  I thought it was the new shoes, so I wore my most recent pair of old shoes for the half.  Still not sure if it was the shoes, but around mile 7, my foot started to hurt.  The longer I ran, the more it hurt.  So, I did what any runner would do in my position.....I flat out ignored it and willed it to go away.  

The good news is that I was keeping my 1/1 intervals as well as I could with the crowding.  I was feeling fantastic (except for the foot thing) and I was keeping a decent pace, especially considering the pictures, the bathroom, and the mini visit with Race Support at the castle.

Now back to the photo tour, already in progress....

I knew that the dreaded mile 10 on ramp was coming.  Surprisingly, it came easier and faster than it did at Princess.  I had remembered that stretch of road going on FOREVER.  Not so much this time.  These guys were back for another day at the races.

Yeah, we see them on the way TO Magic Kingdom, but it's dark and the line is long....

What it looks like from the monorail as Race Support is heading back to Epcot.  Line is still long!

Then, here it was.....it's all uphill from here.

So, the overpass is still hard.  Sarge is still there, providing encouragement.  He was particularly hilarious.  (Two of my favorites - "This isn't a walkathon...get moving" and "This is no time for Facebook.  RUN!")  The road is still hopelessly slanted.  The on ramp still goes on forever.  But, I didn't hate it as much.  I got awesome sometime in the past 2 years!

The hills after "THE HILL" were still there.

These guys, who were there in the dark, were waiting for us to come back in the light.

The turnaround with the jumbotron was still there.  The first look at the Epcot ball from the road was still amazing.

Race Support was waiting for me at mile 12 again.  (No characters....Princess had 2 character stops here.)   There were also so pretty amazing signs waiting for us at mile 12.

All smiles!

Now it was a quick turn through Epcot and the first leg of this challenge was done.  (Now, I remember the Epcot part being long and hard at Princess.  Not so much this time!  I was still feeling great.  Foot hurt, but I was feeling strong and awesome!)

The only character picture I was actually in.

Then, it was time for the big finish!

The Gospel Choir means you are almost there!

You round the corner and there's the finish line!!

Feeling good, passing people.

It all started with a mouse.  Yep, I stopped 10 feet before the finish line to get this picture!!

Crossed the line in 3:29:46.  Not my fastest Disney race (we can thank the pouring rain at Wine and Dine for that honor), but faster than my first one.  

A few observations - the vibe was different at this race.  Different than Princess and different than Wine and Dine.  There were less costumes.  There were fewer characters.  (I am convinced about this one...)  There was more crowding.  (This could be the result of corral placement.  I was in C for Princess and L for this one.)  There was less cattiness.  People seemed nicer.  Disney ran out of fuel, but the water stops were well staffed and plentiful.  Disney volunteers are the best around, hand down.

Most importantly, I had a great time.  I fueled properly, so I felt strong.  I kept my intervals, and I felt good (well, except for the achy foot) going into the marathon.  I went back to the hotel, hugged my babies, took my ice bath, and we went to play putt putt....and eat Dole Whips!  (This will be a post of its own...that was an amazing putt putt course!)

Next up, the Marathon!

The Expo - A Goofy Adventure, Day 2

We woke up, had breakfast, and made our way onto Disney property for the Expo.

I still get excited when I see this sign!

We got to the Expo right about 10:15.  We parked in the second row of cars and we never waited in line for anything.

Of course, we had to stop for some photo ops.  (No lines....maybe it was the rain that started right when we got there, maybe it was the cold, maybe it was because it was early....moral of the story, get there early!)

First we headed to bib pick up.  Because I was running the challenge, everything I needed was on the first level.  I walked right up to the bib counter, showed my ID, signed my life away, and got my bib.  (I got a "Commemorative item" as well.  Truth time...I had NO idea what I had ordered when they handed me the envelope.  It ended up being a pin.  Pretty cool.  It was almost like Christmas.)

From there, I had to go around the top level of the building (used to be called the Field House way back in the day when my brother played there.  It has a fancy name now.) to get my challenge picture taken.  I help up my bib, smiled, and was on my way.  I did offer to try and look like death in the picture so they would recognize me at the end of the marathon.  The photographer didn't like that idea.

(Aside - my ID was checked when I picked up my bib.  My ID was NOT checked when I got my picture taken.  Disney is trying hard to crack down on bib resales.  They need to revisit this level of security.)

Once I had my stuff, we headed down to the main floor so my biggest fan could pick up his ChEAR Squad wristband and swag bag.  (I bought him the Gold Level for Christmas.  This got him prime viewing at the castle and at the finish, a t-shirt, clappers, and access to a bathroom Worth every penny!)  He went one way and I went the other to grab my  t-shirts.  All three shirts were in one place, in one bag.  Super easy.  It is important to note that the boys, who had been amazing travelers for every minute of 14 hours the day before, chose this moment in time to lose their minds.  Luckily there wasn't much else to see in this building.  The huge merchandise area had been consolidated and put in the other building since it was mostly gone.

The next stop was the actual Expo.  I was looking for exactly 2 things at the Expo - a Goofy Raw Threads shirt and my medal holder.  (Great plan, right?  Buy the medal holder before the race even starts so then you have to finish because you just bought a rather expensive medal holder.)  Between a 3 year old melt down, 7 year old whining, and a husband getting frustrated, I got my stuff and we got out of there!   On the way out, we went on the concourse of the baseball field to see the vendors there.  Race Support made a sign, I ran through the Dooney and Bourke purses (should have bought one.....darn fiscal responsibility...), and found a few more great photo ops.

See how the ones on the left are fighting?  Yep, that is how the morning was going.

By now, everyone was tired of doing Mommy things and were thinking about getting hungry, so we called the Expo a success and went on to bigger and better things....Dole Whips and the Monorail!

After our little snack (and lunch....we had lunch too), we checked into our hotel, rode the boat to Downtown Disney for some shopping and dinner, and then I came back to get in bed to start my Goofy Adventure!

Disney or Bust! A Goofy Adventure, part 1

To "save money," we decided to drive to Disney.  After the longest short week ever (with more excitement and adventure than you can imagine...but that's another post for another day!), we were packed and ready to go.

See the white tags?  Each suitcase has a tag to show where the bag needs to go.  With 4 different hotels and 3 totally different reasons for being here, we aren't lugging 8 bags into every hotel.

Amazingly, we got out of the house and on the road....ON TIME!  This is a huge deal for us.  I am sure that my amazing lists, packing and organization contributed to the on time departure.   I was hoping it was a sign that it was going to be a good day.

When we left home, it was 14 degrees....in Virginia....in January.  We didn't pack heavy, 14 degrees coats.  The first stop for the bathroom (Emporia..about a hour and a half from home) was a chilly run from the car!

Really, the drive was easy.  We stopped ever 90 minutes or so for something....bathroom, food, gas.   We had one child who couldn't wait five miles for the rest stop and had to pee in the grass on the side of the interstate.  (Hey...when  the 3 year old starts doing the potty dance with 6 hours to go, you stop.) We stopped for lunch at a wonderful Southern buffet in Lumbarton, NC.  (We found it last year when we went to Myrtle Beach!)  

Before long:

And then:

And finally!

We stopped for dinner just before Jacksonville.

And finally, after 14 hours of travel..2 meal stops...at least 6 potty stops....5 movies...and 3 great travel boys, we got to Orlando!

After a good night's sleep, we will be ready to conquer the Expo.....and get our first Dole Whip!  Priorities, folks.

See you soon, Goofy!!