Trip Report COMPLETED- Chickie RUNS Wonderland...and goes MAD!!!

Wow!!! After a long PTR, tons of planning, and several years of wanting to make this happen...it FINALLY happened! I participated in a runDisney race weekend!!! If you didn't follow the PTR, here are some of the basics...

WHEN: January 7-12
WHERE: WDW/AKL
WHO: Me (Sandy) and my friend (for part of the time)
WHAT: 5K, 10K, Half Marathon- Participant; Full Marathon- Part time cheerleader; 5 day park hopper

Hopefully, the title will explain itself as the report progresses.

January 7th

As some of you may know, I'm in the Houston area. We had a 7:30am-ish flight out of Intercontinental, so I was up bright and early after a long final day of packing and repacking. Yeah, I weighed my bag the night before and it came in at 58 lbs...before adding in things like hair stuff and makeup. It was a real challenge because I had a lot I needed to take since this wasn't your average Disney trip and the cheap fare I booked prohibited carry ons for the flight to Orlando. I really made the most of my personal item as I possibly could. I would eventually get my checked bag down to 47.5 lbs, so I was feeling good...at least heading to Orlando. I will also tell you that this is when my husband (the one who never understands why I "need" another bag) reminded me that I usually get a bag as a souvenir. I took that as...you need to buy a big bag...as in luggage!

I got a text from my friend that she was on her way in her Lyft. I live fairly close to Intercontinental and the cost to park was cheaper than two Lyfts, so I drove. We were hoping to meet up before security, but she got dropped off at terminal E and I was dropped off at C. United flies out of both and they sort of blend into each other. So, we wouldn't meet up until after security. What's funny...our flight was taking out of E, so you'd think she would have beaten me to the gate, but I got there first.

Yeah, my personal item bag (backpack) was primarily filled with all of my essential run gear. I was able to fit two out of three pairs of running shoes in there, but wore my 5K shoes for travel since those would be the first I'd need.


My friend arrived shortly after and we caught up on the details of the day so far...like all of the Disney folks she saw while going through security.

It wasn't long before it was time to board the plan. Call me a crazy planner and researcher, but I checked out our plane the night before and saw we'd be on a big 767 that had flown in from Rio. The plan was huge and the seats were super comfy. I took my seat and watched the sun start to come up...

Actually, I was in the aisle seat at first, but the flight wasn't even close to full. So, I scooted over. What's funny...a family would come over and initially think I was in their seat, but it was a really odd situation. Their adult kids were behind me and the wife actually was booked for that window seat I'd scooted into, but the husband had been bumped up into the really luxe looking business class, so his seat number was reassigned to me. The wife told me I could have the window, so that was sweet, but she ended up sitting in the middle section with three seats because her husband decided he'd be in hot water with her if he went off to sit in the luxurious seating all by himself. So, now I had both seats to myself to stretch out.

We took off right on time...

Bye Houston!!!

Bye Galveston!!! Ok, I think it's Galveston!

And this...well, I'm guessing it's Louisiana, but it looked neat with the sun!

I'm a big fan of United's entertainment app, so I was a bit delayed in realizing we had crossed into Florida airspace.

My friend had what I've dubbed "the good side of the plane," so no attempts at photographing Disney from the air this time.

Going east, we always have a crazy tailwind (the actual wind, not the exercise fuel-hahahaha), so we arrived super early. With all of our run gear, I wasn't taking any chances with luggage, so we went to baggage to collect our bags. Thankfully, no issues. Then it was off to the Magical Express. Of course, I picked the slowest line, but we'd eventually get where we needed to be.

(YAY DISNEY!!!)

We got the boring Mears bus on the right. Boooo!!! But hey, it was taking us to Disney and we had a super fun driver. She was crazy excited, which is always nice.

Bye bye, more magical looking MEs! I guess I haven't been through MCO in a while (2014?) because of road trips to FL, so I hadn't seen these in person. At first, I thought they were DCL buses. Nice!

We also didn't have to wait too horribly long for them to fill up the bus.

I was not in a good spot to capture us going under the Maingate, so this was the awful pic I got. LOL

We are never EVER the first (or even second) stop, so it wasn't any shock when we pulled up to Pop.

 

[Swissmiss]

Yikes, what a race! Glad you were able to finish before getting sick.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Love the photo where you’re running and everyone else is walking. Super jealous of your Oswald photo, I got Dopey that day because the line the day before was too long. Then didn’t think I had time for Oswald.

Sympathies on the tummy issues. I’m still struggling to get mine under control on my long runs, that reminds me I must start writing my trip report

 

[MinnieM123]

Great race photos and that was a fun costume you wore!

By the way, I like the photos you shared of The Outer Rim. I've seen practically no photos of that for many years now, so your pictures really caught my eye!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yikes, what a race! Glad you were able to finish before getting sick.

Yeah, it was not how I thought this would go, but I'm glad my body held out long enough for me to get it done.

Love the photo where you’re running and everyone else is walking. Super jealous of your Oswald photo, I got Dopey that day because the line the day before was too long. Then didn’t think I had time for Oswald.

Sympathies on the tummy issues. I’m still struggling to get mine under control on my long runs, that reminds me I must start writing my trip report

Yes! I'm quite fond of that running one as well! I got there pretty early and getting in that line for Oswald was pretty much the first thing I did. I missed out in meeting him at DCA in 2015 and this below was the best I got. I remember seeing the line grow considerably behind me and hearing others talk about how everyone past a certain point likely wouldn't meet him. At least you got to see Dopey.

I'm usually pretty good with these things. I mean, I know it's one of those things that all runners seem to fear and have stories on, but I never thought I might wind up with a DNS for it. Hopefully, we can both figure ours out

I am really bad at doing these rushed TRs...like I get back and just want to get it done. It's also good though, because I'm starting to think about next time and writing out details makes it easier for me to plan and really reflect on what I could do better/different.

Great race photos and that was a fun costume you wore!

By the way, I like the photos you shared of The Outer Rim. I've seen practically no photos of that for many years now, so your pictures really caught my eye!

Thanks! I really loved my 10k and half costumes. They weren't professional looking like some of the costumes out there, but they were original and I didn't see anyone doing anything like this.

I like Outer Rim. Sure, you get some of the noise and crowds passing by for Chef Mickey's, but it's much easier to get a seat there over Cali Grill's lounge and unlike the Wave's lounge, you at least have daylight and a view outside. As a Mary Blair fan, it also gives me a spot to relax and take in the mural.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

One other little note about the 10k before I get into the half. I had packed some ClifBlok chews in my shorts pocket beforehand. I find I sometimes prefer those when I need a little pick me up. I also water down my Tailwind, so it's not a huge deal...i.e. not overdoing it with nutrition, especially since I tend to go out fasted. Well, before the race, I noticed I had a hole in my shorts pocket on the right side. I didn't want to risk losing my phone, so I moved it to the left and put the chews in my right, thinking they wouldn't fall through. Nope...lost them somewhere out on the course. I didn't need really need them, but I hated to lose a back up plan that I could have also packed for the half.

So, I got back to the room to clean up. My friend was still relaxing and in wake up mode. We didn't have anything until around 11:30am, so there wasn't a major hurry...aside from wanting Mousekeeping to get to the room. She was leaving today, so she also wanted to finish up the bulk of her packing. She didn't have to worry about check out time since I was staying through Sunday and it was only Friday. We eventually were ready and made our way to the bus area where we grabbed a bus to MK. We decided to skip the walk today and opted for the resort loop to the Contemporary.

We arrived with time to spare, so we did a little bit of shopping. I was really tempted several times...

We made our way downstairs as we got closer to ADR time.

I've always wanted to try the Wave, but it never works into our schedule. My parents really enjoy it and it's been getting a lot of positives from various podcasters and vloggers. So, I made sure we worked it in.

We were still a little early, so we had a seat and waited until they were ready for us.

We were seated just minutes later...

Our server was super nice and helpful. I actually had a lot of options here too and ways they could modify a number of things for me as well. In the end...I just wanted a burger. I don't get them often because not everyone has GF/DF buns, but they did and they just left off the cheese. I also heard on a podcast that their burger was surprisingly good. I also didn't want to eat anything crazy since I didn't want to anger my stomach. I forget what my friend ordered, but I know it involved tofu and it was supposedly excellent. My burger was delicious and really hit the spot.

Now here's where I feel like my mind took its first deep dive into madness. We went to pay and I couldn't find my Disney Visa in my wallet. So, here I am, in the middle of the restaurant, emptying the entire contents of my wallet all over the table and freaking out. If I lost my Disney Visa, I'd have to stop the card...and that's the one attached to the room and my magic band. I'd also miss out on my discounts. I knew I had enough on my rewards card for this meal and that would also give me the discount, so I paid with that, but it didn't resolve the issue of the actual Visa card. And then...after nearly 10 minutes of panic (even our server was trying to help me jog my memory)... it hit me!!! While I didn't notice my medical insurance card missing, I did notice my driver's license was also gone. At first, the panic of how will I fly home crossed my mind...and then I remembered...

I put these three cards in my hydration pack for the race, just in case something happened and I needed them. My pack was back at the room, so my cards were still zipped into the side pocket of the pack. WHEW!!!!!!!! I cannot believe I forgot! I had other ways to pay if I really needed it, but still...it was a scare.

On our way out, I took a pic of the lounge area. This thing always looks so cool in photographs, but in person, it looks like such a strange afterthought.

My friend wanted to check out one more thing in the shops on the way out...so, I just looked out the window and remembered all of the times we've been in this exact spot as a family.

My friend also thought I was nuts the other day when I mentioned the 5-legged goat in the Mary Blair mural. Today was my opportunity to point it out. I have so many pics of it that I didn't bother this time. We decided to grab a monorail to get back to MK so she could have a farewell lap...a tradition I like at the end of a trip when it's possible. The only problem...the monorail started having problems just before the TTC. It's never good when you stop between stations and they are crawling underneath the monorail to check things out.

We were stopped here for several minutes, which freaked me out. I told my friend that I didn't want to risk being stuck in a bad area. We weren't quite ready to walk from the TTC, but I said we'd be going through the Poly and getting a boat to MK if anything sounded bad after that. It was making some really ugly noises during braking, so we got off at the Poly. Can I just say that I miss the Aloha sign! If it's still there...I don't know where they moved it. I still gave a hearty ALOOOOOHA upon entering!

Soooooooooooo many memories!!! It's still not my favorite resort, but I do love coming through here. I also pointed out some the hidden Mickeys my friend may have missed.

On the way outside, I suggested we stop at Pineapple Lanai for a true Dole Whip, but my friend said what she had at Wine Bar George was enough. So, we moved on and started heading to the boat dock.

Once on the boat, I gave my friend the customary "no dancing" warning.

She had never seen or heard this before, but once you've heard it, you will always see that when you see this warning.

And we're on our way to MK.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I believe it was this bag check where the girl at security informed me that my bag was made of seat belts. Yup...that's what Harveys does. I told her that it's even better because it's a Mickey one...and she looked at me like I was nuts. My brain was such mush that this could have even happened earlier in the trip. Heck, I may have even told this story earlier in this very TR. Losing my mind!

So, this is where my friend and I part ways and this becomes a solo trip. She promised to check the room and look in my pack for my IDs and credit card...and put them in the safe. She went off to the AKL bus stop and I was headed to Boardwalk. I had a little bit of a wait, but had my first cool meet up moment during that wait. I saw a woman that I was pretty certain was one of the wheelchair/hand cyclist racers in one of my run groups. She's also in the Houston area, so it's also a person (as well as her husband) that I could see at local races. I've never met her in person and we were outside of the meet and any race stuff, so I felt a bit awkward going up to them at this point. I was also noticing that the onions from my burger were pretty potent, so I wanted to get some mints before I talked to anyone. Still, it was super cool and I started getting that OMG, I'm about to see all of these people sort of feelings.

Our bus got there pretty quickly and it was off to BWI.

I found the shop at BWI, but I wasn't finding any mints. So, I looked around a little.

I would eventually find a little tin of mints. Disney mints!

Mint is also pretty good for soothing the tummy, so I looked at them for medicinal purposes as well.

I had some time to spare, so I just waited around and took some pictures.

I also took a casual me pic with my medal.

Somewhere at this point, I got a text from my friend. She was STILL at MK waiting on a bus. It wasn't as bad as our DS bus wait, but she said it was between 35-40 minutes when they finally got a bus back to AKL. UGH!

Oh and while I looked at this, I didn't dare go in...because I don't know if I can resist the things I know will hurt my tummy in here.

You'll also notice Ample Hills in that picture. We were originally going to meet up there, but with the sun, they decided we were better off meeting in the shade. So, we met in the shade.

So, you may be asking what all of this is. I previously brought up RezRuns, but there are a number of Disney vloggers and podcasters. They've become friends over the last few years and started doing these meet ups during race weeks. The meets have gotten so large that they had to pick a non-park spot to meet. In fact, there were so many people at this meet (estimated at least 225, I believe, at the peak), that it got the attention of several cast members and they were afraid things would get broken up.

So, who all was here? 1. RezRuns + his coach, A Sometimes Athlete 2. Go Find Your Awesome/Running with Grace 3. TriTwinsMom 4. Joyful Miles 5. Laura Runs and Eats 6. Rice Rice Runner 7. Kimberly Estabrook and 8. Running in Makeup/Running with Shin Splints There may have been more (I think there's at least one I'm missing), but this is already A LOT! This may all sound like gibberish if you don't follow any of these people, but if you do...you probably can understand the excitement... as well as being a bit starstruck.

With it being so crowded, I knew I might not even get to meet any of them. I'm a rather extroverted person, but I also read mingling situations in this and try not to butt in to a conversation at a bad time. So, I just started meeting people around me...and I met some truly wonderful people...even some who traveled quite a long way to be here. I also got to meet the woman and her husband that I saw at the BWI bus. She was off to the side, so I thought it might be good...but turns out, she was trying to finish up her ice cream. I apologized, but they were super nice about it and hopefully I'll get to see her at some local events. During the meet, I didn't really get to chat with any of the notables, but I did get to say hi to "A Sometimes Athlete" before they went into coaching talk for the group.

So, Coach Karen (A Sometimes Athlete) and Coach Heather (Go Find Your Awesome/Running with Grace), got up to talk to everyone about the upcoming races...the half and the full.

There was a lot of concern with the weather for both of these runs. The low for both races was projected to be 70 with high humidity. The half was less of a concern since it's a shorter race, but the full could put people in temps in the mid 80s for some time. There was a lot of intel floating around that it was going to go from a red flag to a black flag classified race and that Disney was already doing things to try and make both races safer for runners. All in all, it was just a reminder to be smart and all of these last minute things we should all be doing to keep safe.

So, here I am in the middle of this meet and I have a Slinky Dog FP. I'm not bashing Slinky Dog, but I wasn't wowed from what I've seen. Not that I don't want to ride it at some point, but I didn't feel like I had to or needed to. Slinky dog will be there all the time, but this meet was a one time thing for this event. So, I stuck around and tried to chat as much as I could. I don't know if I was trying too hard at the end or what, but I felt like I had a couple of cringe-worthy interactions before moving on. It's one of the pitfalls of being an extrovert with filter issues. Ha!

1. I saw a girl with a Texas tattoo and asked her if she was in the state, because I am too. She grew up there but doesn't live there anymore. She wasn't mean or anything like that...I just felt like I made awkward conversation. I had a similar awkward encounter with one of the vloggers...like...You're in Austin and I'm in Houston.
2. On my way out, I saw Kimberly Estabrook. I saw from one of her videos that we have the same bday, so I noted it. She was sweet about it, but I couldn't help but feel really stupid saying that when I met her. If you've ever seen the Beavis and Butthead movie that came out in the mid 90s, it reminded me of the scene where Butthead meets Chelsea Clinton at the White House and says "I see you have braces...I have braces too." Yes, I know this isn't exactly a quality piece of cinema, but it's where my mind went. LOL
3. I passed some of the Joyful Miles people as I was heading to the boat and randomly thanked them for all they do. It just sounded odd...like I should have said thanks for the videos and podcasts. I don't know. I felt strange.

This is all probably just in my head, but I am prone to analyzing things like this to death and then some.

So, I headed to the boat so I could head over to HS. I missed my FP for Slinky and had no desire to ride any of my other FPs (the tiers here are just awful), but I had to get some merch for family. I also didn't feel bad about not getting much out of this park day. I needed the rest and the 4-day and 5-day tickets on Undercover Tourist cost the same.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It wasn't too long before the boat arrived and I was on my way. I think at this point, I've also been on every mode of free Disney transport for this trip except for the ferry.

Time to head into HS.

I actually was in my FP window for Star Tours, but I just wasn't in the mood. So, I got a couple of things at Tatooine Traders (at least I think that's the name) and headed back out to wait on a bus. This is what I bought...

Not sure why, but I took this video while waiting.



It didn't take too long to get a bus and we were on our way back to AKL. I would come back to a clean room, which was nice. My friend took the body lotion figuring they'd give us more, but that would be the one thing they never replenished. I did also get a pic from her of a treat she picked up at the Mara before heading out.

I had a dinner ADR for Jiko. I was hoping to move it up, but I wasn't seeing anything, so I stayed put for a while and took in the crazy moon coming up.

Also took a pic of my growing medal collection.

I was hoping I'd like it more in person, but I'm still not a fan of the 10k medal. I love Oswald, but there's just something about the black. Maybe it's because it makes it look like a rubber medal. People have also been having problems with the yellow outline coming off.


Oh, and when I was at the meet, Jen from Go Find Your Awesome was handing out wrist bands. I wore it for the rest of the trip because I was really needing to find some inspiration.

I also was starting to accumulate snack boxes.

There was a mass outcry for Disney to bring back the cheese after replacing it with hummus for Wine & Dine. I can't eat it, but I figured I could bring it to the kids. Let's just say this stuff disappeared quickly!

So, I just relaxed for a bit. I got tired of doing the Must Do's with Stacey (another tradition I introduced to my friend) and found a channel with Disney parks music. How have I never seen this before? Or is it newer?

It was also around this time when I realized my Garmin run map data would show me in the Disney parks. Not sure why, but this felt so freaking cool to me.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

As you an see, I also ran on water during the 5k! Impressive stuff! LOL

While I was waiting, I figured I'd use my friend's now vacant bed to lay out flat me for the half.

I was still a bit early, but decided to head down and see if Jiko could work me in a little early.

They said they'd see what they could do. Before going off to wait, I heard one of the hosts talking to her manager and seeing if he could work anything to get me in sooner since I was running in the morning and should probably get to bed to get some sleep. Very kind of her! Oh yeah...and proof AKL is still in holiday mode. A tree while I wait.

Not the fanciest of footwear, but I once again had switched into my white sneakers for a nicer meal.

I also took my time to set my alarms while I waited. The buses for the half started at 3am, so I needed to be up a little bit earlier.

I got a text that my table was ready. I'm not sure how long I waited, but I was seated 15-20 minutes early.

Jiko is another first for me and I've wanted to try it for a long time. My servers were great, they completely understood why I wasn't drinking or having dessert, and they did so much to make my meal safe.

I started with this salad. The only part I didn't eat much of were the toasted pumpkin seeds, for fear they might bother my stomach.

They also had a safe roll with this really earthy oil.

And this was my beautiful entree that they customized to make safe for me. OMG...fall off the bone tender meat.

I was really impressed with Jiko. I think I still prefer some of the offerings at Sanaa, but I can see a return to Jiko in my future. Excellent food and service. They all also wished me luck on the way out.

I headed up after I was done and snapped a pic of the tree, because you just never know when Christmas is going to go away.

Before getting to bed, I thought I heard a vehicle outside. Looks like it's a night safari.

Now, I wasn't in bed as early as most people would be for these races. In fact, that's bee:n the case for all of these nights, but I think this was my best night so far. I was in bed around 8:30pm. One little thing I did right before bed was cancel my ADRs for the next day. I had no idea how I was going to feel after the half, so I didn't want to be committed to any places or times. I'd just book ADRs on the go as need be.

So, this all sounds good, right? In bed early, didn't walk a ton today, no longer had a roommate so no in room disruptions, no drinking, safer food choices, etc. Well, it was my worst night of sleep yet...and with good reason....at least in my opinion. I knew going into this trip that there'd be some really bad weather at home on the day of the 10k. In the early stages, it sounded like it might impact the kids getting to school...then it sounded like it would impact them getting home from school...then it sounded like it would be dinner time...and it turned out to be an 11pm CT to 2am CT sort of thing.

My dad has dual degrees at multiple levels...one being meteorology, so I get really serious about bad weather. My husband...not so much. Lightning...sure go play outside. We have a lot of really big trees and were expecting high winds and a possibility of tornadic activity, so I was scared to have the kids sleep upstairs. I know it's really because he didn't think it was a big deal, but I'm sure he also didn't want it cutting into his late night video games and movie watching. So, he had the kids sleep in their bedrooms. I wasn't home to insist they stay downstairs until the worst passed us, so all I could do was worry and watch the home cameras. It was after midnight ET when I finally fell asleep, and I still woke up a couple of times before my alarm to check...because in my mind, I kept picturing strong winds or lightning bringing down one of the huge oaks and having it slice through both kids' rooms. Obviously and thankfully, that did not happen, but the mind can do some crazy things!

So, I'm going into the half with less than 2 hours of sleep and a whopping 7 hours total since racing began. Add on several days where I did waaaay too much walking and the potential for more stomach issues and I was a mess. So, let's go run 13.1 miles on top of all of this. What could go wrong?

__________________________________________________________

Coming up...the half, and a whole lot of thoughts on it and everything leading into it.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

By the way, is it too early to start a PTR for the next one?!?!? I'm already throwing around all kinds of ideas and plans. It's madness!

 

[Spash007]

Sorry for the like overload - I've been meaning to read your TR and just binged it. Sorry to hear about the tummy issues, but thats great they went away on their own for you to enjoy the race itself!

I also just saw on the news about the explosion in Houston - talk about weird timing. Hoping that doesn't affect you or anyone you know!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Sorry for the like overload - I've been meaning to read your TR and just binged it. Sorry to hear about the tummy issues, but thats great they went away on their own for you to enjoy the race itself!

I also just saw on the news about the explosion in Houston - talk about weird timing. Hoping that doesn't affect you or anyone you know!

It's all good! I also don't make it easy on people since I tend to rush the posting of my reports.

Yes, I'm very happy that my tummy made it through the corral time and the race. I would have been so upset if I had to bail. Disney races cost too much and are too neat to have to miss out.

We're pretty far from the blast, but I heard a big boom in the middle of the night. While I didn't think it came from inside, I checked the kids just to make sure nobody fell out of bed. I checked the time on my phone before going back to sleep and it matched the blast time they were reporting on the news. My husband thought I was nuts since nobody else in the house woke up from it, but the news and a bunch of people on Nextdoor said it was heard from our town as well. So, I guess I heard it. My friend in this TR is much closer. It shook their house and something hit their roof (which is OK). It sounds like people not too far from them had windows blown out.

 

[Loco_driver]

Finally getting caught up. Sorry about your stomach troubles, awesome that you were able to push through it. I’ve had this happen on a run at home one time. Luckily we live way out in the country, so I didn’t have anyone around as I got sick. Needless to say I didn’t finish that run. I had to call my wife and have her come get me. My wife is a big worrier when it comes to the weather too! We had a few small tornadoes not too far from us that night(it wasn’t too bad at our house), and she was of course freaking out.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Finally getting caught up. Sorry about your stomach troubles, awesome that you were able to push through it. I’ve had this happen on a run at home one time. Luckily we live way out in the country, so I didn’t have anyone around as I got sick. Needless to say I didn’t finish that run. I had to call my wife and have her come get me. My wife is a big worrier when it comes to the weather too! We had a few small tornadoes not too far from us that night(it wasn’t too bad at our house), and she was of course freaking out.

I get really nervous about things happening to me like this at home because I normally run on our town's forested green belts. If I need my husband to come get me, I have to make my way to the nearest street...which isn't always close. He's tech challenged so navigating him to me would be interesting, to say the least. My husband said it wasn't bad near us, but I let the weather media's fear mongering get to me.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Well, I was hoping to put up everything about the half tonight, but I let the teenager use my main computer and she wiped out the document I was using for the TR . So, I'll be starting that day from scratch and may have a little bit of it up tonight.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Well...it's not quite all that I'd previously written, but it's a good start...

January 11th

Needless to say, I was ridiculously tired. The funny thing was that my not wanting to get out of bed for the race was more about approaching another day of massive race crowds and not so much the lack of sleep. Oh well, I got up...I got dressed...made my drink bottles for my belt...and got out in time to make the first bus. I also noticed on my way out that Christmas was gone from AKL, which is impressive, since it was just before 3am.

I grabbed a seat on the bus and closed my eyes.

I didn't go into deep sleep, but I did fall asleep on the bus.

I got my belt checked and headed towards the stage. I wasn't up for meeting any characters this morning. I just wanted to rest and be ready to move once the corrals opened.

I sat on the bleachers near the stage while waiting. I closed my eyes from time to time, but was still trying to take everything in around me. I started feeling a bit down because many of the people from the previous day's meet were now right in front of me. No, these weren't the people I chatted with...these were all of the vloggers, bloggers, podcasters, coaches, etc. I know they've been doing these races for years and have these established traditions and friendships, but it was a very "outside looking in" sort of feeling to see them all congregating to dance and socialize before the race. I'm sure they all would have been very nice if I went up to say hi, but I was just too tired to try insert myself into their conversations. One of them even posted a video from the half and I can see myself in the background of her video dozing off and trying to wake up with my phone.

I did have a bright spot in all of this. It almost felt like the universe was trying to tell me it's all good...because I was pretty gloomy at this moment. So...happened? You may recall the man standing behind me in the Oswald line on the morning of the 10k. In this massive crowd of runners (I've heard as many as 27K), this same guy happens to come across me sitting in the bleachers and came up to say hi. I still laugh because he remembered me as the caterpillar from the previous day and remembered my half costume. Aside from making me feel like I had a friend in the crowd, he showed me this amazing hat that he crafted for his half costume. It looks awesome, but the mouth actually opens up and has teeth in it. I was so impressed, but even happier he found me. It was so brief, but it was the pick me up I really needed.

Shortly after this, I got the following text from my husband.

Yeah, he was still up, but it's not out of the norm for him either. It was "only" 3:09 am at home and while we're both night owls, he often loses track of time and plays video games until 4 or 5 am. Hopefully, you can also see the snarky tone to it.


Shortly after this, I noticed that one of the coaches I follow and the majority of her client started marching out of the dance area. It looked serious, so I suspected they were heading to the corrals. I ran to the porta potties first, but I was kind of lost when I came out. I knew the corrals were in a different area from the 5k or 10k, so I tried to head towards where I saw movement in the crowd and I would eventually find the masses moving where I needed to go...



While I'd already gone once, I decided to learn from the previous day's mistakes and not trust that "I feel fine" feeling...especially when I'm so sleep deprived. So, I hit the corral porta potties before making the final push into my corral.

I chatted with a few people on the way in, but we all went our separate ways.

Just like previous mornings, everyone kept packing in and kept pushing in.

And if it seems like a lot of people in front of me, I'm actually in the front quarter of corral F. F was MASSIVE...over 8,000 runners, from what the bugs suggest, for this corral. Look at all of these F runners behind me!

Initially, I wanted to get right up at the front of F so I had as much of a cushion from the balloon ladies as possible, but this was going to have to do. I know people push through to get farther up, but I was just going to be happy with where I was.

I was feeling a bit tired and we still had a decent amount of time before the start, so I sat down in the corral. I wasn't the only one.

I even closed my eyes for a bit. I posted this pic to one of my groups asking if it was possible to sleep-run this thing.

I didn't really feel like it was that huge of a walk to the corral, but my Garmin said otherwise...and it's probably right, since all of the people I follow always note how much of a hike this is...before doing any running.

I feel like things went really quickly this morning. Before I knew it, the national anthem was happening...and today, it had some fireworks choreographed in. I missed the earlier ones, but got the ending ones.



After that, they started releasing the corrals. I guess bigger race, longer distance, higher cost = better fireworks for everything.

I'm not sure if it was just me, but I really felt like they were pretty speedy with releasing the corrals. I mean, I felt like very little time had passed and we'd already moved up to the C area.

Another one of the crowds behind me.

Still pushing closer...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I really thought they were going to hold us, because the waves for the 5k and 10k seemed much smaller, but we were off!

I actually got a little bit emotional, but like all of the races, it's kind of blah at first. So, I just sort of pulled it together and ran. I wasn't pushing myself and just wanted to take it all in, but I also wasn't stopping early on because I was tired and scared of falling too far behind. There were tons of character stops...much more than the other races...and I know there are people with lists of them out there. Still, I didn't stop for any of this at this point in the run. It also didn't help that I let the words of a couple of tactless women get in my head at this point.

As many of you know, I am an interval runner...aka- run/walk/run. Olympian Jeff Galloway, the one who does all of the rD training plans, even promotes this. LOTS of runners use this method...fast, slow, old, young...you name it...lots of people use it. It does involve a certain amount of etiquette in a race, and it's a bit challenging at Disney with the crowds, but it's still doable. When you need to slow down to a walk, you do a combo of raising your hand to let others know you're slowing, try and get to the right, and look around for others before actually slowing...since you don't want people crashing into each other. I received several compliments during all three races I did for doing this correctly, but I ended up in the earshot of a couple of ladies clearly frustrated by someone who did not. I understand the frustration, but the rest of the conversation is what really hurt.

One lady said that she felt it was a great way for people to get into running, but that the method doesn't belong in races. The other said that that might be a bit much, but that people who use this practice should be pushed to the last corral. I wasn't the only one who heard comments like this over the course of the weekend. I won't get into some of the other things people heard that were worse, far worse, but it's not fun to encounter people like this when you've worked so hard to get here. Some were even doing what they were supposed to...staying far right to walk...and having people running and weaving around them in these areas and making nasty comments. I know these ugly people are the minority and that most of the run community is pretty awesome. I know this was also a private conversation and they are entitled to their opinions, but I still feel there's a time and place for such discussions and the middle of the half marathon was a pretty obnoxious spot to loudly discuss such things. One person suggested I post this on Jeff Galloway's page, but I think I'd rather just move on. A few people did make a really valid point...if they're that fast and annoyed by people needing to slow, why didn't they get in a proof of time to get them into an earlier corral?

Thankfully, this ridiculously awesome sight was ahead and it made it easier to forget about what I'd heard.

Next landmark...the Contemporary.

And there she is...like a big sparkly homing beacon calling me...calling all of us!

Seeing the monorail beam reminds me...I saw it in videos, but remember how incredibly cool it was to have the monorails going overhead and along side of us...honking their horns every time they passed.

It was also pretty neat running through here. Aside from the shadows created with the lighting, I was reminded of how many times I've driven this section...and now to be running on it!

The cones also reminded me...there were a lot of runners trying to weave around slower people and walkers in this first half of the race. I saw at least two runners go down because they misjudged the cones. This section above was also dangerous. I saw one woman fall off the curb and fall into the pack of runners. She was OK, but it's really scary when you have this many people and a fall occurs.

As we neared MK, I started to get pretty emotional and excited. This was why I first set a Disney half as a goal in 2014 and this is part of why I decided to add the half a couple of weeks after booking the 5k and 10k.

The crowds around the TTC were pretty awesome, but nothing would prepare me for running into MK.

_____________________________________________________________________

Coming up...the most magical part of the race, my body telling me I've done too much, and choosing to have fun with the rest of the course.

 

[Swissmiss]

Sorry you had to deal with negative comments. My philosophy is other runners don’t know me, so I try not to let their rudeness get to me. And as I was reading your post, my thoughts went immediately go why were they in F if they were fast runners ... chances are, they had a higher impression of their speed and capability than reality, because if you are a serious runner, you don’t forget to submit a POT. And let’s face it, it’s only a “race” for a few dozen runners in A. For the rest of us, it is about personal goals and being proud of what we accomplish.

 

[MinnieM123]

I wasn't the only one who heard comments like this over the course of the weekend. I won't get into some of the other things people heard that were worse, far worse, but it's not fun to encounter people like this when you've worked so hard to get here. Some were even doing what they were supposed to...staying far right to walk...and having people running and weaving around them in these areas and making nasty comments. I know these ugly people are the minority and that most of the run community is pretty awesome. I know this was also a private conversation and they are entitled to their opinions, but I still feel there's a time and place for such discussions and the middle of the half marathon was a pretty obnoxious spot to loudly discuss such things

But, it was not a private conversation, in that they obviously wanted everyone around them to hear of their displeasure. It's one thing for them to have an opinion -- it's another thing entirely, to loudly verbalize it while everyone there is just doing their personal best, during the race. I think they were rude and condescending.

And, as you mentioned, a number of people would pull off to the right, to let other fast runners pass.

Unfortunately, with such a large crowd, you're probably bound to get a few nitwits who insult others.

Congratulations to all who finished the race.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

I really thought they were going to hold us, because the waves for the 5k and 10k seemed much smaller, but we were off!

I actually got a little bit emotional, but like all of the races, it's kind of blah at first. So, I just sort of pulled it together and ran. I wasn't pushing myself and just wanted to take it all in, but I also wasn't stopping early on because I was tired and scared of falling too far behind. There were tons of character stops...much more than the other races...and I know there are people with lists of them out there. Still, I didn't stop for any of this at this point in the run. It also didn't help that I let the words of a couple of tactless women get in my head at this point.

As many of you know, I am an interval runner...aka- run/walk/run. Olympian Jeff Galloway, the one who does all of the rD training plans, even promotes this. LOTS of runners use this method...fast, slow, old, young...you name it...lots of people use it. It does involve a certain amount of etiquette in a race, and it's a bit challenging at Disney with the crowds, but it's still doable. When you need to slow down to a walk, you do a combo of raising your hand to let others know you're slowing, try and get to the right, and look around for others before actually slowing...since you don't want people crashing into each other. I received several compliments during all three races I did for doing this correctly, but I ended up in the earshot of a couple of ladies clearly frustrated by someone who did not. I understand the frustration, but the rest of the conversation is what really hurt.

One lady said that she felt it was a great way for people to get into running, but that the method doesn't belong in races. The other said that that might be a bit much, but that people who use this practice should be pushed to the last corral. I wasn't the only one who heard comments like this over the course of the weekend. I won't get into some of the other things people heard that were worse, far worse, but it's not fun to encounter people like this when you've worked so hard to get here. Some were even doing what they were supposed to...staying far right to walk...and having people running and weaving around them in these areas and making nasty comments. I know these ugly people are the minority and that most of the run community is pretty awesome. I know this was also a private conversation and they are entitled to their opinions, but I still feel there's a time and place for such discussions and the middle of the half marathon was a pretty obnoxious spot to loudly discuss such things. One person suggested I post this on Jeff Galloway's page, but I think I'd rather just move on. A few people did make a really valid point...if they're that fast and annoyed by people needing to slow, why didn't they get in a proof of time to get them into an earlier corral?

Thankfully, this ridiculously awesome sight was ahead and it made it easier to forget about what I'd heard.

Next landmark...the Contemporary.

And there she is...like a big sparkly homing beacon calling me...calling all of us!

Seeing the monorail beam reminds me...I saw it in videos, but remember how incredibly cool it was to have the monorails going overhead and along side of us...honking their horns every time they passed.

It was also pretty neat running through here. Aside from the shadows created with the lighting, I was reminded of how many times I've driven this section...and now to be running on it!

The cones also reminded me...there were a lot of runners trying to weave around slower people and walkers in this first half of the race. I saw at least two runners go down because they misjudged the cones. This section above was also dangerous. I saw one woman fall off the curb and fall into the pack of runners. She was OK, but it's really scary when you have this many people and a fall occurs.

As we neared MK, I started to get pretty emotional and excited. This was why I first set a Disney half as a goal in 2014 and this is part of why I decided to add the half a couple of weeks after booking the 5k and 10k.

The crowds around the TTC were pretty awesome, but nothing would prepare me for running into MK.

_____________________________________________________________________

Coming up...the most magical part of the race, my body telling me I've done too much, and choosing to have fun with the rest of the course.

I’m pretty disgusted at the attitude of those runners, I follow Galloway intervals and got a half pb to get me in corral C. I’ve persuaded friends to try it, and they’re improving their times. As long as you’re considerate of other runners, I don’t see the issue. I find groups of runners running 3 or more abreast far more annoying. During the marathon there were Galloway pacers in corral A, pacing I think a 3.15 or 3.30 marathon.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Sorry you had to deal with negative comments. My philosophy is other runners don’t know me, so I try not to let their rudeness get to me. And as I was reading your post, my thoughts went immediately go why were they in F if they were fast runners ... chances are, they had a higher impression of their speed and capability than reality, because if you are a serious runner, you don’t forget to submit a POT. And let’s face it, it’s only a “race” for a few dozen runners in A. For the rest of us, it is about personal goals and being proud of what we accomplish.

I did my best to try and push it out of my head, but negativity has a nasty habit of creeping in during the quiet moments and the difficult times. With it being a Disney race, most people I know were aiming for personal worsts and treating this as their victory lap. That sounds funny after all the work we've put in, but I guess I wouldn't have picked running Disney as a goal if just running were my objective. I would eventually shift into that mindset for this run/walk as well and start to enjoy it.

But, it was not a private conversation, in that they obviously wanted everyone around them to hear of their displeasure. It's one thing for them to have an opinion -- it's another thing entirely, to loudly verbalize it while everyone there is just doing their personal best, during the race. I think they were rude and condescending.

And, as you mentioned, a number of people would pull off to the right, to let other fast runners pass.

Unfortunately, with such a large crowd, you're probably bound to get a few nitwits who insult others.

Congratulations to all who finished the race.

I just had one person argue with me that even in a sea of thousands, this was their private convo. I tend to agree with you and feel that it was intentionally loud and that it would be behind closed doors if it were private. Like you said, in such a large crowd, you're bound to find a few rude people.

I even commend anyone who got out there and tried. During my training, I listened to a podcast where one of the balloon ladies was interviewed. They are at the very back, so they see the people who are really struggling. Still, they spoke of people out there to prove to their husbands that they're capable of more, some who were just trying to get a little bit farther than the point they were swept in a previous year, and some who were injured and just wanted to try and do something. And with this year, I know the weather was too much for some, so even people who chose not to start or finish because they didn't want to hurt themselves...that's all good too.

I’m pretty disgusted at the attitude of those runners, I follow Galloway intervals and got a half pb to get me in corral C. I’ve persuaded friends to try it, and they’re improving their times. As long as you’re considerate of other runners, I don’t see the issue. I find groups of runners running 3 or more abreast far more annoying. During the marathon there were Galloway pacers in corral A, pacing I think a 3.15 or 3.30 marathon.

Disgust is a great word for it. I've met people at every corral level who use Galloway intervals, so I feel like these ladies were not only rude, but ignorant. Heck, Galloway himself was in A and using intervals. I completely forgot about the Galloway pacers. I know I kept with one group for a little bit in the first part of the half before I got distracted by fun things and I saw several of the groups while I was watching the full. Having a POT for Corral C is a huge accomplishment, no matter your method. And let's be honest, you probably felt a bit better after your runs than people who don't use intervals, simply because your walk intervals give your muscles some added recovery. Not saying they should shift if they're happy with their approach, but there are benefits to the interval method.

Edit- and you're completely on point with the way some groups run. I know I hit several walls of people that were 5 or more wide. Even if they're off to the right and walking, there are still going to be walkers who walk faster (some of the race walkers I saw were crazy impressive). So, keeping it to 2 would have been nice.