Trip Report You Are Braver Than You Believe, Stronger Than You Seem, And Smarter Than ... Nope. Piglet Goes Dopey

Hi everyone, welcome to my trip report. I’ve been reading lots of other reports and have really enjoyed them so thought I’d join in the fun. We’ve been back home for a week now, photos are sorted and it’s about time I got round to doing this.

I did write a pre-trip report (A Dopey Dream) but I’m a bit technically challenged and don’t know how to link it, so I’ll go over a few details.

Who:

Me, Sharon aka Piglet. About to celebrate a scary big birthday (50) next month. This was one of the reasons for the trip. Husband, Darren, older than me . Alice, turned 13 while we were there, and Lexi, 10. We live in Milton Keynes, UK and are DVC members. One day I will find a photo of all of us together that isn’t completely hideous.

Where and When:

Saratoga Springs Resort January 1st to January 13th
Cruising on the Disney Dream January 13th to January

Extras bits:

While we were there I just happened to run a couple of little races. 5k, 10k, half marathon, first ever full marathon. Just the sort of thing that normal people do while they’re on holiday.

 

[Loco_driver]

Thank you. I don’t think I’d manage a mile in the sort of heat you get, isn’t it regularly triple digits there? It got up to about 80 here last weekend and I ended up cutting my run short, I still don’t know how I managed the heat for Dopey. Snakes , I’m terrified of those, luckily they’re super rare here. The worst thing I get is the occasional curious cow following me, although they can be quite scary sometimes.

It certainly can get warm, although triple digit temps aren’t too common outside of July and August sometimes. We were lucky to have a “cool” may this year with temps in the low 80s most of the month! The last few days have been the first we’ve had where the heat has really been on. 95 yesterday and again today it looks like. I didn’t even bother trying to run. Looks like I’ll be sticking to inside workouts for the next few months! On a side note, I’ve been working on improving my stamina on hiking as well, so I can complete a little known trail in Arkansas known as the Athens-Big Fork trail, which is notoriously difficult. I just found out that there are a group of crazies that actually run a marathon on this trail every January! It has over 9200 feet of elevation gains. I think I’ll just stick to trying to walk it!

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

It certainly can get warm, although triple digit temps aren’t too common outside of July and August sometimes. We were lucky to have a “cool” may this year with temps in the low 80s most of the month! The last few days have been the first we’ve had where the heat has really been on. 95 yesterday and again today it looks like. I didn’t even bother trying to run. Looks like I’ll be sticking to inside workouts for the next few months! On a side note, I’ve been working on improving my stamina on hiking as well, so I can complete a little known trail in Arkansas known as the Athens-Big Fork trail, which is notoriously difficult. I just found out that there are a group of crazies that actually run a marathon on this trail every January! It has over 9200 feet of elevation gains. I think I’ll just stick to trying to walk it!

Wow that is some serious elevation gain, those runners are crazy. Good luck, it sounds like a really good challenge.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

A close up of the marathon and challenge medals

And all 6 together

Still not warming to the Oswald medal, I don’t think it fits in well with the set. And I’ve just realised that the frame part of the Dopey medal is back to front.

And the certificates

 

[krisri18]

Congratulations on all your runs! That's amazing!

 

[riverside]

Congratulations!! What an accomplishment!! I did a 10K there a few years ago & I was beat for 2 days after that.
I can't imagine the strength & endurance you have to do all that!! You go girl!!

 

[RememberWhen]

So awesome!

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Congratulations on all your runs! That's amazing!

Congratulations!! What an accomplishment!! I did a 10K there a few years ago & I was beat for 2 days after that.
I can't imagine the strength & endurance you have to do all that!! You go girl!!

So awesome!

Thank you all so much. I’m so glad I joined in with this little community, everyone is so lovely.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Sunday 12th January: Marathon Day (cont)

One thing I forgot to mention earlier was that the reason that Darren knew what time to be at World Showcase to see me was that he was tracking me. If you know a runners bib number runDisney provide an online link to track your runner. What I didn’t know while I was running was that Darren had shared the link on Facebook and that a lot of friends back home had been following my race. So it was lovely to go on Facebook afterwards and see all the messages of encouragement and congratulations.

Surprisingly straight after the race I was feeling pretty good. A mixture of runners high and sheer relief that it was over. My legs were understandably very tired but they hadn’t cramped at all during the race, the hard work of training really paid off there. My stomach was feeling better by now. I had very hot tired feet so I picked up my bag from the bag check so that I could change into my Oofos recovery shoes, these things are amazing, the comfiest shoes I’ve ever worn. I was a bit nervous to see what state my feet would be in, but surprisingly after 4 days of racing there were no blisters and all toenails were the right colour and still attached .

This was another day that we’d changed plans for. Originally we were going to go into Epcot and have lunch at Akershus, I had wanted to try to get a photo wearing my Dopey medal with Snow White. I’m really glad we decided not to because all I really wanted to do was go back to the room and shower. We’d decided to just relax at the resort for the afternoon and had booked a nice dinner for the evening at one of my favourites, Narcoosees.

So we got the bus back to Saratoga where we stopped off at Artist Palette to get me something to eat. I’d only nibbled at the food in my snack box and as I’d burned close to 2500 calories during the marathon I should probably try to replace some of them. I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry though so I just ordered a kids chicken nugget meal. And I really struggled to eat it, the crash after the high was starting now, I think I managed 2 nuggets and a few grapes.

So we headed back to the room so that I could shower and nap. Unfortunately that was delayed because Mousekeeping was in our room. And it was day 12 of our DVC stay which meant we were scheduled for a full clean that day. So we waited outside for what felt like forever, but was probably only about 10 minutes. Then I had the best shower ever and a much needed couple of hours nap. While I napped, Darren took the girls to the pool for the afternoon.

I’d set my alarm because I needed to pack for the cruise before going out to dinner. There wasn’t too much to do, I’d kept one case with all our nicer cruise clothes still packed. And I’d been doing laundry and packing the other things as I’d gone along. When I got up I ate all the snacks we had left in the room because I was so hungry by now. Then we all got ready to go out for our nice dinner.

 

[fractal]

Thursday 9th January: 5k day (cont)

The route headed out through International Gateway then made a u-turn on the bridge and headed back in through the backstage area by the World Showplace events pavilion and back onto World Showcase between the UK and Canada. Then around to Mexico, through another backstage area past the building work for Guardians of the Galaxy ride and out to the finish in the Parking Lot. You can see the route below, I thought the part around World Showcase looks a bit like Yoda’s head.

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And me crossing the finish line. I must remember to attempt a smile when I know there’s a camera, everyone else looks much happier than me.



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The medal were being handed out along with some Disney themed Mylar blankets because it was still a bit chilly. For some reason I never picked one up which I really regret because it was the only race where they had them.

I picked up my snack box and “free” banana and queued up to have a photo taken with my medal. While waiting I got chatting to some fellow brits who were also going to be on the same cruise as me in a few days time.

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Close ups of the medal (and snack box). The runDisney medals really are gorgeous.



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I also downloaded a cute finisher certificate from the website.

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I was feeling a bit underwhelmed by the 5k race. I’d been so excited and built it up so much and it didn’t really live up to expectations. One of my favourite things about racing is the spectator support. I love getting cheered on and getting high fives from kids. But the only spectator support on the 5k is a few people at the start and finish, nothing on the way round. I was really hoping it would be different for the other races.

I grabbed my bag from the bag check and got on a bus to the Contemporary where I was meeting the rest of the family for breakfast.

Congrats!

 

[fractal]

Sunday 12th January: Marathon Day (cont)

I left Darren and the girls to begin my slow trek around World Showcase. They were going to try to rush straight out of the park to get to the finish line in time to see me. I knew I was way outside the time goal of 5 hours that I’d set myself, I remember being passed by the 5 hour pacing group before I’d got to Hollywood Studios. There were a few photographers around here to capture the agony of the last mile. At least I’ve got my shorts on the right way round for this photo

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It was around here that I heard my third piece of memorable music. And what else could it be than “Go The Distance”. Even now, months later, hearing the words “I know every mile would be worth my while” really gets to me.

So I ran/shuffled/walked my way around, finally heading out backstage in Mexico. It was just around here that my watch hit the 26.2 mark, and I joked to the runners next to me that I was stopping now because I’d finished my marathon. No response, I guess they didn’t find it funny.

And there it was, the finish line. Almost five and a half hours after I’d started, I’d completed one of the hardest things I had ever done in my life. I crossed that line, and I was a marathon runner.

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Some very welcome cooling towels were being handed out at the finish line, they felt so good. I got my marathon medal then had to go to another area to check that I’d completed all the races, and I was given my Goofy and Dopey medals. A quick stop for a photo before finding the family.



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Then off to the family reunion area. Darren and the girls were just arriving. They hadn’t made it to the finish line in time, Darren had tried to get the girls to run across the parking lot but apparently it was too hot to run. Really, I hadn’t noticed . They’d brought my other medals with them so I could get a photo.

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And that’s it, Dopey complete. Now time for a super relaxing cruise.

Wow! Way to gut it out and Congratulations! The backwards shorts made me laugh. The fact that you did all those races is amazing.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[aliceismad]

I have never enjoyed running, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your running adventure. Congratulations!

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wow! Way to gut it out and Congratulations! The backwards shorts made me laugh. The fact that you did all those races is amazing.

Thanks for sharing!

Thank you. I almost didn’t share the backwards shorts story, it’s a bit embarrassing. But it is part of the story and it made me laugh at myself which helped me find the strength to carry on.

I have never enjoyed running, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your running adventure. Congratulations!

Thank you. I never enjoyed any kind of sports until a couple of years ago. And it took me a while to get into running, to find the sort of running that I like. Lots of runners that I know are just about running the shorter distances and always trying to go faster. I hated that. Running further, but just enjoying the journey makes me far happier. Particularly at the moment, I’m going out and finding new places to run to try and avoid places with lots of people.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Sunday 12th January: Marathon Day (cont)

We’d arranged our dinner at Narcoosees so that we could see Happily Ever After towards the end of the meal. So if I remember correctly it was at about 8 o’clock and HEA was at 9. I really wanted to watch some fireworks, they’re one of my favourite things at Disney, and in 12 days all I’d seen was Epcot Forever which I wasn’t particularly impressed with.

We got a cab over to the Grand Floridian and made it just in time for our reservation. I was so looking forward to this dinner, we usually do quite a few signature dinners but because of my early nights we hadn’t on this trip. And I was absolutely starving by now and planned to absolutely stuff my face with food.

Obviously I was wearing my Dopey medal to go to dinner, I’d tried wearing it together with the marathon medal but there was just too much clinking. And I think the Dopey medal on its own said it all. We walked towards the restaurant and I passed another runner wearing a Dopey medal, and we congratulated each other. That is another awesome thing about the runDisney races, acknowledging the other runners even if it’s only with a smile or a head nod.

Checking in at Narcoosees and there was just a short wait until we were shown to our table. We’re always pretty lucky here and we had a table right next to the window with a good view of Magic Kingdom. Food was ordered and we were all happy and chatting about our plans for the cruise. We also ordered a really nice bottle of wine to celebrate my achievement.

The bread arrived, which I absolutely inhaled. Then the girls shared some calamari and I had the lobster bisque which was amazing. I managed to get photos of Alice’s main course, scallops, and mine, the butter poached lobster, before things started to go wrong.

I’d had a few sips of wine and a bite or two of the lobster and I started to feel a bit weird. I decided it would help if I went outside for a walk but it was warmer outside so it didn’t help. I sat back at the table for a minute and had that ‘oh no’ feeling and hurried to the restroom. . Maybe it was a reaction to the heat during the marathon or just the exertion of the race coupled with quite rich food, but my body wasn’t happy.

I returned to the table feeling a bit better, but not able to really eat and definitely not able to drink the really nice wine . While I was indisposed the girls had gone outside to watch the fireworks so I went out to join them. Usually I like to enjoy a nice adult beverage while watching fireworks, but I just had my exciting glass of water with me. I cheered up a bit and was enjoying myself and having a little singalong with the girls when that song came on. It was ‘Go The Distance’ and the tears were streaming down my face. I think from now on that song will always be associated with my first marathon.

We decided to call it a night after that, no desserts but we were sure we’d make up for that on the cruise. Darren did his best with the wine but we ended up leaving some. So we headed back for our last night at Saratoga Springs.

 

[Swissmiss]

Ugh. Sorry to hear that you couldn’t really enjoy your celebratory dinner.

I know what you mean about the feeling of camaraderie of acknowledging other runners and their medals. A couple of weeks ago I participated in a virtual charity event - participants had 48 hours to collectively run 1 million kms within Switzerland (collectively we ended up at 1.24 million ) - and there was a printable bib. Although I didn’t run with the bib, on the second day I was running along the lakeside and passed about a half dozen different runners who chose to wear the bib and they were happy at my thumbs up.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Monday 13th January: Cruise day 1

Once we got to the cruise part of the holiday I went into full on relaxation mode so I don’t have many notes for those days. I’ll try to remember as best as I can but there are gaps in some of the days.

I actually had a bit of a lie in this morning. After 4 days in a row of getting up at silly o’clock in the morning for the races, I slept until about 6. I had a few last bits of packing to do, we were getting Disney transportation to the cruise and the bags needed to be ready to be picked up from the room by 8 o’clock.

Then I had what was probably the best breakfast I have ever eaten.

I’d had the second lobster tail from the previous night’s dinner boxed to go. After barely eating the day before and then being ill, I was so hungry and this tasted so good. I think I could have eaten 5 of them. Darren also brought some pastries back from the food court and I demolished those as well. I’d definitely got my appetite back by now.

The bags were picked up and we still had until 12.30 to wait until our bus. I was feeling a bit sleepy after my breakfast so went back to bed for a couple of hours. I think lots of eating and sleeping were required to recover from my marathon.

Just before 11 we said our final goodbyes to our room and took a slow walk over to the main building to wait for the bus. My legs were a bit achey, but not too bad considering all the miles I’d run. I felt better than when I’d run my first half marathon, my entire body hurt the day after that.

Obviously I was wearing my Dopey medal, and got a few acknowledgements and congratulations on the way over. Lexi decided she was going to keep my marathon ears.

I was hungry again so we got some chicken nuggets to share. I didn’t want to eat too much here, I had a Cabanas buffet to look forward to.

The bus was pretty full already when it arrived, I think it stopped at Port Orleans and Old Key West before it got to us. We managed to get seats together at the back and at least it meant we didn’t have to stop anywhere else and we headed straight off to Port Canaveral.

This is one of those gaps in my memory. I’ve written “Jerry was our driver and he was funny”. I’m assuming Jerry told some jokes but I really don’t remember much about the journey. I think it must have been pretty uneventful.

I do remember going over the bridge with no sides on our way to get there. I know there are sides on the bridges that you pass over to get to the port but compared to bridges in the UK they are very low and you can’t see them when you’re on the bus. They completely freaked me out when we went on our first cruise, I’m glad it’s never been windy when we’ve driven over them.

We finally arrived at Port Canaveral and were greeted by this beautiful sight.

 

[BrerWayne]

Sunday 12th January: Marathon Day (cont)

We’d arranged our dinner at Narcoosees so that we could see Happily Ever After towards the end of the meal. So if I remember correctly it was at about 8 o’clock and HEA was at 9. I really wanted to watch some fireworks, they’re one of my favourite things at Disney, and in 12 days all I’d seen was Epcot Forever which I wasn’t particularly impressed with.

We got a cab over to the Grand Floridian and made it just in time for our reservation. I was so looking forward to this dinner, we usually do quite a few signature dinners but because of my early nights we hadn’t on this trip. And I was absolutely starving by now and planned to absolutely stuff my face with food.

Obviously I was wearing my Dopey medal to go to dinner, I’d tried wearing it together with the marathon medal but there was just too much clinking. And I think the Dopey medal on its own said it all. We walked towards the restaurant and I passed another runner wearing a Dopey medal, and we congratulated each other. That is another awesome thing about the runDisney races, acknowledging the other runners even if it’s only with a smile or a head nod.

Checking in at Narcoosees and there was just a short wait until we were shown to our table. We’re always pretty lucky here and we had a table right next to the window with a good view of Magic Kingdom. Food was ordered and we were all happy and chatting about our plans for the cruise. We also ordered a really nice bottle of wine to celebrate my achievement.

The bread arrived, which I absolutely inhaled. Then the girls shared some calamari and I had the lobster bisque which was amazing. I managed to get photos of Alice’s main course, scallops, and mine, the butter poached lobster, before things started to go wrong.

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I’d had a few sips of wine and a bite or two of the lobster and I started to feel a bit weird. I decided it would help if I went outside for a walk but it was warmer outside so it didn’t help. I sat back at the table for a minute and had that ‘oh no’ feeling and hurried to the restroom. . Maybe it was a reaction to the heat during the marathon or just the exertion of the race coupled with quite rich food, but my body wasn’t happy.

I returned to the table feeling a bit better, but not able to really eat and definitely not able to drink the really nice wine . While I was indisposed the girls had gone outside to watch the fireworks so I went out to join them. Usually I like to enjoy a nice adult beverage while watching fireworks, but I just had my exciting glass of water with me. I cheered up a bit and was enjoying myself and having a little singalong with the girls when that song came on. It was ‘Go The Distance’ and the tears were streaming down my face. I think from now on that song will always be associated with my first marathon.

We decided to call it a night after that, no desserts but we were sure we’d make up for that on the cruise. Darren did his best with the wine but we ended up leaving some. So we headed back for our last night at Saratoga Springs.

My first marathon was the 5th Anniversary WDW Marathon. I think it was 1998 and Hercules had been in the theaters that summer. The race had a Hercules theme that year. Go the Distance to this day brings out emotions in me. Well done on the Dopey Challenge.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Just wanted to share a little real life update that I’m a bit disappointed about. I’ve been training very hard to run my second marathon. It was originally supposed to happen at the beginning of May but was rescheduled for September. I’ve just found out today that it’s been cancelled. I know there’s far worse things happening in the world but this was something I was (kind of) looking forward to.

Hopefully I’ll be able to update my report soon. My WiFi has been awful the last few weeks, but it seems to be behaving again now.

 

[RememberWhen]

So sorry your race was canceled. I imagine it’s hard to train for something that keeps getting changed/moved around.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

So sorry your race was canceled. I imagine it’s hard to train for something that keeps getting changed/moved around.

Thanks and yes it is hard to train. They’ve offered a virtual option but I’m not sure I’m motivated enough to run a marathon like that.

 

[Swissmiss]

Just wanted to share a little real life update that I’m a bit disappointed about. I’ve been training very hard to run my second marathon. It was originally supposed to happen at the beginning of May but was rescheduled for September. I’ve just found out today that it’s been cancelled. I know there’s far worse things happening in the world but this was something I was (kind of) looking forward to.

Hopefully I’ll be able to update my report soon. My WiFi has been awful the last few weeks, but it seems to be behaving again now.

Sorry to read about this. My DLP races got cancelled as did a 10k that I was supposed to do in May (but got moved to the first weekend in October) and both notifications came out the same day. And then the next week or so was cold and rainy - it was the first time in ages that I slacked off due to weather because I just couldn’t motivate to run in bad weather when I was no longer « in training » for something.